National Prayer and Thanksgiving Day scheduled for March 14

Accra, Jan 29, GNA- President John Evans Atta Mills has asked Ghanaians to support and participate in this year's National Prayer and Thanksgiving Day scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2009.

He entrusted the nation into the hands of God and appealed to the Christian clergy to support Government to put the nation on a sound spiritual foundation.

He observed that all the prosperous nations had very firm spiritual foundations, and the benefits that Ghana continued to derive were by the grace of God, and urged the clergy and the nation not to relent in their prayers for the nation.

At a preparatory meeting with leaders of church groups at the Osu Castle in Accra, ahead of the National Prayer and Thanksgiving Day, President Mills said the superstructures of the state could only succeed if they were based on a strong spiritual infrastructure.

The meeting which was convened at the instance of the President, was to bring him abreast with preparations for National Prayer and Thanksgiving Day.

President Mills, on assumption of power in January 2009, declared the first Sunday in February as National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving. The Day was observed on separate days by both Christians and Muslims.

However, this year's Day has been rescheduled for March 14, following consultations with religious leaders who agreed that the day was pushed to the second Sunday after Independence Day, March 6. President Mills pleaded with the clergy to take ownership of the Day and thanked Almighty God for what he had done and continued to do for the nation.

He observed that human strength was limited in the scheme of things in the running of the nation, and urged Ghanaians to continue to be on their knees and offer prayer to access divine strength for the nation. President Mills said the prayer programme was non-partisan, and entreated all to take part in the event.

"Atta Mills and the President are separate entities. I know with your spiritual strength you can move mountains and beyond, " President Mills said.

The Rev Nii Amo Darko, a member of the Council of State, announced that the national prayer programme would be based on Psalm 33:12. He said the Day would be preceded by a weeklong fasting and prayer from March 7 to 13, 2010, and added that the President had requested that the church leaders spearhead and mobilise as many people to participate in the programme.

He said the venue for this year's prayer festival would be the Independence Square in Accra, but other ones would be held at the regions. He appealed for as many as possible to make themselves available at the Independence Square rather than watch it on television.

"We want to saturate the whole nation with prayers," The Rev Amo Darko said.

Among the clergy were The Rev Yaw Frimpong Manso, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana; Most Rev Prof Emmanuel Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, The Rev Steve Asante, President of the Ghana Baptist Convention and Apostle John Adotey, President of Ghana Pentecostal Council.

Others were Bishop Charles Agyin Asare, Head Pastor of the Word Miracle Bible Church, who at the instance of the President prayed for the victory of the Ghana's national senior football team, the Black Stars to lift the gold trophy in Angola 2010; The Rev Steve Mensah, General Overseer of Charismatic Evangelistic Ministries, The Rev Dr Robert Ampiah-Kwofie, of the Global Revival Ministries, The Rev Moses Sumaila of the Assemblies of God Church and Apostle Opoku Onyina, Head of the Church of Pentecost.