In a world seemingly divided by everything from politics to the spiritual realm, organizers of a gathering May 3 aim to change that — one day, one petition at a time.
So it will be for the annual, local celebration of the National Day of Prayer at noon that day at The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus. Leading the interdenominational, Christian gathering will be a familiar face to local believers: the Rev. Tracy McIntyre, 56, a Hope native and lead pastor of Crossroads Community Church near Elizabethtown.
He likes the fact that the event’s theme is simply “Unity,” linked to the admonition in Ephesians 4: 3-4: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.”
The involvement of McIntyre with the 26-year-old local celebration dates to the mid-1990s, when he sang at one of the gatherings, at that time held outdoors on the steps of City Hall. For the past few years, he has served on the organizing committee and as a master of ceremonies at the day meant for people to pray for our communities and nation.
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McIntyre said that seeking God as one voice still counts for plenty.
“First of all, I like the unity that it brings throughout our entire nation,” he said. “Second, I am always hopeful that it can in some way inspire people to develop a prayer life — or at least start thinking along the lines that ‘It will not be only one time of year I will pray for our nation, but I know I need to pray daily for the country.’
“And I also believe a day of prayer is beneficial to show communities all over the United States of America that we are unashamed of Jesus, we’re unashamed of prayer and that we believe that God and prayer makes a real difference in our land,” McIntyre added.
He took a moment to answer a few questions about the local celebration late Garden City resident Jean Bunton launched in 1992. Within a couple years, it attracted 800 to 1,000 people, and other strong crowds throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
Is it realistic today for people to “keep the unity of the Spirit”?
McIntyre: It is realistic. But I think we have to decide what we mean by peace and unity and all that. And that is where it gets complicated.
Because most people will say, “I’m not going to have peace with you until you believe exactly what I believe.”
But we should be better by saying, “You know, I’m not going to compromise what I believe. But I am going to keep a spirit of unity and a spirit of peace and love.”
There are all kinds of people I fellowship with who hold differing beliefs about faith and about things such as morality and ethics. And I can still remain at peace with them and still love them. And hopefully, they can do the same with me.
And I hope we still can work peacefully side by side somewhere like a soup kitchen or a food pantry.
How should churches deal with differences while being called to unity?
McIntyre: I don’t think we’re ever going to really have a unity of our (different) doctrines. I think we can pull together maybe seven different churches, and if we really wanted to fight about what we believe about baptism or communion, we somehow could make that contentious.
But I really think Scripture is clear about keeping the unifying of our faith that says Jesus is the savior of the world. Now, let’s not argue about the rest. We can’t make those things a point of contention when we gather for an event in the community.
What’s the greatest impact of prayer for you personally?
McIntyre: I would say it’s just the personal connection and transformation with God. As a pastor, you can always be doing something where prayer is about a church meeting or for someone at church or about writing a sermon message. And I want to regularly have a quiet time with the Lord.
It’s keeping that relationship and that communication kindled with the Lord. My best time for that is the morning.
If I don’t make a point to start a day with that, the busyness of life crowds in.
You remember National Day of Prayer gatherings here in the 1990s and sometimes early 2000s that sometimes featured 100 area Lutheran and other schoolchildren.
McIntyre: Yes. And at the recent Good Friday service (at The Commons), I noticed a decent number of teenagers there. And that was so refreshing to me. I was thrilled to see so many younger people around.
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What: 27th annual local celebration of the National Day of Prayer. Congress launched the national day in 1952 as a way to pray for the nation, government, leaders and other areas of interest. The theme this year is “Unity.”
When: Noon May 3.
Where: The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Guiding Scripture most years: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14
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