The National Day of Prayer, is Thursday, May 4, and while it may not appear on most calendars, it is indeed a nationally recognized day.

In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress signed by President Harry Truman declared an annual National Day of Prayer.

In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Ronald Reagan, permanently setting the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday of every May.

This year's theme is "America, Honor God" and is based on 1 Samuel 2:30, "Those who honor me, I will honor."

Local clergy and congregations are busily making preparations to participate in this year's event.

For one group, the National Day of Prayer is a 24-hour community event. The Rev. Pat McElroy of Park United Presbyterian Church in Zelienople is chairman of the Harmony-Zelienople Ministerium's National Day of Prayer task force, which is hosting events. The ministerium is made up of 15 churches.

"In Harmony and Zelienople, we pretty much celebrate National Day of Prayer together as one community in Christ," McElroy said. "We begin with a community prayer vigil starting on Wednesday evening the 3rd at St. Peter's Reformed Church in Zelienople."

On the following morning, the ministerium will host a free prayer breakfast for the community. The speaker will be the Rev. Charles Yost, pastor of the Mount Pleasant Church of God in Westmoreland County. Yost is preparing to begin active duty as chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves.

A midday prayer service at the Zelienople Municipal Building will be led by the Rev. Gale Davis of Faith Full Gospel Church in Zelienople.

Later that day, a community prayer walk will begin at numerous churches, ending at the Zelienople Community Park. The walk will precede an evening service.

But Harmony and Zelienople aren't the only communities joining for prayer events.

The Butler Federation of Churches, made up of eight congregations, has also taken a community approach to the National Day of Prayer.

"A group of pastors got together to plan events that would be available to the community that people may join in prayer for our country", said the Rev. Tim Bupp of Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church.

"We will host a worship service and communion at Grace @ Calvary located on the square in Diamond Park. There will be a time of worship, and we will share communion with the community.

"We feel this is a great way of showing that the churches are basically one body consisting of many people from multiple faiths," he said.

Following the communion service, attendees will walk to the Butler County Courthouse steps for prayer, Bupp added.

An evening service is planned at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Main Street.

"We felt it was important to offer an evening service for those people who work during the day and were unable to attend any of the events offered in the morning and during lunch hours," said H. Curtis McDaniel Jr., senior pastor at Westminster.

New Life Christian Ministries, a nondenominational group that worships at Knoch High School in Saxonburg will also host activities.

Youths from the New Life congregation will lead prayers at 7 a.m. at the flagpoles of area schools.

The New Life ministry staff will host a prayer walk from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Saxonburg area, stopping for prayer at commerce centers, government locales and other sites.

"Prayer is the only eternal means of affecting change in our world. As someone has said, 'Prayer is not a substitute for action. It's an action for which there is no substitute,'" said pastor Chris Marshall.

Marshall said he is excited about the student involvement in Thursday's events.

"We believe that students are not just the church of the future, but that they are part of the church right now. The sooner a follower of Jesus is equipped and active in a life of prayer, the more effective he or she will be in living a life that matters for God's kingdom," he explained.

Abby Marshall a junior at Knoch High School, is among the flagpole prayer participants.

"I am a part of the National Day of Prayer because I think it's important for Christians to come together and pray for our country, and I think it's a great opportunity to demonstrate our faith," she said.

Chris Recio a senior, and leader of the school's Bible Study, said, "Sometimes, we as citizens become caught up in our own lives, forgetting that a fellow American is suffering from a hurricane disaster or is overseas fighting for our country. This day is a reminder of what really holds up the morale and principles of our nation."

Since prayers are led by students instead of school officials and don't occur during school hours, the activity doesn't violate rules about the separation of church and state, said Knoch principal Fred Moxie.

Legislation for the National day of Prayer dictates the President as well as all 50 governors write a proclamation about the day. Past proclamations can be found on the National Day of Prayer Website at www.nationaldayofprayer.org.

To launch the National Day of Prayer, a 24-hour community prayer vigil is set to begin at 6 p.m. May 3, at St. Peter's Reformed Church in Zelienople.The vigil will conclude at 6 p.m. May 4, the National Day of Prayer.Other events set for May 4 include:• 7 a.m. — Youths from New Life Christian Ministries will lead prayer services at the flagpoles of area schools; a community breakfast hosted by the Harmony-Zelienople Ministerium will be offered at Grace Church of Harmony, 538 Main St.• 10 a.m. — An hourlong prayer walk hosted by the New Life Christian Ministries will begin at Outlook Pointe, 100 Bella Court, Saxonburg.• 11:30 a.m. — A prayer gathering at the Zelienople Municipal Building will be led by the Rev. Gale Davis of Faith Full Gospel Church in Zelienople. Service is hosted by the Harmony-Zelienople Ministerium.• Noon — The Butler Federation of Churches will host a communion service at Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church, 123 E. Diamond, Butler.• 12:45 p.m. — The Butler Federation of Churches will host a prayer service on the Butler County Courthouse steps.• 1:30 p.m. — Prayer meetings will be held at Seaman Chapel, New Haven Court and Wittenberg Place on the UPMC Passavant Retirement Center campus.• 5 p.m. — Congregational prayer walks will begin at churches in the Harmony-Zelienople Ministerium and end at Zelienople Community Park on Beaver Street.• 7 p.m. — A choir hymn sing festival will be hosted by area churches at the Mount Chestnut Presbyterian Church, 727 W. Old Route 422; the Saxonburg-Sarver Ministerium will host a prayer service at Summit Presbyterian Church, 181 Caldwell Drive, Butler.• 7:30 p.m. — A prayer service will be hosted by the Butler Federation of Churches at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 420 N. Main Street, Butler.