Salem held its 20th annual Day of Prayer Thursday at the Salem Memorial Building. (Above) Following the ceremony Jim Kelly was presented with a special gift in appreciation for his service on the Day of Prayer Committee for all 20 years of its existence.

SALEM — The annual Salem Area National Day of Prayer gathering was held Thursday at the Salem Memorial Building.

This year marked the 75th annual Day of Prayer nationally, and the 20th annual gathering in Salem. The theme of this year’s program was “Glorify God Among the Nations-Seeking Him in All Generations!” which is based on scripture from Chronicles 16:24.

The opening prayer and welcome for this year’s gathering were offered by Jim Kelly, who has served on the Day of Prayer Committee for all 20 years of its existence.

Kelly said that the annual gathering was first held in Salem in 2007 on the former Village Green, where it remained through 2019. In 2020, the gathering was pre-recorded at Allegheny Wesleyan College and livestreamed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been hosted at the Salem Memorial Building every year since 2021.

Kelly thanked everyone who has helped to plan and conduct the annual ceremony, and everyone who has attended the annual gathering to join in prayer as a community for the last 20 years.

This year’s event also featured the presentation of an official proclamation for the city by Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, musical performances by Destiny and Dustin Weaver and the Allegheny Wesleyan College Orchestra, and the traditional readings of scripture and prayers for business, government, media, family, military, church, education, and safety forces/health care workers by Jerry Wolford, Bob Hodgson, Kathy Johnson, Blake Quales, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class Timothy Troyer, Pastor Brian Regal, Bob Shilling, and Salem Regional Medical Center Chaplain Dustin Weaver, respectively.

mahart@mojonews.com