Group gathers outside county courthouse for Day of Prayer

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ALBION – A group of church leaders and Christians in Orleans County gathered at noon outside the Orleans County Courthouse on Thursday for the National Day of Prayer.

There were about 35 people at the gathering. Orleans and all 62 counties in the state were part of the observances.

“This was the 75th annual National Day of Prayer and it coincides with America 250, so there was some additional effort to have prayer gatherings throughout the country on that day,” said the Rev. Tim Lindsay, the founding pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship.

Jovannie Canales, lead pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship, leads the group in a time of worship.

There were about 35 in attendance, including some of the students from the Orleans County Christian School.

Gov. Kathy Hochul issuing a proclamation declaring May 7 as the “Day of Prayer.”

“New York honors and acknowledges that collective reflection strengthens social fabric; praying for friends, family, neighbors, and newcomers is an act of love and respect, not done in the interest of self, but in service to others,” the proclamation states.

“New York State welcomes and values the autonomy of those seeking peace and belonging by way of deep reflection when in need of divine support.”

The first call to prayer was in 1775, when the Continental Congress sought wisdom for a new nation,” the proclamation states.

 In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln called for a day of “humiliation, fasting and prayer,” and in 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed a joint resolution establishing a National Day of Prayer. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan officially designated it as an annual tradition on the first Thursday in May.