130 individuals gathered on May 7 to participate in the National Day of Prayer in Louisa, while also celebrating hundreds of years of prayer in America as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The 2026 National Day of Prayer theme is, “Glorify God Among the Nations — Seeking Him in all Generations.”

The event, originally planned for the Louisa Courthouse, was moved to New Life Community Church due to rain, but that didn’t stop over ninety minutes of music, speeches, and prayer. Rebecca Disosway, the coordinator for the Louisa County National Day of Prayer Task Force, welcomed the gathered crowd and outlined that because of the “special nature” of this year in the life of our nation, that the service would be different than usual. Patriotic segments included the Pledge of Allegiance, two verses of The National Anthem, President Washington’s and President Jefferson’s Prayer presented by Joe Leslie, Elder with Gilboa Christian Church, and songs like “America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)”, “America the Beautiful”, and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

“Prayers in thanksgiving and prayers in distress have molded, uplifted, and sustained America,” Disosway said, citing Virginia as the cradle of the American Revolution, and that patriotic songs remind us of our past, but also offer prayers for the future.

She quoted from President John Adams, that, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other,” stating that he understood that in order for a nation to flourish, the government should support morality as found in the Bible.

Disosway added that it’s “no accident” that the two mottoes commonly associated with the United States are, “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum,” which is latin for “out of many, one.”

“When we as many individuals put our trust in God’s saving grace, we become one in the body of Christ,” Disosway said, citing biblical virtues of justice, virtue, self-sacrifice, and self-restraint.

Mountain Road District Supervisor and Vice-Chairman of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors (BoS) Tommy Barlow shared a resolution proclaiming May 7 as the National Day of Prayer and the county’s support. Barlow cited that civic prayer has history in the nation’s constitutional republic dating back to the first Continental Congress in 1775, reaffirming that congress passed a joint resolution in 1952 establishing the annual National Day of Prayer.

Green Springs District Commissioner on the Louisa County Planning Commission (PC) James Dickerson led the gathered crowd in a “Prayer for America’s Past,” citing scripture from Acts 17:26 that states: “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”

“…looking back into history we clearly see your hand actively guiding, establishing, and perpetuating our nation,” Dickerson said.

Dickerson outlined points in history and how prayer was crucial to the nation’s success, like 1609, when the first English colonists landed at Cape Henry and settled Jamestown, and 1619 when the first Thanksgiving was held at Berkeley Plantation. He continued into the 1770’s, when colonists and the Virginia legislature struggled to determine a state religion and how that led to the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom being drafted by Thomas Jefferson and passed into law by the General Assembly in 1786.

The image featured on the screen behind the speakers and displayed on the front of the National Day of Prayer brochure depicts a famous 1975 painting by Arnold Friberg, “The Prayer at Valley Forge,” as George Washington kneels in the snow and prays beside a horse during the winter of 1777-1778 and seeks guidance and strength from God.

“The winter was harsh. The army was hungry. Victory or defeat hung in the balance for our new nation,” Dickerson said. “We know General Washington plus his army prayed at Valley Forge and you answered those prayers. Thank you God for hearing our prayers, leading our military to victory and establishing our nation.”

Other featured speakers included member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 59th district Hyland (Buddy) Fowler, Jr., Mayor of the Town of Louisa Ashley Michael, Mineral District Commissioner and Chairman of the PC John Disosway, Rev. Dr. Donald King, Sr. of Mt. Gilliam Baptist Church, Regional Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Jeff Alston, and Student Life Leader at The Point Anna Pencak.

The Louisa National Day of Prayer Praise Team was led by Sue Rowan and joined by Nikisha Diggs, Trevor Braas, John Hobbs, and soundman Alan Crummette.