The Philadelphia skyline floated distant and dreamlike in the hot afternoon haze yesterday as dozens of Christians gathered atop Belmont Plateau for the 50th annual National Day of Prayer. Around her, children romped through the grass.
Adults knelt, sat, or stood with outstretched arms before the makeshift stage.
The Belmont Plateau session, led by a succession of area preachers, was one of dozens around the region and among an estimated 20,000 nationwide. It featured about eight hours of singing and prayers. Mary Campbell, Eastern Pennsylvania Coordinator for the National Day of Prayer organization, said preaching was not permitted. The tradition was decreed by President Harry S. Truman as an annual day to beseech God's assistance for the nation. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan set the national observance for the first Thursday of every May.