Day of Prayer: May 1

The 57th Annual National Day of prayer will take place Thursday, May 1. Locally, the event will be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. in Pulteney Square in Bath. Foundation Training Center in Kanona will provide music. Representatives from local churches have been invited to unite together at this time to pray for our federal, state and local leaders, our community, families, youth, and military personnel.

The theme for this year is "Prayer! America's Strength and Shield" based on Psalm 28:7 which states: "The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped".

The Continental Congress proclaimed a day of prayer in 1775 to designate "a time for prayer in forming a new nation". The National Day of Prayer was made official on April 17, 1952, signed by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law decreeing that the National Day of Prayer should be held on the first Thursday of May. The original intention of the National Day of Prayer, designated by the United States Congress, was that it would be a day when members of all faiths could pray together in their own way.