It’s about as straightforward as events get – prayer.
On Thursday, May 3, the Treasure Coast Business, Civic & Ministry Coalition will host a National Day of Prayer event at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center. It will start at 6:30 p.m. and last upwards of 90 minutes.
“We’re going to open it up with the Marine Corps honor guard,” said Christopher Fogal, executive director of the coalition. “Then we are going to go into prayer and cover our country, our national leaders. We’re going to then cover education and our schools. We’re going to cover our first responders – police, fire and rescue.”
Along with prayers for many others.
“We’re going to pray over our business and education leaders,” Fogal continued. “And we will pray over our civic and community leaders.”
Various minsters will lead the prayer. “We’re not going to get some pastors up there who’ll pray over the crowd,” said Fogal. “The pastors will initiate prayer on what the targeted need is. The people there will pray.”
The Day of Prayer attendees in Port St. Lucie will join countless other communities.
Congress designated National Day of Prayer in the early 1950s. The Rev. Billy Graham can be credited with, almost accidently, starting the annual event. During the Korean War he called for a national, unifying time of prayer. Representatives and senators liked the idea so much they introduced a joint resolution calling for an annual National Day of Prayer.
President Harry Truman signed the bill creating the National Day of Prayer in April of 1952. In 1988 Congress added language to the bill, making the annual event the third Thursday of May.
While many faith groups recognize and participate in the National Day of Prayer, its strongest organizers have been evangelical churches. Many evangelical leaders got together to form the National Day of Prayer Task Force in the early 1980s to promote recognition of the day with community events. Its website has user-generated event announcements. Calvary Port St. Lucie listed a National Day of Prayer Service at the organization’s website. That will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 5555 NW St. James Drive.
The coalition, Fogal said, is an upstart not-for-profit organization created to foster cooperation among churches. He’s ordained by Capernaum Ministries in Lake Wales.
“We have a board (of directors) that meets every Friday morning at 8 (a.m.),” Fogal said. “The board is composed of seven pastors who hold me accountable.”
Among the board members, Fogal said, is Pastor Gerald Khourie at Christ Family Church at Tradition, which meets at Tradition Town Hall, 10799 SW Civic Lane.
Fogal said the coalition promotes cooperation among churches.
The organization doesn’t hold regular services, but does intermittently host public events. Fogal said the first was the Christmas Proclamation Supper in December. That, too, was at the PSL Civic Center.
“We had 270 people there,” Fogal said.
The coalition expects many more for the National Day of Prayer.
“We’re going to hopefully have upward of 1,000 seats,” Fogal said.
The Port St. Lucie Civic Center is at 9221 Civic Center Place.
