National Day of Prayer ceremonies take center stage

Roughly 150 people celebrated the 62nd annual National Day of Prayer Thursday morning at Glendale Lakes Golf Club in Glendale Heights.

They joined residents from across the region and the nation in the celebration that began in 1952 when President Harry Truman declared an annual National Day of Prayer. President Ronald Reagan signed a law in 1988 designating the first Thursday in May for the observance.

The Glendale Heights celebration, sponsored by Adventist GlenOaks Hospital and others, was based on the theme “Pray For America” and featured a keynote address from the Rev. David Sitler, pastor at Glen Ellyn Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Sitler received severe burns in December 2011 while on a mission trip with his family in Nicaragua and says the prayers of many supporters helped him make a full recovery that still baffles the medical personnel who treated him.

Several area mayors also were scheduled to participate, including Bloomingdale's Bob Iden, Addison's Larry Hartwig and Mayor-elect Rich Veenstra, and Carol Stream's Frank Saverino.