In one, strong voice
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on May 8, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Adam Deboskey holds on tight to his wife, Angela, during group prayer at the National Day of Prayer on Thursday evening. The event brought church members from across the county together.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Air Force Capt. Austin Krohn raises his hand as other speakers pray over him. Krohn spoke about and led the military area of prayer at the event, which was held outside the Family YMCA.
Nothing could stop the fifth annual National Day of Prayer, not even a chlorine problem that closed the Goldsboro Family YMCA, where the event was being held Thursday.
Organizers moved chairs and bleachers outside and the event continued outdoors, with birds chirping and military jets flying overhead.
The event went on even when the Goldsboro Fire Department had to move one of its trucks around to the front of the Y, forcing people sitting in chairs to move them to a grassy area so the truck could pass.
"I'm absolutely humbled, and I'm absolutely overjoyed that God would place us outside of the YMCA with so many beautiful people under his clear, beautiful skies," Day of Prayer task force member D.J. Coles said. "Although it began inside, He brought us outside together where we had no choice but to sit together, to fellowship together. We had to adjust together. So many people were flexible. They moved chairs together. They accommodated one another, no matter what their race, creed, age, gender. We all loved and took care of each other tonight."
This year's speaker was Sammy Hudson, director of Son Set Ministries and the Refuge Christian camp.
Hudson said the country has moved too far away from God.
"A lot of things are going on in our country that are not of God," he said.
Hudson described being a youth pastor for seven years in Kinston, where every Friday at 11 a.m., he would gather with people there who had no home, society's outcasts. Each time he would ask for someone to call out a book of the Bible to read, a chapter and a verse.
On one occasion the passage was Psalms 31:9. Hudson read it and several verses that followed, which ask God to be merciful because the writer's life was consumed with anguish. He wrote that he was in utter contempt of his neighbors and an object of dread to his closest friends. The psalmist also talks about those seeing him on the streets fleeing from him. The chapter ends with the psalmist telling God that he trusts him, and knows God will deliver him from his enemies.
Hudson said there was dead silence in the group and one of the men had tears in his eyes. That man had half of one lung left because of cancer and only one eye, having lost the other in Vietnam. He weighed only about 70 pounds.
"I walked up and put my arms around him," Hudson said. "He told me that that book was talking about him."
Hudson said the book is talking about everyone.
"Compare your life to, not those sitting next to you tonight, but to this book," he said. "All sin takes us away from God, but we can turn back. There is hope, and his name is Jesus."
During the event, various people in the community prayed for seven areas of life, including government, military, media, business, education, church, family and youths.
Mary Katherine Vaughn led the prayer for youth.
"I asked God to help me," the 19-year-old said. "When I was praying, I was just thinking about myself and the youths of this generation, how we are just crying out and how we need Jesus."
National Day of Prayer task force member Linda Meyer said the event was one of the biggest blessings of her life.
"It was good to see people of all ages, all races, all sexes just come together and worship the Lord and realize that we need to be on our knees and we need repentance in every area of our lives," she said.
"It's been an unexpected blessing to be able to move outside and enjoy nature under His skies. I pray that we carry this home with us to continue it through the next year."