GREENVILLE — A National Day of Prayer Observance took place May 4, at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, in Greenville.
The event was sponsored by the Greater Greenville Ministerial Association in cooperation with the Greenville Mayor’s Office. Guests were lead in prayer by members of the community, including: Greenville Mayor Steve Willman, St. John’s Lutheran Church Pastor Brian McGee, Spiritual Director of Hope in Recovery Reverend John Wiltshire, Worship Leader Joseph Helfrich, Pyrmont United Methodist Church Pastor John Monroe, Staff Worker for U.S. Congressman Warren Davidson (8th District) Ben Thaeler, Darke County Economic Development Director Mike Bowers, Early Bird Staff Writer Clinton Randall, Wayne HealthCare Foundation Director Lauren Henry, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Pastor Peter Menke, Wayne HealthCare Chaplain Reverend Joseph Soley, Lead Pastor of Preaching and Vision of Gospel Baptist Church Bill Edwards, East Main Church of Christ Minister Jim Morehouse and St. Mary’s Catholic School eighth grade student Chris Hadden.
The event began with a Color Guard Presentation from American Legion Post 140, some hymns from Worship Leader Joseph Helfrich, a welcome from Pastor John Moore, of Pyrmond United Methodist Church and a reading of the National Day of Prayer Proclamation by Mayor Willman. The National Anthem was sung by Greenville High School students: Samantha Buchy, Hayley Burns, McKenna Crews, Brianna Hartle and Kassidy York. Prayers were said for: government, military, businesses, media, medical community, education, volunteers and the church.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Pastor Peter Menke said a prayer for families. He said the rain had a special purpose to bring folks into the church.
“I think about being here in this beautiful sanctuary, God had something in mind as we assemble here today for this day of prayer,” Menke said. “I bring up the fact that I was baptized in this church to emphasize that family is an extremely important part of not only our national life, but certainly of our spiritual and biblical life. The family, today, is under a great deal of stress. A prayer I can make today on behalf of family I feel is most significant.”
“Almighty God, today in which the family is under attack and we see the disintegration of the traditional family, along with those values that have made this nation strong and enduring, we lift up today to you the family. We pray that we who represent the spiritual leadership of this community and this nation, be strengthened in our resolve to help rebuild those spiritual ties that bind husbands, wives and children together as a family in Your holy and precious name. We pray that there will be a return to those moral and ethical family values that have long been the foundation upon which this nation and this culture were founded.”
“Oh Lord, we thank You for the gift of family; for husbands and wives who train their children in the nurturing unconditional love of the Lord. Give us strength, give us wisdom as together we seek to do Your will in all things, especially as we together seek to build strong God-fearing families.”
