Local religious leaders and congregation members gathered outside the Leelanau County Government Center in Suttons Bay Thursday, May 2 in observance of the National Day of Prayer, a national holiday that has been officially observed since 1952 and was formal recognized in a proclamation by President Joe Biden earlier last week.
The group formed a circle around the marker dedicated to Emelia Schaub, the first woman to be elected and serve as county prosecutor, which is beneath the flagpoles outside the main building of the government center. Reverend Lucy Schaub of Leelanau Community Church in Lake Leelanau, who married into the Schaub family, organized the event.
The event was something of a who’s who for the county’s Christian community, with clergy from Haven of Hope Church in Elmwood and Northport Covenant Church also leading county residents in prayer. Other speakers were Dr. Jim Simons, of Leland, and Micah Cramer, an area representative of the national organization Youth for Christ.
Among the 25-30 attendees were Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Borkovich, county Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Tarsa, and several members of the county’s recently ascendant Patriot Group. Most event participants did not show outward allegiances or make overtly political statements, however.
“This is not a political event; we are simply an interdenominational gathering of citizens seeking the heart and the blessing of the lord God for our community and for our nation,” Schaub said.
The National Day of Prayer was officially observed in Leelanau County for the first time at the government center in 2009. This tradition didn’t last, however, as Schaub noted that clergy have been celebrating with people in Traverse City in recent years. This year’s event marked the official return of the holiday to the county.
Each speaker led a prayer for different groups of people within the county. Cramer of Youth for Christ prayed for students and area pastors; the Rev. Jerry Lange of Northport Covenant Church prayed for families; Dr. Simons, a Vietnam War veteran, prayed for members of the U.S. Armed Forces; Jonas Yoder of Haven of Hope Church prayed for farmers; and Jason Casares, an elder of Spanish ministries at Leelanau Community Church, prayed for the county’s migrant workers.
“Lord, we do pray for that spiritual revival. It doesn’t come from government; it comes directly from you. We need that. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a true great awakening in this country,” Lange prayed.
