By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Across the nation on Thursday, people of all religions gathered for the National Day of Prayer.
But not here.
Here, Christians gathered in Village View Church of Christ in Bowling Green to offer prayers for leaders from President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to local mayors and law enforcement.
Once again, the local observance of the National Day of Prayer asked for wisdom and guidance for the country and community.
And once again, only those from more conservative Christian denominations were allowed to participate. All could attend the event which is normally held on the steps of the Wood County Courthouse. But only certain Christians could participate.
The narrow interpretation of the National Day of Prayer event led Bowling Green State University’s ROTC Color Guard to cancel its customary presentation of the colors. Some churches denounced the local observance, and the proclamations from local elected officials spoke of the importance of including religious diversity.
The annual observance, held on the first Thursday of May from noon to 1 p.m., was established in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry Truman. The National Day of Prayer invited people of all faiths to pray for the nation.
However, a privately-funded “task force” was created later to “mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families.” The task force’s logic was that since America was “birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible,” then only Christian prayers were welcome.
The privately-funded task force twisted the original intent of the day into the “Christian-only” message. It actually goes beyond requiring that the participants be Christian. They must be the right kind of conservative Christians – and must sign forms stating those beliefs.
On Thursday, Kristel Asmus, who has organized the Wood County observation for 26 years, stood at the pulpit and welcomed those attending the prayer event with a theme of “Love One Another.”
“It’s been an honor to do this, to gather God’s people together,” she said.
Asmus talked of the need to pray for national and international leaders and to “ask God to forgive us as a nation for sinful choices.”
“America, we need a return to God,” she said. And that means a return to “Godly leaders,” who believe in the Bible. “You know the battle going on in our nation. We need God.”
Other church leaders followed, offering prayers for the U.S. government, the military, state and local governments, law enforcement and firefighters, the economy, education, churches and families.
One prayer offered thanks for the “freedom of expression,” allowing Thursday’s prayer gathering.
But the refusal to allow people of all faiths to participate led several local churches, organizations and individuals to denounce the event that fails to follow the national intent.
Trinity United Methodist Church, which has traditionally opened its doors to the National Day of Prayer event in case of bad weather, said its doors are now closed to such a close-minded event.
“In good conscience, our church will not offer our space to host an event that does not fully include people of differing faith streams. At Trinity, we are a church of open hearts, open doors and open minds,” the church’s statement said.
Pastor Gary Saunders, of First Presbyterian Church, and co-chair of the BG Ministerial Association, has not attended the event in the last few years.
“There are clergy who have quietly stepped back from the event,” he said.
The National Day of Prayer, Saunders said, was designed to be inclusive.
“It’s explicitly been for all people of faith to join in prayer for the country,” he said.
Pastor Mary Jane Saunders, also of First Presbyterian Church, said she stopped attending the prayer event after organizers passed out flyers stating that churches welcoming LGBTQ members are not Christian.
The community organization of Not In Our Town Bowling Green has also taken a stand on the local National Day of Prayer observance.
“We stand with all people of all faiths, or no faith, who feel they have been excluded from what seemed to be a public observance. Such exclusion goes against the very fiber of our movement.”
The Wood County Commissioners asked Asmus last year to open up the event to all faiths. Since the public courthouse steps were used for the annual event – and since the national prayer day was created for people of all religions – the commissioners asked her to reconsider the narrowness of the local program.
Asmus refused.
But on Thursday, the county commissioners were at the local prayer observation, since no alternative prayer event was planned in the community.
“I may not completely agree with the way it’s structured,” Commissioner Craig LaHote said. However, it was the only prayer event organized for the day.
“I feel it should be all inclusive. In Wood County we’re trying to unify people,” Commissioner Ted Bowlus said. “But I’m taking the high road on this.”
But in their proclamation read at the event, the county commissioners spoke of religious diversity, and asked that the event “show respect for the many religions that make up our county.”
Bowling Green Mayor Dick Edwards and City Council President Mike Aspacher did not attend the prayer gathering, with Aspacher stating he would not attend an event that wasn’t inclusive.
Edwards has expressed his concerns to Asmus in the past.
“It’s totally out of sync with the national standards,” Edwards said. “We are elected to represent all the people.”
Bowling Green City Councilman Bill Herald did attend on Thursday, and read a proclamation from the mayor. The mayor wrote of the National Prayer Day being for “citizens of all faiths,” and noted the “diverse religions and cultures” in Bowling Green.
Other elected officials attending were Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn, Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson, Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Reger, and Wood County Juvenile/Probate Judge David Woessner.
Wasylyshyn spoke at the event, and asked for prayers for sheriff’s road deputies, dispatchers and jail deputies.
“We cannot have too much prayer in our society,” the sheriff said.
