Day of Prayer ceremonies scheduled across Valley

May 3, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - A handful of pastors and lay people in Palmer and Wasilla will bow their heads this Thursday, at noon, in observance of the National Day of Prayer.

President George W. Bush and Gov. Frank Murkowski are expected to continue the long-standing tradition of government leaders issuing official proclamations for the day.

In Palmer, people plan to pray at the Palmer train depot. On the other side of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, Wasilla Mayor Dianne M. Keller is joining pastors and others for prayer at the flag pole outside City Hall.

The National Day of Prayer officially started in 1952, when President Harry Truman signed a joint resolution by Congress, that set aside one day a year for national prayer. President Ronald Reagan signed an amendment to the law in 1988, establishing the first Thursday of every May as the day of prayer. Since then, each year, the president signs a proclamation, to encourage all Americans to pray. Last year, all 50 state governors signed similar proclamations.

"There is a God in heaven that does hear and answer prayer," said Stan Tucker, pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Wasilla. "It is important to remind ourselves of our duty to pray for our leaders. When you don't have time set aside, you just forget about things."

According to the National Day of Prayer official Web site, more than 40,000 events take place nationwide. That kind of prayerful zeal, however, hasn't taken hold in the Mat-Su.

Pastor Peter Gallardo of Family Christian Center in Palmer said he's been disappointed by the turnout in recent years.

"I would hope that a lot of Christians would come. But for some reason, people don't come," he said. "In the past couple of years, there's just been a handful of people. We need to pray for our country and our leaders."

Last year, Gallardo knelt down in front of the Palmer depot with one other person. He said people walked by during the noon hour but they never stopped to join in.

"We live in hectic times, and there's just a few people that come," he said as he looked toward Thursday's event. "Not even the pastors come. To me, that's pretty discouraging."

The faithful turn out a little more in Wasilla, where last year about 25 people prayed for national and local officials.

After reciting the pledge of allegiance and listening to Keller's welcome, the Wasilla group plans to read the presidential and gubernatorial proclamations before singing a few songs and praying for the nation, churches, education, media outlets and families.

"I'm not sure what the national objective, is but we are trying to get the Lord's blessing on our local area," Tucker said.

Contact Joel Davidson at

352-2266, or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.