The Korean church community in Southern California will once again participate in the observance of the National Day of Prayer (NDOP). The day is a national observance that occurs the first Thursday of May each year, during which Christians in the U.S. pray for America and its leaders.
This year will be the 66th time the nation will be observing the day, and gatherings will be held under the theme, "For Your Great Name's Sake! Hear Us, Forgive Us, Heal Us!," based on the theme verse in Daniel 9:19, which reads in part: "O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God"¦"
An estimated 47,000 gatherings will take place throughout the nation to observe the NDOP this year. The Korean church community will be gathering in the South Bay region at Junimseun Church on May 4 at 7:30 PM. The event will be hosted by Jesus Awakening Movement for America/All Nations (JAMA) and the South Bay Korean Pastors' Association. Organizations ministering to youth and young adults such as SOON Movement and HYM are also expected to participate.
Among the topics that will be prayed for in the Korean church community gathering include repentance and revival in America; families and schools; the church and culture; social justice; America's president and vice president, and other leaders in the nation including the military's leaders, Supreme Court justices and judges across the nation, members of Congress, leaders in the education field, police officers, firefighters, and politicians.
The NDOP is meant to be observed as a day of prayer for the U.S., but the Korean church gathering will also include a time of prayer for the Korean peninsula and the upcoming presidential elections in South Korea.
Leaders in the first generation Korean community, as well as second generation Korean American community, will be leading prayers at the gathering, as well as leaders of organizations that focus on ministering to youth and young adults. Korean American elected officials and educators will also lead prayers.
JAMA expressed hopes that Korean American Christians not only in Southern California but also all over the nation would participate in observing the day of prayer, and distributed resources about the day of prayer to some 100 churches across the U.S. The ministry also encouraged churches to continue praying for the nation during their respective Friday night prayer meetings on May 5.
The National Day of Prayer officially began in 1952, when President Harry Truman signed a joint resolution by Congress.
This article has been translated. For the original in Korean, visit kr.christianitydaily.com.
