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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The Annual Prayer Breakfast Committee announced that for the 26th consecutive year its celebration of the National Day of Prayer will be presented on Thursday morning, May 7, at the East Liverpool Area Community & Learning Center.
The National Day of Prayer is held on the first Thursday of May each year and is celebrated across the country. There are changes to the program from prior years but the tradition will be carried again this year.
The most important aspects will remain in place including a speaker, offering prayers for those who dedicate themselves to serve in the local area, the county, the state and the nation through their office, job and in other roles of leadership. Traditionally there has been a breakfast served to those presenting tickets that had been purchased from committee members and at local churches. No tickets are needed to participate in this year's program.
The event will be in accordance with the directives of the state and national governmental authorities. Guests will remain in their cars at all times that they will have parked in the large Center parking lot at 110 Maine Boulevard below the high school building. The lot can hold approximately 150 cars but not all spaces will have a clear view of the participants. Large speakers will project the sound to be heard from throughout the lot. Presenters will speak from behind glass inside a large enclosed sound booth on loan from the annual Easter Pageant event.
Center buildings will not be open to the public at any time during this service. Itineraries for the day will not be distributed there but can be viewed at home or in the cars before and during the event at the Facebook page at tristatenationaldayofprayer. Guests may view and listen to the entire event on Facebook on their cell phone in their car, home or office.
This year no breakfast will be served and no tickets are required. Attendees are encourage to pack their own breakfast or support carry out service at local restaurants by purchasing a carry-out breakfast. The can enjoy their meal in their car at the site of the service. The service will begin at 8 a.m. Prior prayer breakfasts began at 7:30 a.m. starting with breakfast followed by the program.
This year's speaker will be Rev. Stephen Richman. He has served as associate pastor at the Hillcrest Presbyterian Church of Lawrence County, Pa. since March 2019. A 1993 graduate of Beaver Local High School, he is a graduate of Greenville Presbyterian Theological College, S.C. He and his wife Rachel and their daughter Martha presently reside in New Castle, Pa.
Rev. Richman was an instructor at the East Liverpool Christian School, involved in Teen World Ministries for 18 years, and was youth director at the First Evangelical Presbyterian Church of East Liverpool. He is the son of local architect John and his wife Susan Richman.
Rev. Ernest Peachey, pastor of the Second Baptist Church on Pennsylvania Avenue, is Chairman of the Prayer Breakfast Planning Committee. He will serve as master of ceremony at the breakfast this year and will open the meeting, lead the music and introduce the principal speaker. The committee is even working on getting the great Kate Smith to lead everyone in God Bless America.
To limit the number of people in the booth at one time, prayer givers for specific needs will be pre-recorded in advance and then played from the sound booth. Only one person at a time will be in the booth in order to conform to guidelines. Persons offering prayers of the day will be: Citizen Drew Cooper praying for Community Revitalization and its supporters; Pastor Michael Ross for policemen, firemen and first responders; Pastor Stephen Knisely for our community in crisis; prayer for families and schools by Pastor Mike Dyer; government and military personnel by Pastor Tom Schneidmiller; and, prayer for our churches by Pastor Greg Mead. There will also be plenty of prayers for the victims of the epidemic COVID-19 and all those who put themselves at risk, even their lives, in order to care for the victims of the epidemic.
Another event in connections with the annual Prayer Breakfast each year had been a noon time gathering on the front steps of city hall to offer prayers for the nation and the community. This has been canceled this year because of limits set for holding public gatherings under guidelines set by the state and federal government in connection with the coronavirus epidemic.
Other members of the planning committee in addition to the pastors mentioned here who are participating in the program are: Ginny Jackson who was persistent that the event go forward this year; Jean Sloan, Jim Lewis, John Richman, Charles Lang, Anne Walters, Harry Comm and Lisa Blasdel, who is the executive director of the Southern Columbiana County Regional Chamber of Commerce. The L&B Donut Shop would have provided the breakfast if the event had been held as originally planned in the banquet hall at the Community Center.
The Community Center lot will also be available when needed to be used in the same manner for religious ceremonies on Sunday mornings and for funeral memorial services during weekdays. Those wishing to use the parking lot for such services must abide by the same limitations being followed for the prayer breakfast service this year. That includes maintaining social distancing and wearing masks in the presence of others.