NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
Youth-driven segment draws a crowd
Hundreds turned out Thursday to enjoy breakfast, noon and evening programs as part of the National Day of Prayer.
The fourth annual Boerne Day of Prayer event, organized by members of Boerneprays.org, included a youth-organized and youthdriven “Light Up the Square” segment, which saw attendees twice break into smaller prayer groups around the Main Plaza gazebo.
Many went to their knees, hands pressed together, in their expressions of devotion.
Messages from teens Adeen Pop, Emma Lee and Tristan Onweller were shared among younger worshippers, with the session stretching well beyond its allotted hour.
Onweller preached to a packed audience from 1 Timothy 4:12-13.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech and conduct and love and faith and purity,” Onweller read.
He referred to the next verse, 4:13, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.”
He added, “As you can see right here, there are so many of us who … are young that are just on fire for the Lord. There is a revival happening in our town. Over the past year, I have seen so many Bibles just pop up around Boerne.”
After the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast launched the day to a crowded house at Las Guitarras Restaurant, the main public gathering began at noon on Main Plaza.
The program, in addition to worship music, included state Sen. Donna Campbell, Mayor Frank Ritchie, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk, County Commissioner Andra Wisian and Sheriff Al Auxier.
Campbell, whose District 25 includes Boerne, read a proclamation from Gov. Greg Abbott proclaiming the day as National Day of Prayer — first set in motion in 1952 by President Harry Truman and Congress, renewed on the first Thursday of May each year since by the nation’s presidents.
“Generations of Americans have recognized its power to bring healing, clarity and peace,” Campbell read from Abbott’s message.
“My hope is that people of faith will continue to lift up our state and nation, asking for guidance, unity and steadfast resolve, as we reflect on this year’s theme, ‘To glorify God among the nations, seeking him in all generations,’” she said, quoting the governor’s statement.
Auxier prayed for the safety of law enforcement agencies and first responders both in Boerne and nationwide.
“Bring unity between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” Auxier prayed. “Be their shield. Guard their minds from fear, their hearts from bitterness and their spirits from fatigue.”
The sheriff added, “Let truth prevail over falsehood, and justice be carried out with fairness and mercy.” “There is a revival happening in our town.”
— Tristan Onweller
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