SANDPOINT — Twenty years ago, a small group of people gathered around the flagpole at the Bonner County Courthouse.

An acoustic guitar played songs of worship and those gathered prayed for the community, the region and the nation.

Fast forward to 2025 and the National Day of Prayer celebration attracts hundreds to Farmin Park and grown to a major annual gathering for many Christian churches, said Chris Bassett, senior pastor at Harvest Valley Worship Center and a member of Pray7B.org.

"For 74 years, Americans have poured out their prayers to God in response to the proclamation established by public law and issued by our president," Bassett said. "Harkening back to our Founding Fathers’ calls for national prayer to seek divine wisdom and guidance, our nation has continually turned to the God of hope through every tragedy and triumph in our history."

The community-wide event will begin with worship at 11:30 a.m. at Farmin Park. The National Day of Prayer observance begins at noon.

Pray 7B officials invited the community to join with the millions of believers from across the nation on Thursday. This year’s theme is “Exalt the Lord who has established us” from Colossians 2:6-7.

Sandpoint is one of tens of thousands of communities taking part in the annual event to pray for the nation, government leaders, media, military, schools, churches, business, and families.

Many Sandpoint area churches are participating in the National Day of Prayer with the community-wide event. As part of the event, area pastors in attendance will be introduced, there will be music, the Armed Forces Color Guard, and prayer for area cities, the state and the nation. 

Bassett said Pray 7B is continuing its Adopt-a-Cop program, which asks residents to regularly pray for a local officer or deputy. As part of the program, community members are asked to take the name of a local law enforcement officer and pray for them throughout the year.

The annual National Day of Prayer is an opportunity for Americans to pray together in faith — believing and standing on God's promise and abounding in hope, defined in the Bible as "joyful, confident, expectation." 

"This year, the National Day of Prayer Task Force is spreading the message of where hope is found and where it abounds — across America and around the world," Bassett said.

This year, the 20th anniversary gathering will harken back to the event's origins in Bonner County with an acoustic worship along with several local pastors praying for the nation and region.

"In a season of our nation that is filled with caustic rhetoric and division, the pastors have set aside this time to lift up Jesus and the hope we have in Christ, asking for His will to be done in each area of our world," Bassett said.

Congress established the National Day of Prayer in 1952. This observance is currently held the first Thursday each May when all Americans are encouraged to exercise their religious freedom by gathering publicly to worship and pray.

Information: Pray7B.org