One Nation Under God is the theme for the 61st annual National Day of Prayer, which has been proclaimed throughout our country for Thursday. The theme is based on Psalm 33, verse 12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ...”

Our community will join with communities throughout the country in holding National Day of Prayer programs. Among the community gatherings in Coweta County are these:

— Newnan Kiwanis Club Community Prayer Breakfast, a free event beginning at 7:30 a.m. in the parish hall at First United Methodist Church in downtown Newnan.

— A community prayer program from noon until 1 p.m. at the Greenville Street Park in Newnan, with prayers offered for our nation, state, county and cities.

— Senoia churches will have a prayer program at noon at the gazebo on Main Street.

— Grantville will have a prayer program at noon at the flag pole in front of city hall.

Some churches in Coweta have scheduled programs on Thursday at their respective churches.

Since our nation’s founding, public prayer has been a part of our heritage. The Continental Congress in 1775 designated a day of prayer. President Washington issued a National Day of Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789. In 1952, in an act of Congress, the National Day of Prayer was established by law. In 1988 that law was amended to designate the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer “in which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups and as individuals.”

Our community has long participated in this public day of prayer. All interested people are invited to these public gatherings on Thursday to acknowledge our blessings and contemplate the challenges facing us as individuals, as a community and as a nation.