Hundreds in Liberty participate in altar call for America

Acting on Rev. Franklin Graham’s call to action for a National Prayer Walk, hundreds of people turned out Saturday in Liberty to humble themselves in prayer and ask for God’s help to heal the nation. Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and son of famed pastor, Rev. Billy Graham, organized a prayer walk in Washington, D.C., and asked communities all across the nation to hold events on the same date and time.

“America is in trouble. Our communities are hurting. Our people are divided and there is fear and uncertainty all around us. Let’s join together and do the most important thing – pray,” Graham said.

Graham, on his Prayer March 2020 website, asked for the prayer walks to have the following prayer points:

• Humbling ourselves in repentance and asking God to forgive our sins and heal our land.
• Our military, police and other law enforcement, firefighters, and their families. Security and peace for the nation.
• Salvation of the lost. Renewed strength in our families. Frontline medical workers and solutions to the coronavirus pandemic. An end to abortion.
• The president, the vice president and their families. All those who work in the White House and in the executive branch of our government.
• Compassion and kindness toward one another. Respect and reconciliation between races. Healing in communities torn by violence and injustice.
• Religious freedom. Boldness for churches to stand firm with the Word of God and to preach Jesus Christ in a troubled world.
• Our Congress and other leaders at the national, state and local levels. The Supreme Court and judges across the nation.

With rising tensions in the United States, Christians are leaning on God’s Word for direction.

In the Bible, 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

The prayer walk in Liberty began at the Vara Faye Martin Daniel Pavilion outside of Liberty City Hall before making stops at Liberty City Hall, Liberty County Courthouse, First United Methodist Church, a parking lot across from First Baptist Church, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and then circled back to the pavilion. Along the way, the marchers listened as Melanie Contreras sang hymns.

Outside of the courthouse, Liberty County Judge Jay Knight offered his view of the historic events in 2020.

“As we eased off in 2020, who would have ever believed it would be as it has been? I try to always look on the positive. My thoughts of 2020, in a nutshell, is this is the biggest altar call we’ve ever had in our lifetimes and we need to take advantage of that,” he said. “Bring everybody back to worshipping together and loving one another.”

The prayer walk was organized by Mary Ann Campbell with the Liberty-Dayton Chamber of Commerce and Jane Delaney, mother of 253rd District Court Judge Chap Cain, with the participation and help of the local ministers alliance.