Hundreds of people are expected to gather Thursday at the Lowndes County Courthouse in honor of National Day of Prayer.
The Christian Community in Prayer Committee will put on a service for those gathered at the courthouse, according to committee member Glenn Lautzenhiser. The program begins at noon Thursday and lasts 45 minutes.
Lautzenhiser told The Dispatch that in the past between 350-500 people have attended.
“This is a national event,” he said. “There are many communities throughout the United States that are observing this.”
Bobby Douglas, the former pastor of First Baptist Church, will be the featured speaker at the service, Lautzenhiser said. The service will also include music and words from individual prayer leaders.
The Christian Community in Prayer Committee has arranged the a service on National Day of Prayer for the past five or six years, Lautzenhiser said. Columbus is one of the only cities in the state — if not the only city — with such a large gathering of people for National Day of Prayer, he said.
Lautzenhiser added that those who do not wish to park outside the courthouse can take shuttles to the event at 11 a.m.
Shuttles will depart from the parking lot across from the Convention Center on Second Avenue North, the Farmers Market downtown, the parking lot across from the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library on Seventh Street North and from Trustmark Bank.
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