Sikeston to take part in Day of Prayer

SIKESTON -- Those who feel the nation could use a few more prayers may want to join in Thursday's local celebration of the 61st annual National Day of Prayer.

The annual event sponsored by the Sikeston Kiwanis Club will begin at 6:30 a.m. Thursday with a citywide breakfast and prayer-led celebration at the First Baptist Church in Sikeston.

"We're going to pray for the President, members of Congress, the folks in ministry and state and local government," said Peter Myers, a Sikeston Kiwanis member. "The idea is to pray for everybody."

When he served as state representative, Myers said he and his wife, Mary, took part in several National Day of Prayer events, including one in Washington, D.C.

"It got to be very important to us," Myers said of the event.

According to the National Day of Prayer Task Force, the National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for citizens to pray voluntarily, according to their own faith -- and it does not promote any particular religion or form of religious observance.

The annual Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.

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