National Day of Prayer

The first Thursday of every May is the National Day of Prayer, which will be May 7 this year. (See NDP's website at http://www.ndptf.org/home/index.cfm.) We set this day apart to come together as the Body of Christ throughout our nation to pray for our country, our leadership, our communities, our families, our businesses, our military, our churches, and our schools. It is a day that crosses denominational boundaries - we all agree together in the name of Christ that prayer is essential for our nation.

I have been a part of the Dublin planning team for the last few years, and I believe that our plans get better and better each year. For the second year in a row, we are making sure that the bulk of the praying is done by the people who gather, not by some windbag like yours truly up front at a microphone.

This year's primary event will be held at the Farmer's Market from noon to 1pm on Thursday, May 7. There will be praise music, the pledge of allegiance (led by one of DBC's own youth), and then prayer. Seven areas of prayer will be suggested, and then those in attendance will be asked to gather in clusters and pray together for those needs.

We will officially end by 1pm so that people can return to work. However, the event leadership will remain at the Farmer's Market until 2pm for those who have the time to continue in prayer.

Last year, we had "Prayer Stations," which was an interesting and fun way to organize the prayer categories. This year, we will not have the stations, but we will be praying with our brothers and sisters in Christ for the various categories of needs.

One of the greatest benefits I see of this event is the unity I see in the event. It's one of the few times in Dublin where we see true unity among the races and among the various denominations. The unity of the Body is something we too rarely experience, and I value it highly. The other team members agree - we love the unity. The leadership team itself is represented by a variety of Christian traditions, and we are so pleased every year to see that unity pervade the entire event.

I urge you to join us on May 7 at the Farmer's Market at lunchtime. We often undervalue prayer and unity - please don't miss what I consider to be the greatest example of both for our community.