Stories

Adventists Lead Loveland In Prayer

By Ruth Pearson

For the first time, the Seventh-day Adventist Church sponsored the National Day of Prayer for the entire community of Loveland, Colorado. Led by Ruth Pearson and Eva Martin, prayer coordinators for the Campion Church, the May 1 event was held at Group Publishing, a large Christian publishing company in Loveland. Sixteen local Christian congregations participated, including four Adventist churches. Young people from the Campion and Loveland churches provided the music, and eight area pastors led in prayer for the nation, military, media, business, education, churches and families.

Kyle Cate, a 13-year-old member of the Campion Church, participated in a unique way—a prayer flight. He and his flight instructor flew over the Loveland area, praying for the community. Kyle then testified how hundreds of other pilots flew throughout all 50 states in a nationwide prayer vigil.

Jake and Bayli, ages 8 and 6, sang a duet. Their mother, Fawn Graybill, composed it to fit with this year’s theme: “Prayer! America’s Strength and Shield.”

This year marked the 57th national observance of the Day of Prayer; all presidents since Harry S. Truman have called the nation to prayer on the first Thursday of May. “It was a real blessing to see so many people praying at the same time for the concerns we have for our country,” said Pearson. Upon arriving to cover the event and seeing 300 attendees, a reporter from the local newspaper remarked, “I’m surprised to see so many people gathered for prayer! I expected only a few.” In the past, Faith Evangelical Church has led Loveland’s Day of Prayer. This year, Pearson and Martin reserved the Group Publishing site, with the encouragement of their pastor. “We felt we should be able to work with other Christians in prayer,” says Pearson. Faith Evangelical Church was helpful in getting community pastors involved.