By Diana McFarland

Managing editor

Earlier this year, Jimmy Ferguson looked around and saw divisions. 

Divisions among people across the United States and divisions here at home. 

That’s when God spoke to him. 

“What the Lord laid on my heart is to get all the churches together,” said Ferguson, who is inviting Isle of Wight County’s 100 or so churches to participate in the National Day of Prayer at his business, Major League Builders. 

The event will be held Thursday, May 3, beginning at 7 p.m. at 14170 Carrollton Blvd. in Carrollton. The public is invited. 

Ferguson points to the National Day of Prayer’s theme this year as his inspiration — Unity. 

{mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

“The main crux of the whole day is prayer,” said Ferguson, adding that he believes this is the first time in Isle of Wight that a call has been put out for all churches to participate together and at the same time. 

The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. 

Today, a privately-funded organization runs the website which represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national day and cites Jesus Christ’s life and resurrection in its statement of faith. 

Anne Beale pastors a small gathering called “The Ingathering” with her husband, Aubrey. She too had been tapped by God to organize National Day of Prayer in Isle of Wight County, but was unable to find the time.

The day before she decided the event would need to be put off this year, she got a Facebook message from Ferguson.

“We were thinking the same thing at the same time,” she said.

“Our nation is in crisis and we really need to pray,” said Beale.

“The power of that is profound,” she said. 

Ferguson plans to give out T-shirts and plans to put out signs citing “Unity” outside of churches for one month to remind people to come together and not be divided. 

Ferguson attends Smithfield Assembly of God, which is presided over by the Rev. Shawn McDowell. 

McDowell fully supports his parishioner in promoting the idea of a county-wide National Day of Prayer. 

The idea is to unite all the churches in Isle of Wight County, McDowell said, adding that they’re not supposed to be fractured and splintered. 

McDowell fully supports the efforts of Ferguson and Beale.

“If God spoke to you about it, you need to do it,” he said.  {/mprestriction}