More than 200 people gathered Thursday at noon in downtown Dawsonville and rejoiced in prayer.

Young and old bowed their heads and lifted their arms in the spirit as they spoke to the Lord during the National Day of Prayer.

The first Thursday in May was designated by Congress in 1952 as the National Day of Prayer to encourage people of all religions and all backgrounds to celebrate their faith through prayer.

Led by representatives from the Seven Mountains of Influence, the group spent their lunch breaks praying together for education, business, military, government, media, church and family.

“I’m proud of Dawson County,” said School Superintendent Nicky Gilleland as he reminded the community to pray for the children.

“We have lost three of our children in six months because of bad choices they made. They face a different world than we faced when we grew up,” he said standing outside the Dawsonville Municipal Complex.

Steve Harmon, a youth pastor at First Baptist Church, offered a prayer for families and asked God to destroy the cycles of violence, abuse and poverty in the community.

He encouraged those in attendance to be the “hands and feet of Christ.”

“Yes, we need to pray for the families, but we also need to be there for them,” Harmon said. 

While National Day of Prayer is held just once each year, event organizers welcome the community to Dawsonville City Hall each Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. to pray “in unity for the transformation of our community.”

The meeting is in the second floor conference room.

PrayDawson is a non-denominational gathering of Christians joining together to pray for the community. For more information, go to www.praydawson.com or e-mail  info@praydawson.com.

E-mail Michele Hester at michele@dawsonnews.com.