Thousands organizing local prayer events for Thursday. Student prayer collectives will be joining with churches and community groups on Thursday, May 4, for the National Day of Prayer (NDP). Campus ministries and prayer events are taking place this month on 3500 Universities and schools of higher learning. A directory of local prayer gatherings is available at www.NationalDayofPrayer.org.
By Bill Bray, Special Campus Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (ANS, April 27, 2017) – Student prayer collectives will be joining with churches and community groups on Thursday, May 4, for the National Day of Prayer (NDP). Campus ministries and prayer events are taking place this month on 3500 Universities and schools of higher learning. A directory of local prayer gatherings is available at www.NationalDayofPrayer.org.
The 2017 theme is For Your Great Name’s Sake! Hear Us … Forgive Us … Heal Us! which is inspired by Daniel 9:19. Thousands of individuals, churches, and communities are working to rally millions of Christians to heed this national call to prayer.
On campus, prayers will focus immediately on final exams, graduations and end-of-semester activities as many schools are ending classes and taking extended study breaks in preparation for final exams. Using Acts 1:8 as a prayer outline, intercessions will be made for national and international leaders, the economy, human rights, persecution and
Locally, students and community prayer partners will “prayer-walk” the grounds of the University in solidarity with other campuses throughout the day, beginning at 8 a.m. at the iconic Rotunda followed by a prayer breakfast.
The United States has a long tradition of national days and “calls” to prayer beginning with the first call by the Continental Congress in 1775. President Trump will join every president since President Truman in proclaiming the first Thursday of May as the NDP, “on which the people of the United States may turn to god in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups and as individuals.”
Students from the University of Virginia are being invited to join the Operation Esther Prayer Circle to worship and intercede on the NDP. The group will gather at 8 am, 12 noon, 5 pm, and 7 pm on the University grounds and at the Overseas Students Mission (OSM) headquarters in the Koinonea Church building off Ivy Road.
 In the evening, from 7:30 to 9:00, the group will watch the National Day of Prayer Washington DC Observance being live streamed into the OSM Offices. The National Day of Prayer Chairperson, Anne Graham Lotz, will lead the unified prayer for America. The OSM headquarters is located at 257 Bob Finley Way, Charlottesville.
For further details on organizing involvement in local communities across the country, visit http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/ or call 800-444-8828. The national hot line is operated by The National Day of Prayer Task Force which helps local campus and community leaders plan and promote prayer events.
Photo captions: 1) Praying together. 2) Anne Graham Lotz with her father, Dr. Billy Graham. 3) Bill Bray.
About the writer: Bill Bray is a Christian journalist who specializes in missions and student ministries. As Billy Bray, he is the author of, Called to All: How I discovered the power of a yielded life from WestBow Press, a division of Zondervan. He welcomes interaction with our readers and can be contacted at bray.william@gmail.com.
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