Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas The Plano Multi-Cultural Outreach Roundtable (MCOR) is hosting a National Day of Prayer program on Thursday May 5 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Plano Municipal Center 1520 K Avenue. The public is invited to attend this free event and reception immediately following the program.
Mayor Phil Dyer will attend and read a proclamation on behalf of the City of Plano. The program will include the welcome color guard pledge of allegiance and music as well as congregational singing of America the Beautiful (opening) / Let There Be Peace (closing) with short prayers by leaders from numerous faiths.
Various musical selections will be provided by the Madriguera Guitarists and Dorayne Breedlove musician storyteller and the founder of A Slice of Rainbow in Plano Texas. There will be a reception immediately following the service to foster dialogue between the various cultural and religious groups.
The Plano National Day of Prayer program will celebrate its fifth anniversary as an interfaith service. It will be held at Plano Municipal Center (City Hall) to accommodate more participants and will be in the evening to facilitate working people and school children.
The program is characterized by brief prayers of an inclusive nature offered by clergy from various faith communities. Those who speak a language other than English will have their prayers projected in English so that all might understand them. Each years program has been well-received by audience and participants alike.
Mary Alice Garza MCOR Co-Chair with help of other MCOR members has organized the Plano National Day of Prayer ceremony. MCOR is an all volunteer organization that promotes varied cultural educational activities for Plano. For
more information on the Plano Multi-Cultural Outreach Roundtable visit
www.PlanoMCOR.org.
The first National Day of Prayer was observed on July 20 1775 during the beginning of the Revolutionary War before we were a recognized Nation. The official National Day of Prayer (36 U.S.C. § 119) is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May designated by the United States Congress when people are asked to turn to God in prayer and meditation. The law formalizing its annual observance was enacted in 1952.
It is believed that there had been at least two individual (i.e. single-day) national days of prayer in U.S. history before the day was made an official annual day of observance in 1952.
Prior to the nations founding the Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending a day of publick sic humiliation fasting and prayer be observed on July 20 1775. During the Quasi War with France President John Adams declared May 9 1798 as a day of solemn humility fasting and prayer during which citizens of all faiths were asked to pray that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it.
On March 30 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation expressing the idea that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins and designated the day of April 30 1863 as a day of national humiliation fasting and prayer in the hope that God would respond by restoring our now divided and suffering Country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.
He went on to say ...it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.
More recently the idea of an annual National Day of Prayer was introduced by the Rev. Billy Graham who suggested it in the midst of a several-weeks crusade in the nations capitol. Members of the House and Senate introduced a joint resolution for an annual 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.
