Mayor William E. Cooper read a proclamation declaring the observance of the 2022 National Day of Prayer as he joined local pastors and church leaders in front of City Hall at noon May 5.
He thanked all of the pastors and church leaders of the Enterprise Ministerial Alliance for hosting the National Day of Prayer ceremony and for inviting him to participate.
"As a man who believes in the power of prayer, I am always blessed by this ceremony. I thank those who attended and heard the inspirational prayers for our nation, the economy, our churches, our children, farmers, first responders and all of the important aspects of our world that we need to lift up in prayer in a mighty way, every day," Cooper said.
Pastor Jim Endrihs led the ceremony, with Danny Wiggins providing guitar accompaniment as the small crowd sang patriotic music.
Leading the 14 prayers were Pastor Endrihs of Christ the King Lutheran Church, praying for families and children; Pastor Ben Bowden of First Baptist Church, praying for farmers and all who work to provide “our daily bread,” Pastor Caleb Cochran of College Avenue Church of Christ, praying for the nation's natural resource and that we be good stewards of God's gifts; Police Chief Michael Moore, praying for police, judges, doctors, caregivers and all of those who work to bring peace, justice, protection and health care to the people of our community and the nation; Leon Adams, retired pastor, praying for the peace of the whole world; Dr. John Granger of the Coffee Baptist Association, praying for the salvation of the lost and the spread of the gospel; Col. Brad Smith, praying for America’s service men and women; Pastor Slade Stinson of Lee Street Baptist Church, praying for the victims of disaster; Brent Goodson, praying for those who grieve; Debbie Tobin, praying for the economy; Kerry Mitchel, praying for the well-being of the church; Pastor John McCrummen of Open Door Baptist Church, praying for pastors and all servants of the church, and all the people; and Danny Wiggins of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, praying for the persecuted church.
The National Day of Prayer ceremony connects people of faith here with hundreds of thousands of others all over the United States pray in their own communities for blessings upon the Nation, its people, its first responders, church leaders, military, farmers, etc.
Prayer, praise and music was the order of the day at the ceremony, where Cooper presented the proclamation and assisted Pastor Endrihs in leading the song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
The theme of this year’s national observance was “Exalt the Lord Who Has Established Us,” which is inspired by Colossians 2:6-7, according to the NDP Task Force website.
