Typically on the first Thursday in May, several hundred people in the greater Wilkes-Barre area gather to Circle the Square with Prayer on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre for the National Day of Prayer. The National Day of Prayer is an annual national observance established in public law in 1952 and observed publicly on the First Thursday in May since 1988. Each year, WRGN broadcasts the Circle the Square with Prayer event live from Public Square.
Unfortunately, due to the current limitations of physical gatherings, Circle the Square with Prayer will not be held this year. But regardless of the challenges that our nation is facing today, the National Day of Prayer will not be canceled nor postponed – it will just look very different from years past.
While the number of people gathering in-person may be different this year, the prayers we pray will be multiplied and amplified through new and creative approaches, combined with unprecedented access to digital platforms. In homes, neighborhoods, communities, cities, and states, millions will be mobilized in unified, public prayer for America while still observing recommended ‘physical distancing’ measures. While some regions will be able to hold in-person events with additional safety measures in place, NEPA is not yet one of them.
In light of this, we invite you to tune in to WRGN for the National Observance Broadcast, which will take place on May 7 from 8 to 10 PM ET. Leading the night will be Kathy Branzell (President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force) and Will Graham (The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association), with help from Rick Warren; Bishop Harry Jackson; Michael W. Smith; Nick Hall; Robert Morris; Senators Lankford, Chris Coons, Tim Scott, and Representative Emanuel Cleaver; Luis and Andrew Palau; Billy Wilson; Pat Robertson; and many more. Tune in to WRGN locally or by listening on TuneIn, Alexa devices (“Alexa, play WRGN”), or Google Home devices (“Hey Google, play WRGN”).
If you’re able, we encourage you to watch the video of the National Observance broadcast here or at facebook.com/wrgnfm:
While we can’t gather in person, this year’s observances have the potential to become the largest prayer gathering in U.S. history – with millions PRAYING TOGETHER, INDIVIDUALLY. We invite you to join us!