By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
LASALLE PARISH, La. (LBM) – Residents of LaSalle Parish will celebrate the upcoming National Day of Prayer with events at LaSalle High School in Olla and Jena High School football stadiums starting noon, May 7.
Scott Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tullos and organizer of the gathering at LaSalle High School, said he is anticipating a powerful time of prayer with others from multiple denominations.
“As I have spoken with pastors and leaders of our communities, one thing has become quite evident,” Smith told the Baptist Message. “Every person that I spoke with seemed eager to come together and pray.
“I could sense the sincerity in their voices as each one shared about how God is our only hope,” he continued. “I hope this will lead to a time of revival and spiritual awakening.”
According to the Jena Times, both locations will allow ample space for participants to adhere to proper social distancing guidelines of at least six feet apart from one another. Additionally, those attending are asked not to hold hands or form close groups while praying.
“It there has ever been a year when all of LaSalle Parish believers should come together to participate in the National Day of Prayer, it is this year,” Jena Mayor LaDawn Edwards told the Jena Times. “With our format this year, we should have enough space to allow for social distancing while praying.”
LaSalle Parish is one of several locations around the state that have planned in-person gatherings. According to the National Day of Prayer website, such prayer events are scheduled at the Carencro Community Center from noon-1 p.m., Iowa City Park from 6-8 p.m., and the Thibodaux Courthouse from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Other communities have scheduled virtual prayer gatherings.
This year’s National Day of Prayer theme is “Pray God’s glory across the earth,” based on Habakkuk 2:14 – “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
A virtual national gathering will take place from 7 to 9 p.m., May 7, that has the potential to be one of the largest joint prayer events, according to a news release from the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Will Graham, vice-president of the Billy Graham Association; Michael W. Smith, a Grammy and Dove award-winning Christian contemporary artist; Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church with campuses in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, are among those scheduled to participate in the broadcast that will be livestreamed on the National Day of Prayer’s website and Facebook page; GodTV, Daystar, and BrioTV television networks; and on Moody and Bott radio networks.
Created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Harry S Truman, this annual observance is held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation.
