A dozen and a half Allegany County churches are joining
together for a more than half day of coordinated community prayer at various
county locations in observance of the National Day of Prayer.
This year's theme of "Love One Another" will be
highlighted during one-hour prayer gatherings from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday,
May 2, at the 18 churches, with two being open all day for prayer. Several churches and Christian organizations
also will hold prayer gatherings during the month, coordinated by the Mission
Genesee Valley coalition of churches, other Christian organizations and
individuals seeking community transformation and revival in Allegany County and
beyond.
National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the
first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation.
It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United
States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S Truman. A privately funded task force encourages
nation-wide participation in the event, communicating the need for personal
repentance and prayer and mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for
America’s leaders and its families. The
Task Force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance,
based on an understanding that the United States was birthed in prayer and in
reverence for the God of the Bible.
Participating churches and morning prayer times are 6 a.m.
at Knight’s Creek Evangelical Methodist, 2987 Knights Creek Road (County Road
9), Scio; 7 a.m. Wellsville Full Gospel Church, 2221 Hanover Hill Road,
Wellsville; 8 a.m. Trinity Lutheran Church, 470 North Main Street, Wellsville,
and a breakfast followed by a prayer meeting at Almond Union of Churches, 11
Main Street, Almond; 9 a.m. Hallsport Christian Church, 2182 Stout Road,
Wellsville; 10 a.m. Yorks Corners Mennonite Church, 3350 County Road 29,
Wellsville; and 11 a.m. First United Methodist Church of Wellsville, 79 Madison
Street, Wellsville.
Afternoon and evening gatherings are noon at Presbyterian
Church of Wellsville, 68 North Main Street; 1 p.m. Riverside Assembly of God
Church, 3218 Riverside Drive (State Route 19), Wellsville; 2 p.m. Genesis Bible
Church, 4193 State Route 19-South, Belmont (Scio); 3 p.m. Wellsville Bible Church, 4908 Andover
Road (State Route 417 East), Wellsville; 4 p.m. United Methodist Church, 8985
Main Street, Rushford, and Shepherd of the Valley, 4229 Fassett Lane,
Wellsville; 5 p.m. United Methodist Church, 2 Chapel Street, Belfast; 6 p.m.
Brookside Wesleyan Church, 3456 Andover Road (State Route 417 East),
Wellsville; 7 p.m. Crosstown Alliance, 450 North Highland Avenue, Wellsville,
and Alfred-Almond Bible Church, 6751 State Route 21, Almond.
Churches open all day for prayer are Almond Union of
Churches, 11 Main Street, Almond; and the Seventh Day Baptist Church, 587 State
Route 244, Alfred Station.
Regular Friday night rotating location prayer gatherings for
host locations, their communities, the county and other individual and broader
concerns will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 3 at the Hope Center, 4194 Bolivar
Road - Suite 5, Wellsville; May 10 at Genesis Bible Church, 4193 State Route
19-South, Belmont (Scio); May 17 at Andover Alliance Church, 5 Rochambeau
Avenue; and May 24 at Almond Union of Churches, 11 Main Street, Almond.
The twice-a-month 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday night praise,
worship and prayer gathering, only will be held once on a different night in
May due to Mother's Day and Memorial Day weekend. Yorks Corners Mennonite Church, 3350 County
Road 29, Wellsville, will host the session, part of an ongoing focus on
combating issues of addiction, abuse, racism, suicide, poverty, family dysfunction
and more that pastors say are extremely serious issues throughout this area,
the United States and the world.
County community prayer gatherings during the week include
6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. sessions every weekday at Knights Creek Church, 2987
Knights Creek Road (County Road 9), Scio; 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesdays at
Belfast Free Methodist Church, 11 Chestnut Street; and 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Saturdays at the Powerhouse Youth Center, 23 West Main Street, Fillmore.
Further information on these gatherings is available at www.facebook.com/TransformationJourneyUSA
or Pastor Dan Kenyon, coalition chair, at wbc@ne.twcbc.com or (585) 593-6471.
