For the fifth year, Pastor Jon Trinklein from Shepherd’s Gate Lutheran Church in Shelby Township will lead the Township in celebrating the National Day of Prayer May 1 at Cherry Creek Banquet Center, 52000 Cherry Creek Drive.
Keeping alive a local tradition started by Trinklein and other community spiritual leaders, the 2014 event features prayers and hymns from eight spiritual leaders from Shelby Township and its neighboring municipalities.
“As elected officials, we cannot not do anything without the blessing of our Lord and Savior,” Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis said. “I like to think of a verse from the book of Matthew when it comes to why we continue to have invocations prior to all of our Township Board meetings and continue to support Pastor Trinklein and the National Day of Prayer.
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“In Matthew 18:20, our Lord tell us, ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ So, through invocations, I know that Our Lord and Savior feels welcome at our meetings and is always there guiding us.
“This is the same experience that makes the National Day of Prayer so powerful and important to our great Nation. It gives our nation a chance to affirm our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ while we ask for His guidance and leadership in our lives.”
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“Our heavenly Father is not caught unaware of our needs in this nation, but He tells us to come to Him in prayer so that we may tap into His wisdom, strength and protection,” Trinklein said of this year’s theme, “One Voice, United in Prayer.”
“He stands ready to help us if we but pray. I urgently invite everyone to come together with one voice for this National Day of Prayer observance to humbly seek God’s transforming power in our day.”
Various Township and Macomb County officials, including County Executive Mark Hackel, will join Trinklein and Stathakis to celebrate the fifth-anniversary of the Township’s National Day of Prayer service.
“I think it’s a true testament to the inspirational spiritual leaders in our community that elected officials come together, put aside politics and unite in prayer for our community and nation,” Hackel said.
The program starts with a free continental breakfast, provided at no cost by Cherry Creek, at 6:30 a.m. and runs until 8 a.m.
The prayer service starts with a welcome led by Trinklein, renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “God bless America” performed by Peter Paselk from Trinity Lutheran Church in Utica, a confession by Trinklein, a speech from Pastor Andy Timm of Macomb Christian Church in Shelby Township, and prayers centered on government, business, church, education and family led by Pastor Norm Koy of Trinity Lutheran Church, Felicia Harris, Pastor Dave Devlaminck of Momentum Christian Church in Washington Township, Pastor Ken Wagner of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Macomb Township and Jim Porter of St. Thomas Presbyterian Church in Shelby Township, respectively. Father Frank Kolaj of St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church will close the service with the Lord’s Prayer and a final blessing.
