CRC Marks National Day of Prayer
CRC ks National Day of Prayer
On May 6, 2010 – About 100 people gathered in the atrium of the Christian Reformed Church office in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Thursday to quietly observe what could be the last annual National Day of Prayer.
“We are responding to the president’s request that we pray,” said Rev. Doug Kamstra, prayer mobilization and discipleship team leader for Christian Reformed Home Missions. “We do this realizing that this could be the last time. The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a suit and a judge declared the National Day of Prayer to be unconstitutional.”
A federal statute designates the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer and directs the president to issue a proclamation in observance of the day. President Barack Obama did so on Monday. His administration is appealing the U.S. District Court ruling in Wisconsin that found that the annual observance violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause in part because the yearly day of prayer amounts to “the government’s endorsement and encouragement of prayer.”
“We believe that prayer is good and pleasing to God,” said Kamstra. “As we gather, we recognize that people will be gathering all over the nation today to pray.”
Five items were on the prayer list at the CRC office. Preceded by a Scripture reading, the first item was to offer prayer for the nation, including lawmakers and federal officials, as well as for civil servants and the military.
“We must thank God for the land and our freedoms,” said Mike Bruinooge, director of The Network, a CRC initiative that uses various means to connect churches with churches. “We ask for blessings on Congress and Parliament (in Canada), the governors and legislators. We pray that they be men and women who guide us with your (God’s) wisdom and justice… We also pray for the poor, powerless, and the voiceless people in our land.”
Another item was the national economy and unemployment. Patti Fisher, travel coordinator for Christian Reformed World Missions, read a passage of Scripture and then prayed: “Even in our trials in our economy, we are a blessed people.”
In other items, Rev. Mark Stephenson, director of the Disabilities Concerns office, included prayers for families, youth, and children. “Families remain God’s basic unit,” he said. With a strong and faithful family behind you, he said, you can cope with a range of challenges.
Paul Faber, an editor with Faith Alive Christian Resources, offered a prayer for media and education. He read from Scripture that says that learning and wisdom starts with a healthy fear of the Lord, of who He is, and of what He is able to do.
The final prayer was for the “Church and its Witness: Jesus is Lord.” After reading Scripture, Andrew Ryskamp, the U.S. director of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, acknowledged that “God is doing the powerful work of transformation in our communities.”
After each of the prayers, people gathered in small groups to softly offer their own prayers.
In 1952, President Harry Truman signed a joint resolution of Congress establishing an annual day of prayer. President Ronald Reagan and Congress in 1988 amended the law to designate the first Thursday of every May to be an annual observance.
A volunteer coordinator network organizes local, state, and federal observances throughout the nation, says Rev. LeRoy G. Christoffels, pastor of Worthington Christian Reformed Church in Minnesota and a prayer coordinator in his community for what was the 59th annual National Day of Prayer.
“Observances begin at sunrise in Maine and continue through the day until sunset in Hawaii. There is unity through a theme, Scripture and artwork which is developed by the NDP Task Force, but individuals are free to observe the day in their own prayer style,” says Christoffels.
