Thursday, May 2, will mark the nation’s 62nd observance of the National Day of Prayer.

The national day of prayer (NSP) dates back to 1775, when the Continental Congress made a proclamation to set aside a day of prayer. In 1952, Congress established an annual day of prayer and, in 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May. It encourages the people of this nation to unite in prayer one day each year, each in accordance with their own faith.

A Christian observance of the 2013 NDP will be held Thursday, May 2, in The Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. The main event will run from 6 to 7 pm. It will be preceded by music starting at 5 pm.

All are welcome who would like to pray for the nation and our town together in a biblical context.

The theme for this year’s main event will be “In His Name the Nations will Put their Hope,” based on the Gospel of Matthew 12:21. The evening will feature readings from the New and Old Testament and prayer for the nation in seven major areas of influence: government, church, military, family, education, media, and business.

A featured speaker for the evening will be Linda Cochrane, executive director of Hopeline Pregnancy Resource Center in Danbury, which offers pro-life services to men and women facing unexpected pregnancies. She is also author of the books A Time to Heal, Healing a Father’s Heart and The Path to Sexual Healing.

There will also be opportunity for those attending to join together in smaller groups to pray for specific areas of national concern.

The National Day of Prayer publicly acknowledges dependence upon God as a nation. It calls to mind the ways in which the Founding Fathers sought the wisdom of God as the nation was being born and as Presidents and leaders have called upon God throughout the nation’s history when faced with critical decisions and difficult times. Similar themes are carried in Governor’s National Day of Prayer State Proclamation, which will be read at the event.

The evening is being coordinated by a small group of Newtown residents from various area churches using the themes and guidelines of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a private Christian organization that works to encourage locally run National Day of Prayer gatherings across the nation.

Last year, public National Day of Prayer events were held in every city and town in Connecticut. It is estimated that across the nation 30,000 National Day of Prayer events organized by 40,000 volunteers were attended by two million people.

For additional information contact Bob Andrejczyk at 203-270-1888 or ander55bus-1@yahoo.com.