MANSFIELD, Ohio — Attendees of Thursday’s National Day of Prayer ceremony in downtown Mansfield were encouraged to stay committed to their faith by keynote speaker Eeki Elner, who serves as the founder of the Israel Leadership Institute.
America, he said, was founded by individuals who had a commitment to their faith; however, today, “There is a great struggle for the soul of America, he said.
“The National Day of Prayer is definitely an opportunity to look and say I’m going to be a warrior, I’m going to be a soldier in that struggle for the soul of America.”
Ben Mutti, Richland Community Family Coalition spokesperson, echoed those thoughts when describing the idea behind the National Day of Prayer. “We believe that there’s an imminent crisis in our nation right now in regard to morality, and now is the time to seek the Lord and ask Him to hear our prayers, he said.
“We believe that the Lord can answer our prayers and cries for His help and that He is capable of doing the heavy lifting needed to alleviate all of the problems our society has today.”
Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker said, “This day is set aside for the day of prayer, to talk with God…This day should not just end, but it should continue on and we should continue to talk to God always.”
He was among many other elected officials at Thursday’s event–all of whom received prayer during the ceremony.
In his proclamation reading that declared May 7, 2015 as the National Day of Prayer, Theaker noted that the National Day of Prayer is a tradition first proclaimed by the Continental Congress in 1775. This year marks the 62nd consecutive observance of the National Day of Prayer.
“It is fitting and proper to give thanks to God observing this day in Mansfield, in Richland County, in this area,” he said.
Several pastors from area churches participated in the event, as well as students in Mansfield Christian School’s Image Choir, which facilitated the worship music at the event.
Mutti was excited to have the students involved, noting, “Freedom is only one generation away from extinction, so it’s important to have young people here today.”
Attendees were encouraged to pray for one another, the nation’s leaders, schools, area churches, law enforcement and safety forces.
Mutti said of the event, “It’s incorporating all of the faiths that believe the Bible is the word of God, so we have a lot of Christian denominations represented today and even Jewish.”
Elner joked, “What are the chances that for the National Day of Prayer, there would be an Israeli Jew invited all of the way from Israel?”
All joking aside, he continued, “I think in the last few years, there is a growing understanding of the bonding and the shared values and the shared faith that Jews and Christians have.”
He said that more and more church leaders and people of faith seem to believe that everyone needs to stick together.
“Let us all carry that torch of a free world, but of people of faith, people under one God almighty. Let’s embrace our sisterhood and brotherhood,” he advised.
“The National Day of Prayer is definitely an opportunity to look and say I’m going to be a warrior, I’m going to be a soldier in that struggle for the soul of America,” said Eeki Elner.
