Press Release
☷Fort Leonard Wood service members come together for National Day of Prayer event
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
May 06,2022
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Maj . Gen . James Bonner , Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general , prays alongside his wife , Debra , this morning during the National Day of Prayer event at the Main Post Chapel . The 30 - minute event provided an opportunity for religious community leaders from Christian - , Jewish - and Buddhist - based faiths to offer prayers for the nation , its elected leaders , military leaders , the military , military families , peace and the community . Chaplain ( Capt . ) Joshua Sharp , 787th Military Police Battalion and the Latter - day Saints Service Community chaplain , says a prayer for military leaders during the National Day of Prayer event this morning at the Main Post Chapel . During the 30 - minute event , religious community leaders from Christian - , Jewish - and Buddhist - based faiths offered prayers for the nation , its elected leaders , military leaders , the military , military families , peace and the community . Service members and civilians of various faiths gathered this morning at the Main Post Chapel to pray for the community , the nation , its leaders and the armed forces during the National Day of Prayer event . FORT LEONARD WOOD , Mo . — Service members and civilians of various faiths gathered this morning at the Main Post Chapel to pray for the community , the nation , its leaders and the armed forces during the National Day of Prayer event , hosted by Chaplain ( Lt . Col . ) Bradley Godding , Maneuver Support Center of Excellence command chaplain . Godding provided the opening remarks for the event . He called it an opportunity for people of different religious beliefs and cultural practices to come together in “an act that unites us in common purpose . ” “The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage as a nation , since the first call to prayer in 1775 , when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation , ” he said . During the 30 - minute event , religious community leaders from Christian - , Jewish - and Buddhist - based faiths offered prayers for the nation , its elected leaders , military leaders , the military , military families , peace and the community . Chaplain ( Maj . ) Travis Hairston serves the Initial Entry Training Protestant community here . He helped organize this year’s event and provided the invocation , calling the solidarity of the faiths and their prayers “impactful . ” “We believe in the power of prayer , and its effect — not only on our community , but on our nation , ” he said . Hairston said prayer connects individuals “to something outside of ourselves — something that’s greater than ourselves . ” “When we pray — and we’re praying to a God that hears us , and that not only hears us , but cares — that helps us to answer the ‘why’ questions in life , ” he said . “When we’re having a rough time; when things aren’t going our way — even through tragedy — by knowing that we can talk to our creator , our God or however we want to define that entity , it provides us that reassurance that we’re not alone . ” Congress created a law signed by President Harry Truman in 1952 , calling on the president to proclaim the first Thursday in May each year as the National Day of Prayer . In his proclamation this year , President Joe Biden called on American citizens “to give thanks , in accordance with their own faiths and consciences , for our many freedoms and blessings , and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God’s continued guidance , mercy and protection . ” “Throughout our history , prayer has been an anchor for countless Americans searching for strength and wisdom in times of struggle , and sharing hope and gratitude in seasons of joy , ” Biden wrote . “In public reflections on life’s many blessings and in quiet moments during life’s most difficult trials , Americans of nearly every background and faith have turned to prayer for comfort and inspiration . Prayer is a sacred right protected by free speech and religious liberty enshrined in our Constitution , and it continues to lift our spirits as we navigate the challenges of our time . ”
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