Trumann observes National Day of Prayer

Pastor Tad Rogers and the Don Walton family. (Democrat photo/Ruth Ann Estes) [Click to enlarge]

The 57th Annual National Day of Prayer was celebrated in Trumann last Thursday, May 1 with a program at the Trumann Recreational Complex on Pecan Grove. A crowd of approximately 100 was present for the noon service. Citizens from throughout Poinsett County attended the event.

Trumann kindergarten students Jackson and Jenny Walton presented the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance led by Murray Ray, and Trumann business owner Rebecca Long sang the Star Spangled Banner to open the Day of Prayer service.

Glenda Anderson, Trumann National Day of Prayer team coordinator, opened the service with prayer and Maple Grove Baptist Church Music Minister Ronnie Dye sang the song "City On It's Knees."

Mayor Sheila Walters, flanked by Police Chief Larry Blagg and Fire Chief Rick Winkles, prayed for Trumann and its city government.

Tad Rogers, Pastor of First Baptist Church, prayed for Trumann families. The Don Walton family of Trumann stood before the crowd as a local family that has been saved by God's grace. Don Walton,has conquered a drug addiction. He was accompanied by his wife Melissa and children Jackson, Jenny and Julie Elisabeth.

Paul McAnally of the Bank of Trumann prayed for local businesses and farmers and their success. McAnally made particular mention of the inclement weather this spring and its effect on local farmers.

Anderson urged those attending the service to pray for the upcoming presidential election. Nationwide prayers are being offered each day at 8 p.m. as the presidential election draws closer.

The service was closed with the singing of "God Bless America." Afterward participants divided into small prayer groups to pray for the State of Arkansas, the United States, churches and schools. Those prayer groups were led by Leonard Harp, Kenneth Doke, Darrel Miller and Larry Tribble.

The 57th annual National Day of Prayer was observed in large and small communities across the nation. The local event featured specific prayers for the city of Trumann, prayers for government leaders and city needs, local businesses, Trumann families and those citizens from this area serving in the military.

This is the sixth National Day of Prayer service held in Trumann in recent years. Local National Day of Prayer (NDP) team coordinator Glenda Anderson has planned the Trumann event since 2002.

Anderson, a former teacher, celebrated the National Day of Prayer with fellow teachers at Cedar Park Elementary, in the years before her retirement. Since her retirement, she has spearheaded the NDP activities here in Trumann. She is assisted in planning the local NDP service by Virlene Neal, JoAnn Pankey and Bonnie Payne.