National Day of Prayer's Live Broadcast Cancelled

The National Day of Prayer cancelled the Nationally Broadcast Concert of Prayer (NBCOP) live event for this year to focus on the Global Day of Prayer movement.

The National Day of Prayer occurs each year on the first Thursday in May, this year May 5th. The date was created as a law by Congress in 1988 and has since come to represent a day of unity in prayer for the entire nation.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force Chairman, Mrs. Shirley Dobson stated, "The National Day of Prayer provides each of us with a powerful opportunity to humble ourselves before the Almighty and to seek [God's grace]."

Instead of the live NBCOP event, a pre-recorded 90-minute highlight of the past five years of events will be broadcast.

Dr. Robert Bakke, executive producer of the NBCOP, now the U.S. Coordinator of The Global Day of Prayer, told National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) that they will instead focus on the first- ever GDOP event, to take place on Pentecost Sunday, May 15.

The broadcast will include three major media: Internet, television, and radio.

NRB announced that Wayne Shepherd will anchor the free radio broadcast with other special guests; television coverage is also expected to be quite extensive.

So far planned television reports from stadium events are expected from: Suva, Fiji; Hong Kong, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; Chennai, India; Cape Town, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt; Basel, Switzerland' Belfast, Ireland; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dallas, TX; and Calgary, Alberta.

According to a statement made by NRB and the Global Day of Prayer website, the Global Day of Prayer is expected to be the largest worldwide prayer meeting in history.

The prayer day seeks God's forgiveness and mercy, according to a statement made by the organizer, Graham Power, on the website.

The Global Day of Prayer initiative began as a day of prayer for Cape Town, South Africa in 2000. According to Power, God shared visions with him to expand the prayer movement from one city in Africa to the entire nation, the continent, and now, in its fifth year, to the entire world.

This event followed a very similar global prayer movement, according to Youth With A Mission Executive Chairperson, Lynn Green, the height of which saw 12 million people in 177 nations praying in "one ongoing prayer meeting." Yet Power did not have any contact with the other prayer movement when he began planning this event in 2000, the same year that the other event was slated to end, Green told CP.

"It seems to me that God spoke to us in 1987, and God spoke to Graham in 2000, and we can't take any credit for it. God spoke and the same thing is happening," Green said.

The Global Day of Prayer began in 2001 when a record 45,000 Christians prayed for Cape Town. The following year, 2002, Christians from all denominations gathered in eight different stadiums across the nation of South Africa. In 2003, millions from 28 African countries united in prayer, and in 2004, all 58 African countries (including the islands) prayed for God’s blessing in Africa, marking one of the greatest Christian gatherings in the world with more than 22 million Christians praying together.

Global Day of Prayer will mobilize a record-breaking 200 million people across the entire world in a non-stop prayer meeting, each time zone picking up where another becomes night.

Already, 100 cities in 40 American states have reported participation.

A North American concert of prayer will be broadcasted from the 19,000-seat Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX live from 4 pm - 7 pm Central, according to the NRB's recently released statement.

A number of distinguished Christian leaders are hosting: Bishop T.D. Jakes from The Potter's House, Rev. Jack Graham from The Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dr. Robert Bakke from National Day of Prayer, Rick Warren from Saddleback Community Church, Tony Evans from Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, and many others. Choral devotion will be led by a 1,000-voice choir and featured will be reports from around the world, according to the NRB release.

The Global Day of Prayer also includes two other initiatives in addition to the prayer meeting. One is the 10 days of fasting and prayer leading up to the Pentecost Sunday's global, broadcasted live, prayer meeting, and the other is the "90 Days of Blessing," a community outreach event that is to last 90 days after May 15, which can include good works for the community, evangelism, and other volunteer efforts.