Students Participate in Day of Prayer

The children of West Valley Christian Academy walked in solemn procession around their campus Thursday, silently praying as they followed a bagpiper playing “Amazing Grace.”

For the nearly 450 children attending--most wearing various combinations of red, white and blue--it was a time for silence and introspection while circling their classrooms and playgrounds, more often sites of excited noise.

“In all of life, balance is good,” said school Principal Pat Holt. “There are times of utter joy, but this is a time for humble repentance.”

The ceremony was one of hundreds across the country, including several in the San Fernando Valley, observing a National Day of Prayer, when people of all faiths pray for their country and their leaders.

Established in 1952, the day has been observed on the first Thursday of May since 1988. It was designed to encourage people to set aside time for concentrated prayer at home, school, church and work.

Each year since 1991, the children of West Valley Christian Academy have observed the day in their own way.

Thursday’s march, led by Irish bagpiper Paul Cathers, was preceded by songs from school choirs and an address by Pastor Jon Bresson of the Fountain Springs Foursquare Church in Tarzana.

Children read aloud short prayers for each of their political as well as personal leaders, from their teachers to the nation’s president, as their parents looked on and prayed with them.

“We know their prayers get heard,” said Kari Czer, the mother of six academy students.