Fifteen pastors, or their last-minute substitutes, gathered at Lakepoint Community Church to pray together, asking God to heal our current problems and continue to bless our wonderful country.
This was the seventy-second anniversary of the National Day of Prayer (NDP), and it was the fourth consecutive year that pastors from different Christian Churches in Greene and Putnam Counties gathered at Lakepoint Community Church to pray together.
Lakepoint Church is uniquely positioned between the two counties and conveniently accessible to most citizens.
As in the past, seven pastors from each county were invited to join the event and offer their own prayer. The prayers were incredibly heartfelt and sincere, and the participants spontaneously responded. The full event is available on Facebook at Pray for America Greene County.
After the opening remarks by NDP Coordinator for Greene and Putnam Counties Fran D’Antonio, Senior Pastor of Lakepoint Church Jonathan Dawson offered a prayer followed by Mike D’Antonio leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Before the beginning of the prayers, Christina Davis blew the Shofar signaling the call to prayer. The Shofar is an ancient musical instrument made from a ram’s horn. It is mentioned in the Bible seventy-two times from Exodus to Revelations, and is used for many purposes, including prayer.
Several pastors could not participate at the last minute due to illness or an emergency of a family member.
The pastors or their substitute are shown above starting from the left: Pastor Emeritus Rob Reiner, Lakepoint Church, who provided the fifteenth and final prayer to complete the event; Pastor Johathon Dawson, Lakepoint Community Church; Pastor Bob Bowling, United Methodist Church; Pastor Pete Mattix, Lake Country Baptist Church; Pastor Neftali Coronado, El Buen Pastor Church; Kenneth Hardmen, filling in for Pastor Kareem Farley, Ebenezer Baptist Church; Deacon Steven Pond, filling in for Pastor Adam Blatt, Christ Our King & Savior Catholic Church; Pastor Mike Palombo, Lake Oconee Presbyterian Church; Pastor KT Crawford, Mount Zion Baptist Church; Don Morgan, filling in for Pastor John McMillian, Crossroads Baptist Church; Pastor Mark Jones III, First Baptist Church of Greensboro; Pastor Avis Williams, Bethlehem Baptist Church; Pastor Meg Jackson Clark, First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro; Christina Davis, filling in for Pastor Javier Ortiz, Jesus King of Glory Church; and Pastor AJ Bryant, Ark of God House of God Ministry.
After four years of service, Fran D’Antonio is retiring as the National Day of Prayer coordinator. Anyone interested in replacing him can text or call him at 404 391- 4120.