About Santa Maria Valley Community of Prayer
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Our primary Purpose is to express absolute devotion to God, the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and bring him glory as we mature in Christ-likeness, being transformed and aligned with the Word of God.
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The goal of this observance is to gather people from all walks of life, cultures, and professions to agree in prayer for city, state, nation, families, and vocations. The National Day of Prayer is an interdenominational observance of Judeo-Christian beliefs.
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Our Mission: To mobilize unified public and personal prayer for our community, state and nation, culminating in the coordination of Santa Maria Valley's Annual National Day of Prayer.
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Goals and Objectives:
Our goal is to raise public awareness of the strong community of Judeo-Christian faith believers in the Santa Maria Valley. To inspire a network of intercessors committed to pray for unity in our cities, county, state, and nation. To be a conduit for prayer that trusts God and believes His will for us has lasting Authority.
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The hosting of the National Day of Prayer event gathers people from all walks of life, cultures, and professions to agree in prayer for city, state, nation, families, and vocations.
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The Santa Maria National Day of Prayer is run entirely by volunteers and funded exclusively through generous donations.
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Police, firemen, clergy, merchants, school officials, community and youth organizations are invited to assist in this memorable day.
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We work closely with our Community Leaders and Pastors to accomplish our goals.
The Community of Prayer, Inc. has been organized under the Nonprofit Religious Corporation Law exclusively for religious purposes and not organized for the private gain of any person. Board members are covered with liability insurance.
The National Day of Prayer is Ours
The National Day of Prayer belongs to all Americans. It is a day that transcends differences, bringing together citizens from all backgrounds. Mrs. Shirley Dobson, NDP chairman emeritus, reminded us: “We have lost many of our freedoms in America because we have been asleep. I feel if we do not become involved and support the annual National Day of Prayer, we could end up forfeiting this freedom, too.”
First Call of Prayer in 1775
Because of the faith of many of our founding fathers, public prayer and national days of prayer have a long-standing and significant history in American tradition. The Supreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in Marsh vs. Chambers (1983).
The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations.