National Day of Prayer services to take place in Madison and Huntsville
By Maria Rakoczy (maria@themadisonrecord.com)
MADISON – National Day of Prayer is coming to Madison and Huntsville on Thursday, May 4. Mayor Paul Finley of Madison issued a proclamation at the April 24 Madison City Council meeting declaring the day National Day of Prayer in Madison.
Tammy Steinberg was present to receive the proclamation on behalf of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, and thanked the city officials for their support of the celebration, “We just want to thank you all, council members and mayor, for serving our community and all that you do and we bless you. We are the National Day of Prayer Task Force and we are a Judeo-Christian organization and we encourage public prayer for our nation through Jesus Christ.”
In the proclamation, Mayor Finley stated, “Recognizing the love of God, we, citizens of Madison, treasure the freedom to gather in prayer exercising reliance on God’s power in the face of present challenges and threats, asking for His blessing on every individual of our city”.
Each year has a theme that focuses on a particular initiative for the country. This year’s theme is “Pray Fervently in Righteousness and Avail Much”, and is based on the Scriptures verse of “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” from James 5:16B.
Three events marking the day will take place across Huntsville and Madison on Thursday, May 4. The first event will take place at CrossPointe Church on Hughes Road from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Sherwood Baptist Church on Old Madison Pike across from Bridge Street Town Center will host a service at noon, and a county-wide service for all of Madison County will also take place at noon at Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville.
National Day of Prayer is a long-standing tradition in the United States. It has been celebrated since the First Continental Congress in 1775. It was recognized again by Congress as Joint Resolution in 1952, making this year’s celebration the 72nd official National Day of Prayer.
Now, the special day has been brought to the cities of Madison and Huntsville.
