The National Day of Prayer is May 2nd, and Deer Park’s faith community is planning a public prayer meeting for City Hall at noon.

Mayor Verzal has issued an official proclamation as guided by the Continental Congress of 1775, as he calls for “Americans of all faiths to join in united prayer to give thanks for blessings received, to request healings for wounds endured, to ask for guidance for our leaders, and bring wholeness to the United States and its citizens…”

Pastor David Stapp of First Baptist Church is organizing the music for the event, and says that he hopes “to see people coming together before God in humility and repentance seeking His Kingdom and His will.” When asked about what he will pray for, he said that, “We will pray for government leaders at all levels, first responders, the educational community, racial reconciliation, and a return to the judicial principles that underlay our constitution.” A brass quartet plans to lead the singing of three songs that were all considered, at one time or another, to be America’s unofficial national anthems. All were written by Sunday School teachers, for Sunday School programs, or were first published in church periodicals: “America, the Beautiful”, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, and “The Star-Spangled Banner”.

Pastor Tim White of the Tri-County Christian Center encouraged local pastors to come pray by stating that, “One thing we need in order to really pursue God… is an awareness that the issues are too deep for our human initiatives and programs.” A group of Deer Park’s pastors have been meeting for over a decade to pray regularly for the Deer Park area. They have worked together on local initiatives like the We Heart Deer Park back-to-school festival, and Church in the Park during Settlers Days.

According to NationalDayOfPrayer.org President Truman signed a bill into law in 1952 that authorized the sitting president to designate one day a year, besides a Sunday, as a day for national prayer. In 1988, President Reagan designated the first Thursday, and in 1998, President Clinton signed a bill into law which said that, “The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”