Musician Dale Sechrest performs at a past National Day of Prayer service in Columbus.
The Republic file photo
Pastor Adam Carrigan took a moment to shed light on, well, light while explaining the importance of Christians joining together to pray. He referenced a Book of Matthew Scripture in which Jesus told followers that they are the light of the world.
“When he was saying that, he literally was saying you all (together) are the light of the world,” Carrigan said, adding that it would be almost like saying the colloquial y’all today. “He was speaking of us as a collaborative group. Because it’s a shared effort that we have together.”
Under a theme of “Lift Up the World, Light Up the World” from 2 Samuel 22:29-31, Carrigan will serve as emcee as area Christians will gather for their traditional National Day of Prayer event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at The Commons, 300 Washington St., in downtown Columbus.
Singer-songwriter Dale Sechrest, well-known to National Day of Prayer attendees through the years, will join with others to lead the musical worship.
Various church clergy and lay church members will offer prayer for everything from the family to education to protectors (police, fire and other first responders). Some of those slated to pray are Sheila Davis, Julie Asher from Crossroads Community Church, Fisher Mantooth from Community Church of Columbus and Pastor Larry Rowe from Second Baptist Church.
Carrigan, pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Columbus, expects the service to last an hour to 90 minutes. He said the idea of scheduling the service in the evening the past several years allows for a slightly longer gathering because noontime events in the past seemed as if they had to end before 1 p.m. so workers could return to their jobs.
He said he also understands that it’s somewhat logical that attendance at a later gathering is frequently going to be lower in attendance because there are no nearby schoolchildren to attend or daytime Cummins office workers within walking distance of the event.
The local celebration of the National Day of Prayer once attracted an estimated 700 to 1,000 people on the City Hall steps, with attendees from St. Peter’s Lutheran School and variety of downtown offices.
“Our culture has changed,” Carrigan said. “But it’s not that people don’t care about prayer.”
The event’s theme will be examined from the perspective of how God’s light shines in the world, in the church, and among individual believers.
Both Carrigan and organizers of the first-ever local Interfaith Day of Prayer the same day clearly mentioned that the groups are not in any spiritual competition.
“We’re simply coming at prayer from two different perspectives,” Carrigan said. “Prayer itself is not powerful except for the fact that the person to whom we are praying is powerful.”
About the event
What: Local Christian churches traditional interdenominational celebration of the National Day of Prayer.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Where: The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Information: Facebook page for National Day of Prayer Bartholomew County.
