(PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
PRAYER … Pastor Landon Schaffner of Haven Heights Baptist Church and Community Relations Director Tara Dumas pray with local community members during the National Day of Prayer.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Community members near Wauseon met to bow their heads and give praise this past Thursday morning during the annual National Day of Prayer.
Together with pastors, members of the public, students, and Bible study groups joining together in worship, those who participated put forth a morning full of community spirit.
For the second year, the event was hosted at Special Grounds Coffee, part of the Sara’s Garden organization. Community Relations Director Tara Dumas helped establish the event at the venue last year along with other members of the organization.
Special Grounds shares its space with the New Horizons Academy Career Center, making it a central and welcoming location for community involvement.
This year’s observance took a more focused and intentional approach, with a structured program held from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
Organizers emphasized heartfelt prayers over specific areas of community and national life, aligning with the “How to Pray for America” framework. Worship songs such as “America the Beautiful,” “My Country, ’Tis of Thee,” and “I Speak Jesus” echoed through the building as participants lifted their voices together in unity.
As part of a “How to Pray for America” initiative, pastor Kent Knorr of Pettisville Missionary Church prayed for revival in America, Pastor Ashley Rosa-Ruggieri of Trinity Lutheran Church led prayer over schools and education, Pastor Landon Schaffner of Haven Heights Baptist Church focused his prayer on families, and Tara Dumas lifted up local businesses in her prayer.
Several pastors also remained present throughout the morning in case individuals sought personal prayer. One such pastor was Landon Schaffner of Haven Heights Baptist Church. Landon explained how good it is to see people from different churches worshiping together.
“I think it’s good for the unity of the broader church in the community,” said Pastor Schaffner. “It’s good to have believers from different local churches gathering in the name of Jesus to pray for our community.”
“In the Old Testament, God tells his people, when they are living in a foreign land, to seek the welfare of the city they’re living in. I think this is one great way for Christians now, in the 21st century, to do that.”
“We come together as citizens of heaven and of the United States, Wauseon and Fulton County, and we are seeking the welfare of the city we live in by devoting a day to pray for it.”