Daphne Creary heard an announcement on the radio about National Prayer Day more than a decade ago and acted. “I said at the time ‘I want to be a part of this,’” Creary said, a Broward County resident for more than 30 years. “It was a calling. God told me to do this.”
Soon, she started calling pastors, asking them to arrange prayer services on National Prayer Day, usually on the first Thursday in May.
“She printed fliers, made phone calls and made prayer happen. She is recognized as a volunteer coordinator for Broward by Florida’s National Day of Prayer office in Tallahassee. She coordinates sometimes for Palm Beach, too, she said.
Creary is one of about 200 volunteers who help coordinator prayer services on National Prayer Day throughout the state, said Joe Miller, state volunteer coordinator in Tallahassee.
“Creary is one of the more enthusiastic volunteers that we have. Last year, she coordinated about 10 events in the Fort Lauderdale area,” Miller said.
This year, she has coordinated the prayer service at the City of Fort Lauderdale, which will be from noon to 2 p.m., in City Hall Commission Chambers, 100 N. Andrews Ave., 1st Floor. She has coordinated a free prayer breakfast at the City of Lauderdale Lakes, 4300 NW 36th St., which starts at 8 a.m. Thursday, and services for the cities of Lauderhill and Sunrise, from noon to 2 p.m. A night service at Gateway Church, 2130 NW 26th St., Fort Lauderdale, is from 7 – 9 p.m.
For other information, e-mail daphnecreary@hotmail.com or call 954-642-9284.
Thursday, May 1 is National Prayer Day, a day that encourages people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was established by Harry S. Truman in 1952 or 62 years ago. This year’s theme is “One Voice United.” Below is the National Prayer, which will be read by Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday.
2014 National Prayer
By Anne Graham Lotz
Lord of the Universe. Lord of this planet. Lord of the nations. Lord of our hearts. On this National Day of Prayer, we look to You…
In the darkness, You are our Light.
In the storm, You are our Anchor.
In our weakness, You are our Strength. In our grief, You are our Comfort.
In our despair, You are our Hope.
In our confusion, You are our Wisdom. In time of terrorism, You are our Shield. In time of war, You are our Peace.
In times of uncertainty, You are the Rock on which we stand.
We make our prayer to You using the words of the prophet Daniel:
O Lord, You are the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments. You are merciful and forgiving. You are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame because we have sinned against You, and done wrong. We have turned away from Your commands and principles. We have turned away from You.
Yet You have promised in 2 Chronicles 7, that if we–a people identified with You–would humble ourselves, pray, seek Your face, and turn from our wicked ways, then You would hear our prayer, forgive our sin and heal our land.
So we choose to stop pointing our finger at the sins of others, and examine our own hearts and lives. We choose to acknowledge our own sin–our neglect and defiance and ignorance and even rejection of You. This day we choose to repent.
In response to our heartfelt repentance, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Father of Jesus Christ, in keeping with all Your righteous acts and according to Your promise, turn away Your anger and Your wrath from the United States of America. Hear the prayers and petitions offered to You on this National Day of Prayer, as we give You our full attention. Give ear, our God, and hear; open Your eyes and see. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.
For the glory of Your Name hear our prayer, forgive our sin, and heal our land.
We ask this in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ who offers us salvation from Your judgment, forgiveness for our sin, and reconciliation with You through His own blood shed on the Cross. Amen.
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