National Day of Prayer in Abilene
By Loretta Fulton
The Abilene Interfaith Council will host its 20th annual National Day of Prayer service at noon Thursday, May 2, at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress St.
Everyone is invited to hear prayers for peace, which will be led by participants from Abilene’s many faith traditions. Theme is “World Religions and World Peace.” The service will end with the breaking of bread together in peace. The challah bread is donated by Gay Beitscher, a member of Temple Mizpah.
On Wednesday, May 1, a National Day of Prayer Breakfast will be held at Hardin-Simmons University in the multipurpose room of the Johnson Building. The breakfast and program, which are free, begin at 7:30 a.m. RSVP to president@hsutx.edu
The program is sponsored by BCFS Health and Human Services, Hendrick Health System, and Hardin-Simmons.
On Thursday, the First Church of the Nazarene, 2849 Beltway South, will host a luncheon, with Rev. Harlan Humisten, pastor, leading the service. The service is scheduled 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.. The program includes lunch, speaker, and prayer for the state and nation.
At Thursday’s Abilene Interfaith Council’s prayer service, Greg Wilson, president, will welcome guests. Dr. Omer Hancock, retired religion professor at Hardin-Simmons, will give a brief history of National Day of Prayer.
Participants will be:
Sr Brigit-Carol, Anglican Solitary
Islam–Shagu Agahi
Catholic–Judith Phaneuf
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–Dr. Tommie Farrell
Episcopal–Rev. Karen Boyd
Hindu–Dr. Sanjay Srivastava
Hospital Chaplain–Rev. Lindsey Reed-Guerrero
Independent Humanistic Monk – Venerable Maitri Avalokita
Orthodox Christianity–Rick Dunbar
Protestant–Rev. Carlo Sosa-Ortiz
Native American Spiritualists–Shawna Hayhurst and Icie Mitchell
National Day of Prayer history
The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations.
Spirit Of Abilene 