|
220 Jewett Blvd,
PO Box 218, White Salmon, WA 98672
Phone: 509.493.2112 |
|
|
| National prayer day draws crowd in WS |
|---|
| Designed to encourage people to come together |
|---|
By Jesse Burkhardt
With war, terrorism, the faltering national economy and global warming as a backdrop, about 50 local citizens turned out last Thursday to participate in a "National Day of Prayer" in White Salmon.
The prayer, held in Rhinegarten Park at noon on May 1, is an annual event designed to encourage people to come together and seek assistance and wisdom from a higher power.
All across the United States, citizens gathered at noon in their respective time zones to offer prayer for a better world.
Tom Culp, pastor of the Husum Community Church of God and president of the Evangelical Pastors Association, said he has participated in the prayers -- held on the first Thursday in May -- for the past three years.
"It was well-received and went well," Culp said. "This year was one of the bigger crowds we've had, and the weather cooperated."
Culp explained that the various pastors in attendance all come from the local area. This year, seven pastors participated in the National Day of Prayer.
In addition to Culp, other pastors at the May 1 event were: Wes Koester, First Baptist Church in Bingen; Dan Kennedy and Bob Long from Grace Baptist Church in White Salmon; Jim Beattie from the Nazarene Church in White Salmon; Ken Rieper from New Beginnings Church in White Salmon; and Tim Hardin, from the Kayak Church.
Each pastor in turn focused on one of seven specific institutions in the prayers he led: Family, government, the military, the church, business, the media, and education.
"I took the military because I'm in the National Guard," Culp said, "so I feel close ties to that."
Not all who prayed were pastors. White Salmon Mayor David Poucher was there to offer a prayer for the city.
"I was asked to participate, to pray for the city, and I was more than happy to come down and do it," Poucher said. "I thought it was very, very positive. I asked for blessings on the city and its workers. It was a way to come together, and it was a good event."
Poucher's prayer focused on asking for the region's social ills to be healed: "We will see healing because we prayed; we will see breaking of addictions because we prayed; we will see reconciliation between loved ones because we prayed; we will see poverty stricken because we prayed; and we will see the veil of depression ripped apart because we prayed," read an excerpt.
Poucher added that there were no political overtones to the prayer session.
"It was very apolitical," Poucher said. "It wasn't about whether you like the president or not, for example, but we prayed to give him wisdom."
"I thought the mayor did a good job," Culp said.
|
| Go to top. |
|
|
