Sweet Home residents will observe the National Day of Prayer Thursday, May 5, with a slightly different arrangement than has been the norm in recent years.
Pastor Matt Coleman of Hillside Fellowship, one of the organizers, said the plan is to hold separate prayer gatherings at various spots around town, each focusing on different topics that in the past were addressed in a single evening meeting.
Coleman and Kelly Graham, pastor of Crawfordsville Community Church, started a ministers’ fellowship several years ago that has taken over planning of the local event.
“We pray together for churches and this community,” Coleman said of the group. “There are eight to 12 churches represented, out of 26 churches. It’s non-political. We just pray for the community and encourage each other.”
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May.
It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry Truman.
Sweet Home’s observance will begin at 7:15 a.m. on May 5 outside the Sweet Home School District Office, 1920 Long St. That gathering will focus on family, church and education.
At noon, a second gathering will be held outside City Hall, 1140 12th Ave., where the focus will be government, business and local nonprofits and ministries.
At 4:30, at Sweet Home Police Department, 1950 Main St., the focus will be military, the media and first responders.
The final event of the day will be a service at Cornerstone Fellowship, 1234 Long St.
Each of the three daytime gatherings will last about 30 minutes, Coleman said.
“These are just places where people can come and pray together for those categories,” he said. “The evening one will be more of a prayer and worship service.”