All of us have the freedom to pray and exercise our faiths openly. Our laws protect these God-given liberties, and rightly so. Today and every day, prayers will be offered in houses of worship, at community gatherings, in our homes, and in neighborhoods all across our country. Let us give thanks for the freedom to practice our faith as we see fit, whether individually or in fellowship.Traditionally, the private National Day of Prayer Task Force has planned a ceremony that is held on Capitol Hill.This year the ceremony begins at 9:00 AM at the Cannon House Office Building. Other ceremonies will be held around the country.
While the chairman of the Task Force for some years has been Shirley Dobson, each year there is also an Honorary Chairman. This year it is Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. According to the Christian Post, LGBT advocacy groups such as Human Rights Campaign and OutServe-SLDN object to the choice of Laurie, calling his views "blatantly anti-LGBT."
