Over a dozen Wellsville Area Ministerial Association (WAMA) churches will observe the annual National Day of Prayer Thursday with one-hour prayer gatherings at individual churches.
Sessions will run from 6AM to 7PM at Andover, Hallsport, Scio and Wellsville, in accordance with the schedule accompanying this story.
A separate observance will be held at 3PM at The Carter House Christian Ministry Center, 37 East Main, Friendship, for residents of that area.
The theme for this year’s national gatherings is Pray Fervently in Righteousness and Avail Much, with a focus on prayer for the government, military, media, business, education, church and family.
The national observance was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.
In 1988, the law was unanimously amended by both the U.S. House and Senate, being signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Thursday, May 5, 2988, designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer.
Every president since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer proclamation.
Organizers have noted that “prayer brings people together,” and builds bridges between opposing persons and even political parties.
“Prayer reminds us that we are created in God’s image and He desires for us to represent Him everywhere we go,” they said.