" A thriving city is one that celebrates its diversity."

The Presidential Proclamation of a National Day of Prayer
May 1, 2005
In his first Inaugural Address, President George Washington prayed that the Almighty would preserve the freedom of all Americans. On the National Day of Prayer, we celebrate that freedom and America's great tradition of prayer. The National Day of Prayer encourages Americans of every faith to give thanks for God's many blessings and to pray for each other and our Nationx85. On this National Day of Prayer, we pray especially for the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who are serving around the world to defend the cause of liberty. We are grateful for their courage and sacrifice and ask God to comfort their families while they are away from home. We also pray that the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and throughout the Greater Middle East, may live in safety and freedom. During this time, we continue to ask God's blessing for our Nation, granting us strength to meet the challenges ahead and wisdom as we work to build a more peaceful future for all.
- George W. Bush

Thanks to a number of caring Abilenians, there will be at least two public opportunities for us to participate in the National Day of Prayer on Thursday. We can join a gathering on the steps of the City Hall or one in Everman Park, across from the Grace Museum.
Just as President Bush calls on ''Americans of every faith'' to give thanks for God's blessings, nearly every president back to George Washington has called on Americans to pray ''each in his own way'' on a National Day of Prayer.
As staff writer Brian Bethel's story on Page 1A explains, the range of the celebrations stems from the willingness of several groups to ensure that we can pray ''each in our way'' Thursday.
While we are giving thanks, or asking for God's blessings for those in harm's way, let's also give thanks for the Christian Pray Big Country organization, which agreed to move its service to the park; for the Abilene Interfaith Council for asking for a broad-based service on the public grounds of City Hall; and for Mayor Norm Archibald for his leadership in recognizing the importance of embracing all our citizens.
A thriving city is one that celebrates its diversity. Abilene is thriving.
source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/op_editorials/article/0,1874,ABIL_7983_3743396,00.html
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AISD hosts Day of Prayer breakfast
The Presidential Proclamation of a National Day of Prayer
United to Pray
National Day of Prayer events hosted by two groups Thursday
By Brian Bethel / Reporter-News
May 1, 2005
The Abilene Interfaith Council will host a National Day of Prayer celebration Thursday on the steps of Abilene's City Hall, while another group that had intended to use the venue for an exclusively Christian service is moving to a downtown park.
Jim Pruitt, organizer of a National Day of Prayer service coordinated by Pray Big Country, a collection of local pastors, said the move to Everman Park on North 1st Street seemed to be the best for everyone.
''The Lord's work gets done in either case,'' he said.
One of the Interfaith Council founders, the Rev. Roz Thomas, said she was pleased with the development but would have preferred one large service.
''I feel this is great news, and am only sorry that the Pray Big Country group could not see its way clear to join its prayers with ours in the same event,'' said Thomas, who is associate rector at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest.
The Pray Big Country service will feature a variety of local ministers, music and celebration, all with a mainline Christian theme. The service will carry the theme of ''God Shed His Grace On Thee,'' in keeping with the Day of Prayer coordinated by Shirley Dobson, wife of evangelist and commentator James Dobson of Focus on the Family.
The Interfaith Council ceremony will feature one person from each of the major faiths represented in the organization.
The council's board is made up of representatives from each of the three main branches of Christianity (Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican) and six other faiths (Judaism, Islam, Baha'2/3 Faith, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Unitarian). The majority of the council's membership comes from those faiths.
The changes in Thursday's schedule comes after two members of the Interfaith Council - Sandy Perry, the group's leader, and Dr. Ron Smith - expressed their concerns to Mayor Norm Archibald after learning that the Day of Prayer ceremony being planned by Pray Big Country was to be exclusively Christian in nature.
''We had a very good discussion about the importance of having any ceremony at City Hall for the National Day of Prayer being open to people of all faiths as is called for in Presidential and Texas proclamations,'' Perry said.
She said the group told Archibald and City Attorney Sharon Hicks that while it was ''not interested in being confrontational, we feel the city is best served in such an event when it encourages participation from all of its citizens - and not limiting it to one faith group.''
Perry said the group wanted any National Day of Prayer event held at City Hall to be open to participation by people of all faiths on an equal footing.
''We did not want a 'separate but equal' event,'' she said.
When the mayor told Perry that Pray Big Country had decided to move its observance to a different location, she then asked him if the AIC might be permitted to coordinate an interfaith event open to all at Abilene's City Hall, Thomas said.
Archibald then granted the group permission to do so.
Thomas said those in the group believe that an event held on the City Hall steps should be by default inclusive in tone and execution.
''We can certainly take pride in our mayor, who has clearly taken the high road in recognizing the importance of each and every citizen of our wonderful city,'' she said.

source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_3743535,00.html
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Note from Steve. It's easy for me to see which group is inclusive and respectful of all of Abilene's residents. Kudos to the Abilene Interfaith Council for walking the walk.