A Historic Prayer Walk at the 1839 Courthouse Museum in downtown Berrien Springs on Thursday, May 1, marking the National Day of Prayer, will walk participants through a historical montage of prayers. Each prayer will be spoken in its native language—including Hebrew, Spanish and an African dialect—and then again in English by spiritual leaders dressed in native and historical costume. All are welcome to participate in the lunchtime event from noon–1 pm. The Historic Prayer Walk is being organized by Jane Sabes, professor of political science at Andrews University. 

Musical selections by The Joy Bringers Bell Choir and the culturally diverse music group Journey will be fused together with five prayer presentations. The prayers include Prayer of King David, Psalm 51, offered by Jacques Doukhan of the Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary; Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, offered by Father German Perez Diaz of St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church, Berrien Springs; Prayer for our Nation by President Thomas Jefferson, offered by Pete Ruppel, member of the Napier Parkview Baptist Church in St. Joseph; Prayer for our World by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, offered by Zbron Ncube, pastor of the African Seventh-day Adventist Church, Berrien Springs; and The Lord’s Prayer led by Rev. Cindy Parsons of the United Methodist Church in Berrien Springs.  

Box lunches for this event will be provided by the Optimist Club of Berrien Springs, the Rotary of Berrien Springs, the Berrien Springs Lion’s Club and Friends of Berrien Springs.

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Years later, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan permanently set the day as the first Thursday of each month. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations. For more information on the National Day of Prayer, visit www.ndptf.org.