NDR Media Coverage

'God Bless America'
On Day of Prayer, Many Sought Guidance for Nation

By Ken Garfield
Religion Editor

Thousands of Carolinas Christians marked National Day of Prayer on Thursday with a fervent blend of God and country.

From a parking lot in Monroe to the Government Plaza in uptown Charlotte, believers gathered to ask God's blessings on our nation, homes, soldiers and police. They held hands, prayed and sang patriotic songs -- acts echoed at some 40,000 events nationwide. Above all, they found in this 52nd annual gathering the perfect opportunity to come out of the church and onto the streets.

"People are so afraid to pray out loud," the Rev. William Pentis of St. Anne Catholic in Rock Hill said after the rally.

"I think it gives us the courage to do that. It's sort of a ripple effect, if you see other people praying, you may be more inclined to pray yourself."

In Hickory, the 75 who gathered on the steps of City Hall heard the Rev. Brian Campbell of First Assembly of God pray "that a genuine revival break out in every fiber of our society. We want God back in our country."

In Rock Hill, the 100 who met on the steps of City Hall heard a choir from Trinity Christian Church sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "America the Beautiful."

The crowd closed by reciting the Lord's Prayer and singing "God Bless America."

In Gastonia, the 60 people who gathered outside Gaston County Courthouse prayed for the imprisoned, the persecuted, the military, the nation and its leaders. The Rev. George Floyd of Words of Truth Ministries in Bessemer City spoke against homosexuality. The crowd's rendition of "America the Beautiful" drowned out the roar of the nearby fountains.

In Monroe, the 60 who gathered in the Monroe Plaza Shopping Center parking lot prayed for U.S. troops abroad and Christians who wage spiritual war at home.

In Charlotte, the 100 who stood outside the Government Plaza heard the Rev. Herb Mirly of Resurrection Lutheran Church characterize America as "a Christian godly nation."

That's the mix of secular evangelism that inspired the American Humanist Association to declare its own observance on Thursday -- a National Day of Reason celebrated at 13 events nationwide, including one in Charleston.

"Whereas the government-sanctioned sectarianism inherent in the National Day of Prayer is unduly exclusionary, celebrating reason is universal," said Edd Doerr, president of Americans for Religious Liberty.

Such sentiments never crossed the mind of Judy Barber as she dropped to her knees in prayer at the Charlotte gathering -- part of her continuing effort to be an everyday Christian.

Not long ago, she prayed with her IHOP waitress.

"Sunday's easy," said Barber, 54. "Dress up. You don't have to work. Go out to lunch. Take a nap.

"Monday through Friday," she said at the close of National Day of Prayer, "is critical."

Copyright 2003 The Charlotte Observer

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