At press time, it’s just 20 days away from the 65th annual National Day of Prayer on May 4.
Established in 1952 by a United States Congress joint resolution, the National Day of Prayer was signed into law by then-President Harry S. Truman. This year’s theme is “For Your Great Name’s Sake” and is based off Daniel 9:19.
Many churches and associations across the United States, including Alabama, are encouraging Christians to pray on that Thursday “as it enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions,” according to nationaldayofprayer.org.
Chilton Baptist Association is just one of many associations encouraging its churches to “pray for our nation on this appointed day.” The association will provide 10 yard placards to each church to help promote the day and the purpose of the prayer emphasis.
“The response from our churches has been extremely positive,” Director of Missions Larry Felkins said. “Many communities are promoting this day with an event. Churches are open for prayer that day and our desire is to have more people praying every day and especially on May 4.”
In conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, Alabamians will gather again at civic locations around the state to read the entire Bible over their cities.
To get involved, check out the details for the various Bible Reading Marathons:
• Birmingham — Starting Thursday, May 4, 9 a.m. and ending Sunday, May 7, 5 p.m. Held at Kelly Ingram Park Pavilion at the corner of 5th Avenue North and 16th Street downtown.
For more information, visit libertypark.org/biblemarathon.
• Oneonta — Starting Thursday, May 4, 8 a.m. and ending Sunday, May 7, 8:30 a.m. Held at the Blount County Courthouse. For more information, visit the Facebook page: Oneonta Blount County Bible Reading Marathon.
• Tuscaloosa — Starting Sunday, April 30, 3 p.m. and ending Thursday, May 4, 9 a.m. Held in front of the chapel of First Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, at 721 Greensboro Avenue. For more information, visit hope4mycity.com.
Southern part of state
• Montgomery — Starting Thursday, May 4, 8:30 a.m. and ending Sunday, May 7, 8:30 a.m. Held at the State Capitol building. For more information, visit hisvessel.org/bible-reading.
• Ozark — Starting Sunday, April 30, 3 p.m. and ending Thursday, May 4, noon, with a prayer service. Held in front of the Dale County Courthouse in Ozark. For more information, call Dale Association at 334-774-2713.
• Troy — Starting Sunday, April 30, with music and prayer at 6 p.m. and Bible reading at 7 p.m. ending May 4, noon. Held in downtown Troy in the gazebo on the square. For more information, call Salem-Troy Association at 334-566-1538. (TAB)
Share with others: