CHARLOTTE — Hope and shared faith in Jesus brought together Christian leaders from across Charlotte, including Bishop Michael Martin, for the 2025 National Day of Prayer May 1.
It was Bishop Martin’s first time attending the event, which was hosted by First Baptist Church in Charlotte. Its theme “Pour out to the God of Hope and be Filled” (Rom 15:13), coincidentally mirrors the theme of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year 2025: “Pilgrims of Hope.”
In brief remarks to the 170 attendees of varied faiths, the bishop spoke about the hope that comes through reconciliation with Christ.
“The one characteristic, other than child of God, that we all share is sinner,” he said. “The challenge for all of us today is to acknowledge our own sinfulness and our own personal need for reconciliation. If we are really to talk about reconciliation and oneness, I have to look at myself and say I’m a broken sinner. To first acknowledge that within my own heart is where hope springs.”
“That would be my prayer for us,” he continued. “That we not fear seeing our own brokenness, our own sinfulness, our own breach with the great love that God has shared with us.”
In so doing, he said, faith leaders can more open to accompany one another “in this great quest for unity.”
The local celebration of the 74th annual National Day of Prayer was organized by For Charlotte Mission Network (FORCLT), a group of religious leaders from various faiths dedicated “to unite the Church to transform the city” of Charlotte.
Across the country on Thursday, there were more than 35,000 prayer vigils, with millions of people exercising their constitutional rights of free speech and religion with one voice.
“God is calling us to be a Jesus church for all God’s people,” said First Baptist’s Pastor Rob Wilton. “This is not our church, it is His and you are all a testament to that.”
“There is something phenomenal going on here in our nation,” said Brenda Jackson-Little, FORCLT prayer network leader. “This historic tradition is older than the nation itself. It is a joy that one day out of the year we can come together in unity.”
The idea of a National Day of Prayer dates back to 1775, when the Founding Fathers called for a day of spiritual reflection. President Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition in 1863 during the Civil War. However, it wasn't until 1952 that Congress formally established the observance, with President Harry Truman signing it into law. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan designated the first Thursday of May as the official date for the annual celebration.
Robert Kelly, founder of FORCLT, urged the faith community to pray for four collaborative movements to bring Charlotte together as a community: transformation, service, discipleship and love.
“There is so much strife and turmoil. What would it look like to become united in hope with God?” Kelly asked.
Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, Anglicans, Methodists and non-denominational Christians all huddled together intermittently throughout the event, joining hands in groups of seven to pray for those who are suffering, those who seek peace, and those who are weary.
Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries, an organization that helps victims of sexual exploitation, focused on the distress endured by some local residents.
“We don’t need to look far to see suffering with the greater Charlotte area,” Arrowood said. “Let this National Day of Prayer mark not just a moment but a movement.”
Arrowood then went on to cite numbers, among them: 115,000 people in Charlotte – approximately 12% of the population – live below the poverty line, and last year alone, 110 local families were impacted by homicide.
Together, religious leaders put aside their differences for the moment to acknowledge their shared faith in Jesus Christ.
“The Holy Spirit is not for goosebumps but for holy proclamation,” said Skylar Farley, vice president from Ignite Movement Campus Ministry. “Prayer meetings change history.”
— Lisa Geraci