Group observes National Day of Prayer

As noon approached on May 2 less than a dozen people formed a prayer circle, near the flagpole and entrance to the Vernon Municipal Building led by Rev. Nik Fontana of the Faith with Love Fellowship Church in McAfee.
What the group may have lacked in number, they made up with prayerful enthusiasm, commitment and reverence as they sang hymns and prayed for our country.
This year’s National Day of Prayer theme is Love One Another, a truly beautiful state to strive toward in the midst of a country and world that, at times emits the opposite.
“We really need to choose love over indifference and hate,” said Fontana said. “Every city in America, including Vernon needs to choose love, restoration and forgiveness even though the burdens of our nation and the world seem disheartening.”
Participants prayed for civic leaders, our military, law enforcement, churches, first responders, the media, everyday citizens, and those burdened with illnesses and for understanding and tolerance.
The bright, sunny afternoon complimented the nature of the gathering. Historically, the National Day of Prayer came into being in 1952 as a joint resolution of Congress and was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. President Ronald Reagan amended the National Day of Prayer to occur every first Thursday in May. These modern-day presidents simply mirrored what our forefathers believed years before. In 1775, the First Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer to honor our freedoms. In 1863, President Lincoln reinforced the fact that a day of prayer and remembrance was needed.
According to nationaldayofprayer.org, there were more than 30,000 observances nationwide, at state capitals, county court houses, schools, churches, businesses and neighborhoods with people stopping their activities and gathering to pray.