national day of prayer Area observances
The National Day of Prayer will be observed Thursday with the theme “Prayer — America’s Strength and Shield.” Dr. Ravi Zacharias, visiting lecturer at Oxford University, Oxford, England, is the honorary chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force and wrote a prayer especially for the day. Visit the Web site www.ndptf.org for more prayer information. A listing of area prayer events, taken from the Web site, follows.
Youngstown: The City Prayer Team of Youngstown will have an observance from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Fifth Avenue Community Church, 1361 Fifth Ave., with speaker Pastor Mark Geppart, international missionary. A midday event will be from noon to 1 p.m. at the corner of Market and West Federal streets with speaker Pastor Tarone Claybrook, director of Heartreach Ministries. A production, written by local playwright Kenneth Brown relating to the national theme, will be presented at 6 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 30 W. Front St.
Boardman: Prayer breakfast at 10 a.m. at Western Reserve Baptist Church, 8590 Hitchcock Road, with prayer at 11. Call the church for breakfast reservations.
New Castle, Pa.: Greater New Castle Christian Ministerial Fellowship will have a prayer service at noon at Riverview Park.
New Waterford: New Waterford United Methodist Church, 46925 S. State St., will have a community prayer service with praise and music at 11 a.m. and prayer at noon at New Waterford Park and a service at 7 p.m. at the church.
Niles: Prayer from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Niles Christian Assembly, 672 North Road.
Salem: Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 251 S. Broadway, will have a prayer vigil from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1089 E. State St., will have a community prayer from 6:30 to 7 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce will have a community prayer from noon to 1 p.m. outside its headquarters.