National Day

Dear Editor: Today, more than ever, America needs our prayers. Therefore we encourage you to attend the National Day of Prayer services Thursday at noon at the Wiesiger Park gazebo. If it rains or snows, we will move to the Lexington Avenue Baptist Church chapel. We are tremendously enthusiastic about the theme this year, "God shed His grace on thee. " The supporting scripture, Heb. 4:16 also included grace, "Let us then approach the theme of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Government needs your votes, your taxes and your prayers. So, local officials, pastors and residents will gather at the Clark County Courthouse on Thursday to participate in the National Day of Prayer - a chance for communities to offer prayers for government leaders. "All the local officials are welcome to join us," said Dan Brothers, youth minister for Grace Baptist Church and the event's organizer. "It's not just something we are doing here in Kentucky, it is something that is happening nationally.

In the middle of town, during the noon lunch rush, a small knot of people gathered Thursday to pray on the courthouse lawn. The gathering was in response to the National Day of Prayer, an annual event that Nicholasville has participated in for the past three years. Raymond Jones, pastor of Jessamine Community Church, lead the assembly in prayer, addressing four topics, government, education, media, and the church. The crowd of about 35 people gathered in small groups, holding hands and bowing their heads as Jones lead them in prayer, with Christian music playing softly in the background.

Trinity Episcopal Church on Main Street will hold a National Day of Prayer observance at noon May 1. This is the 57th year for the National Day of Prayer.

Ministers and citizens came together for the 57th annual National Day of Prayer on Thursday to pray for state and local governments and the nation.

Five-year-old Tori Young bows her head during one of the prayers at the annual National Day of Prayer observance on the front steps of the Clark County Courthouse Thursday. Young is a kindergarten student attending Winchester Christian Academy. Approximately 130 students from the school attended the observance. James Mann/jmann@winchestersun.com

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER Trinity Episcopal Church - noon May 1, the church will hold National Day of Prayer event. This is the 57th year for the National Day of Prayer. The church is on Main Street in Danville. REVIVALS Stony Point Baptist Church - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-April 25, the church will hold revival services. Speakers will be Raymond Walker, Virgil Gardner and Kenneth Chenault, all of Richmond. The church is on old Lexington Road. BIBLE STUDY Crab Orchard Christian Church - 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday evenings beginning Thursday, the church will have a survey of the Old Testament Bible study.

Each year on the fourth Sunday of October, volunteers from coast to coast pull out their can-do spirits and vow to improve their communities on Make A Difference Day, a national day of service. On Oct. 27, local Modern Woodmen of America members joined this nationwide effort. Members of the Stanford Modern Woodmen Camp 12490 made a difference by purchasing baby diapers for the local Cooperative Ministries Association for needy families. Modern Woodmen groups nationwide help their communities and individuals in need by delivering light bulbs and stationary to shut-ins, conducting winter clothing drives, donating books to local libraries and other activities.

In observance of Mental Illness Awareness Week several events have been scheduled by the local NAMI (National Awareness for Mental Illness) group. At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, a reception and award ceremony will be held at George Roger Clark High School auditorium at which time essay contest winners will be announced. Information on Becoming a Gatekeeper in the National QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention Program will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Clark County Extension Office, 1400 Fortune Drive.

Dear Editor: Every year on March 10, pro-abortion groups observe the "National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. " They seek to affirm those who kill babies for pay and honor them as hero-servants of society. This year, Priests For Life has declared March 9 a "National Day of Invitation to Abortion Providers," inviting abortionists to repentance and to the healing grace of the Lord. It is also a day of prayer. All pro-lifers of every religious denomination are asked to pray for the conversion of abortion providers.

According to Matthew 12:21, “In His name the nations will put their hope.” The verse served as a theme for the 2013 National Day of Prayer ceremony in Clark County Thursday. Local preachers and leaders gathered at the Clark County Courthouse to lead community members in prayers for the city and county, state and nation. Dr. Travis Drake, minister at Central Baptist Church, prayed for America, specifically lifting up President Barack Obama and members of Congress. The Rev. Steve Humble prayed for the state, quoting 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” “We have the responsibility to hold our civil servants to accountability,” Humble said, thanking local and state leaders for “the willingness ... to serve.” He called on them to “conduct themselves in the service of King Jesus and in the fear of God.” Humble also prayed that government officials would always be mindful of the “sanctity of human life and the sanctity of marriage” and use the Bible as a guide for decision making.

Nearly two dozen Jessamine County Christians gathered at the courthouse steps Thursday, May 3, at noon to join in the annual National Day of Prayer. The goal of the NDP is the “Judeo-Christian expression ... to mobilize prayer in America and to encourage personal repentance and righteousness,” according to chairman Dr. David Jeremiah. The Jessamine County event was led by Dwight Winter, senior associate pastor of Wilmore Free Methodist Church, who guided participants in segmented three-minute prayer clusters that covered everything from local government to the servicemen and servicewomen overseas.

The Jessamine County school district is celebrating the teachers who instruct students day in and day out this week, including announcing the teachers of the year at each school. Deputy superintendent Owens Saylor visited West Jessamine Middle School on Tuesday morning to share breakfast with a few teachers. “Teaching really is rocket science; it's a complex task,” Saylor said. “Now, you have to do it for every individual student and find what they need. We used to teach a classroom of kids; now, they must teach each individual student the way they need to be taught, and that's an amazing task.” The district is providing a breakfast for teachers at each school this week and has been inviting people to recognize their favorite teachers on the schools' Facebook page.

Prayers were lifted for the city of Winchester, local and federal governments and those serving in the military Thursday afternoon as citizens gathered at the Clark County Courthouse to celebrate the annual National Day of Prayer. The Rev. Pat Finley led the service, calling on community members to remember the role of prayer in the founding of the nation. “The call to prayer has been throughout our history, including President Lincoln's proclamation in 1863 for a day of, quote, 'humiliation, fasting and prayer,'” Finley said.

Weekend revival at Hill Street Pentecostal Hill Street Pentecostal Church will host a weekend revival at 7:30 p.m. today and Sunday. The speaker will be Jake Paugh. Free family enrichment weekend Fairfax Church of Christ, 2475 Boonesboro Road, will host a family enrichment weekend at 7 p.m. Friday, May 4, 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, and 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday, May 6. Lunch is provided on Saturday and Sunday. Speakers will be Dr. Mike Cravens, a marriage and family counselor, and Dr. Roy Sharp, professor of Bible and Interdsiciplinary Studies at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn.

Motorcycle ride rescheduled The 13th annual HOPE Motorcycle Ride to benefit Heritage Hospice has been rescheduled for April 28 because of the forecast for rain. Registration is 10 a.m. to noon at Heritage Hospice, 120 Enterprise Drive. Cost is $10 and $5 for extra poker hands. The first 50 people receive T-shirts.  A cookout will be held at the end of this year's ride at Ultimate Thunder, 308 Fackler St., in Danville. Members of the American Legion Post 18 will be cooking.

What makes someone look “suspicious”? Is it what they're wearing? Is it what they're carrying? Is it how they look? A Centre College student mobilized a show of solidarity with the family of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old African-American male who was fatally shot Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla. Trayvon, who at the time of his death was wearing a hoodie, was shot by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic-American who was the “neighborhood watchman.”...

Dear Editor, I am amazed at the contradictions within our national leaders. There is no consistency. Apparently it depends on whose ox is being gored as to whether it is right or wrong. The Islamists want to build a mosque near the ground zero sneak attack on America on 9/11/01. Never mind that it offends all Americans, especially the families and friends of those killed on that fateful day. They have a constitutional right to build it. Meanwhile, in Florida, a pastor wants to express his anger and freedom of speech by burning the Quran.

A judge on a popular television show is encouraging the world to dance and stay fit, and his message is cha-cha-ing throughout the nation. “Dancin’ in Danville” will be the local celebration, set for Saturday at Millennium Park. Paula Meckes, a dancer and dance instructor who is organizing the local event, says Dancin’ in Danville is a way to promote dance “as an art form and a fun way for fitness.” The event will include an instruction session of the dance routine that is being taught and learned nationwide, as well as performances by dancers and dance groups.