Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
The public is invited to area observances May 3 for the National Day of Prayer. Local events are being sponsored by the Citywide Prayer Movement and include morning, noon, and evening events so the maximum number of people can attend.
This year’s theme is Pray for America: Unity, taken from Ephesians 4:3 that reads, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”
By Dwight Widaman, Editor
Pastor Gary Schmitz, executive director of the Citywide Prayer Movement KC says that we need to come together for prayer and he has a call for believers. “We are inviting believers at this critical time in our nation to mark their calendars and gather with hundreds of fellow believers in our city,” he said. “We are praying for a mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit on our city and nation.”
The 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 Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988, the law was unanimously amended by both the House and the Senate and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer. Every president since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer proclamation.
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is president of the National Day of Prayer organization. At a meeting of religious broadcasters, Floyd asked, “What is God saying to our country right now?’ What is His heart for this?
Floyd noted several signs of the times, including natural disasters, racial unrest, the worst mass murder in U.S. history, and “political division and polarization that spews with vitriol language that has divided this nation beyond anything that any of us have ever seen in our generation.”
“We have to admit this: America is broken. Division is undeniable. Racial tension is alarming. Lawlessness abounds. Reconciliation appears impossible. Government cannot fix it. Politics will not heal it. And the spirit of the age is ruling all over this nation,” Floyd said.
But he noted that, “the culture and its dark, hopeless condition is the perfect backdrop to call America to unity.”
“There is not one person that has lived in this nation today or the last 10 years that would ever say this country is united together. Enough is enough,” Floyd continued. “And what we need to do as the people of God is to get our own act together … so the nation has a shot of being together. Could it be that the nation is reflecting the condition of the Church, and the condition of our lives? And that we need to be the ones to make every effort?”
Floyd urged believers across the nation to do everything they can to call people in the U.S. to unite in public prayer.
“Unity: This is the heart of God for this nation,” he said.
The represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.
Events are generally taking place in the morning, noon, or evening time frames. Regional NDP locations are listed below:
National Day of Prayer for the Kansas City and Topeka Regions:
Thursday – May 3, 2018
Missouri State Capitol
Jefferson City, MO
First Floor Rotunda
Noon – 2 PM
Master of Ceremonies Jill Noble
Colonial Presbyterian NDP
Colonial Presbyterian Church
9500 Wornall Road
Kansas City MO 64114
7 AM Continental Breakfast
7:30 – 9:15 AM Worship/Prayer
Pastor Gary Schmitz
816-217-5679
Greater Kansas City NDP Locations:
Platte City NDP Breakfast & Prayer
Platte City United Methodist Church
14040 State Hwy N (South 4th St.)
Platte City, MO 64079
7:00 – 8:30 AM
Pastor Michael Lazio
816-520-5993
Colonial Presbyterian NDP
Colonial Presbyterian Church
9500 Wornall Road
Kansas City MO 64114
7 AM Continental Breakfast
7:30 – 9:15 AM Worship/Prayer
Pastor Gary Schmitz
816-217-5679
Leawood NDP
Leawood City Hall
4800 Town Center Drive
Leawood, KS 66221
Noon – 1 PM (will meet inside if rain)
Ms. Susie Barnes
913-851-5996
Olathe NDP
Olathe Courthouse Gazebo
100 N. Kansas Ave.
Olathe, KS 66061
Noon – 1 PM
Pastor Mike Bickley
913-764-8280
De Soto NDP
De Soto Community Center Gymnasium
De Soto, KS 66018
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lee’s Summit NDP
Lee’s Summit City Hall
220 SE Green St.
Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Noon – 1 PM
Pastor Fel Bagunu
816-674-7938
Urban KCMO NDP
City Union Mission Men’s Center Chapel
1108 E. 10th St.
Kansas City, MO 64106
12:55 to 2:05 PM
Dennis Ellis
816-329-1466
North Kansas City NDP
Harmony Vineyard Church
600 NE 46th St.
Kansas City, MO 64116
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Pastor John Brown
816-587-8898
New Covenant Ministries
532 S. Main St.
Independence, MO 64050
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Pastor Joe Nicola
913-836-8303
Kansas City, KS NDP Prayer Luncheon
Haven Baptist Church
3430 Hutton Rd
Kansas City, KS 66109
12 Noon – 1:00 PM
National Day of Prayer Service
Wednesday Evening, May 2, 2018
Lee’s Summit NDP
Church on the Rock Outreach
1700 SW Market St.
Lee’s Summit, MO 64082
7:00 to 8:15 PM
Pastor Bill Virgin
816-525-2568
Topeka/East Central Kansas Observances:
Kansas State Capitol Observance
SW 8th & SW Van Buren
Topeka, KS
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Dave DePue
785-249-7604
Topeka National Day of Prayer
The Encounter Church (El Encuentro)
2054 SE California Ave
Topeka, KS 66607
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Manhattan, KS NDP
House of Prayer
328 Poyntz Ave
Manhattan, KS 66502
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ottawa, KS Concert of Prayer
Cornerstone Church
Ottawa, KS
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Bequi Hicks
785-418-5652
Wamego, KS NDP Prayer Service
May 3, 6:30 pm
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church
17535 Say Rd. (1/2 mi. north of Hwy 24 & Hwy 99 intersection)
For a location near you visit National Day of Prayer.
