Countywide : Hundreds Observe National Prayer Day

Hundreds of county residents took part Thursday in the National Day of Prayer, which was marked by a day-long prayer festival at the Santa Ana Civic Center and a variety of special events at churches.

The event brought together people from different denominations who spent the day listening to sermons and praying for the nation’s health.

Prayer Day began at 7 a.m. at Plaza of the Flags in Santa Ana with the first of nine hourlong services. Each hour’s prayer dealt with a different issue and was presented by a different church.

Lyle Curtis of Calvary Chapel Christian Center of Brea led a prayer entitled “For Justice and Against Lawlessness in America.” A prayer entitled “Mass Media and the Family” was presented by Community Christian Church Youth of Anaheim. Presentations were also made by Westminster’s Vietnamese Baptist Church and the Filipino-American Church of Irvine.

Wednesday night, nine churches were scheduled to host special ecumenical “Concerts of Prayer.” The events were designed to draw parishioners from various, mostly Christian denominations.

“It’s coming together for a common cause,” said Phyllis Page of Community United Methodist Church in Huntington Beach. “We are praying for our country.”

The “Concerts of Prayer” incorporates music and singing into a service that calls upon participants to worship both individually and in small groups.

“The theme is praying for our country and healing our land,” said David Halliburton, assistant pastor at the Newport Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Costa Mesa. “We are praying for God to revive our country and awaken the church.”