Buckingham Rd. Shown here is the name of the church is a banner encouraging everyone to pray for America at noon each day of the week. Their church will open Monday, Feb. 7 at noon for such an occasion with no sermons or preaching. The men shown are Church Deacon J. Sessions, John Goldsberry and Tom Giddings. Photo by Mel Toadvine

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land,” is taken from the Bible from Second Chronics, verse 7:14. This is the verse that the Grace Bible Church in Buckingham is using to encourage people everywhere to stop at noon and pray for a few minutes for America.

Beginning Monday, Feb. 7, the church on Buckingham Rd., just outside of Lehigh, will be open six days a week at noon for those who want to stop by and spend a few minutes praying to God for help for America.

“It makes no difference who you are or what church you belong to, we invite you, if you are in our area, to stop by and spend a few minutes reflecting on this passage and asking God for his blessing,” said J. Sessions, a deacon at Grace Bible Church.

Sessions said area residents all over Lee County are encouraged to begin such a revival.

“Folks can be anywhere and they can just stop whatever they’re doing at noon and pray to God for our country and to heal it as he promised,” Sessions said.

The congregation of Grace Bible Church at 4461 Buckingham Road has been asked by their minister, Pastor Richard Blue, to reflect on the biblical passage and take part as a congregation to take part in the revival that he and others in the church wants to see spread like wildfire, as one of the members said.

Helping to spear this effort along with the pastor are church deacon J. Sessions, John Goldsberry and Tom Giddings.

“We just want to get the word out to everyone of how important this is,” Goldsberry joined in. “The future of our country is at stake and we know God will hear our prayers and heal us as a nation.”

The group is hoping other churches in Lehigh will join them in opening their doors at noon to 12:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday for people to be able to stop by and spend a few minutes in prayer.

“We would like to see churches all over Lee County join us in this important effort,” Goldberry said.

The Buckingham church holds regular services every Sunday morning from 11 a.m. to noon and on Sundays and Wednesday nights.

“But this is not something we are trying to do to promote our church. That is not what it is all about,” Sessions said. “It’s about asking God to heal our nation.

The three men meet a few days ago and said at their church, there will be someone to welcome visitors, but other than that, there are no sermons and no singing – just inviting a visitor to sit down and pray for America and her troops.

The men admitted the civil discourse in America which came to the spotlight a few weeks ago when an Arizona congresswoman was shot and others were killed during a public meeting with her constituents. Several died in the shootings.

“Now’s the time for revival in America and for this to happen for Americans, we must come back to the Lord,” Goldsberry said.

One of the gentleman noted that back in the 1800s in new York City, some stopped at noon to pray for the country and idea caught on in New York City as when the word spread, most of the churches in the city were open at noon for residents to stop and pray for a few minutes.

And one of the three said he had heard that leaders in Hawaii had stopped just recently decided to pray each day for the healing of their country.

The Grace Bible Church has a congregation of between 80 and 100 members and the support for the noon hour prayer time is overwhelming, Goldsberry said.

“There won’t be any preaching if folks just drop by at noon. We will welcome you and you may stay a few minutes and reflect and pray to God. When God hears all our prayers, a miracle can happen,” Goldsberry said.

“Or just praying on your own will help our revival to spread,” Goldsberry said.