Bus Tour Aims to Help Save Colorado National Day of Prayer
A 23,000-mile, 100-day national bus tour that began in Pennyslvania on May 31 will arrive in Colorado on Sunday, with the aim to mobilize support for Gov. John Hickenlooper's appeal in the Supreme Court against a court's decision that struck down gubernatorial prayer proclamations.
The Pray For America Rally Tour will begin a 5-day mobilization effort to save the Colorado National Day of Prayer when it reaches Colorado Springs on Sunday, National Day of Pray Task Force, which commissioned the tour, said in a statement on Friday.
Mobilizing support is crucial as amicus brief filings are now being allowed after the Colorado Supreme Court recently accepted Attorney General John Suthers' petition for Certiorari to appeal the Colorado Court of Appeals' May 2012 decision that struck down governor's prayer proclamations. An amicus brief is a document that is filed in a court by someone who is not directly related to the case under consideration but can assist the court. Certiorari is an order sent from a higher court to a lower court to review and get documents related to a case.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The National Day of Prayer is rallying its followers to support Gov. Hickenlooper's appeal that Colorado leadership be able to continue to call for prayer and issue proclamations recognizing prayer in Colorado.
"If we do not prevail, the implications could potentially impact every state," said NDP Chairman Shirley Dobson. "The outcome would set a precedence that a Governor cannot issue proclamations for a National Day of Prayer, nor participate in related events. It would unleash a firestorm by anti-faith organizations to attack every state Governor. The future of this vital assembly now rests in our hands."
The first leg of the 37-state tour Rally Tour will conclude in Atlanta, Ga., on Sept. 10. It is an outreach of the NDP, and involves a special master coach bus which carries an image of the Statue of Liberty and a Bible quote from Matthew 12:21, "In his name the nations will put their hope."
The bus is equipped as a transport device for daily community impact, carrying a mobile radio studio for Pray for America Podcast. The Christian group's staff on-board the bus will share NDP's challenge to "engage, encourage and equip Americans in prayer" in places of historical interest, including Boston, Plymouth, Mass., New York City, and Philadelphia.
"The National Day of Prayer was the single, largest mobilized effort of prayer in the history of our nation and we must work diligently, together, to make every day a national day of prayer!" NDP Task Force Vice Chairman John Bornschein said earlier.
The momentum continues, Bornschein added. "Imagine the impact thousands of churches and individuals will have as they take up the mantle to pray for our leaders, families, businesses, schools and more, each and every day. Indeed, it is our goal to ensure that prayer remains an integral part of our national life."
