Center Line continues National Day of Prayer tradition

CENTER LINE — A group of individuals who believe in the power of prayer gathered inside the Center Line Parks and Recreation Center May 1 to acknowledge the 74th annual National Day of Prayer.

This year’s nationwide theme was “Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be Filled” from Romans 15:13. For more than 20 years, Center Line residents Jackie Lancaster and Kathy Hanselman, with help from friend Denise Neumann, have organized a National Day of Prayer event in Center Line. Approximately 20 people, including city employees, attended the 30-minute service.

“There are over 40,000 prayer gatherings today. There’s one in Lansing and at Washington, D.C. Our president will be involved in that,” Lancaster said. “We hope you remember daily to pray for each other and our country, which is so needed.

“God is our only hope, and we must call upon His name to ask for his intervention,” Lancaster said. “We’re going to pray to heal America. Together, we’ll lift up our request to God, but in order for him to hear we must humble ourselves; we must pray and turn from our wicked ways.”

Together, the group prayed for city and county officials, local politicians, President Donald Trump, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, city employees, and members of the Center Line Public Safety Department. Center Line Mayor Robert Binson also led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

“It’s very important that we come together on this day. It’s very exciting to be here. Hope is a scary thing because none of us want to be disappointed, but it’s great to have hope and we definitely need to hold it together,” Binson said. “Also I’d like to say it’s very important for us to be good to one another and try to work together. I know there’s a lot of differences in this world, and a lot of people that are not agreeing with each other, but we can disagree and still get along. I’ll shoot for that as well. It’s not hard to be nice.”

Through their faith, attendees took turns offering prayers for peace, guidance, the military, the media, judges, bus drivers, churches, spiritual leaders and more. The group also asked for blessings for those who are mourning and angry, or suffering from injustice, violence and illness.

“Please draw us back to you, Lord Jesus, and fill our hearts and our homes with you,” Hanselman said. “In Jesus’ name, amen.”

“Lord, please protect our youth. Make them strong in their faith,” Binson said. “May they appreciate their freedoms and make wise decisions.”

The group also opened their hearts in song by singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”

The National Day of Prayer was started by President Harry S. Truman and first observed on July 4, 1952. The observance was changed to the first Thursday in May by President Ronald Reagan in 1987.

Religious leaders also led a National Day of Prayer gathering in Warren’s Civic Center east of Van Dyke Avenue north of 12 Mile Road on May 1.