Once a

month, a diverse group of pastors, businessmen and women,

mothers with children and others gather to pray for

Fayette County and its leaders, the schools and the

children it educates, and a litany of personal petitions.

Scheduled

first Thursdays and conducted at Sams Auditorium in the

Lafayette Education Complex (formerly Fayette County High

School), the one hour of devotion grew out of the

National Day of Prayer celebrated in May.

"Why

do it just once a year?" was the question asked by

Gray Harwell of Cherith Ministries and other pastors last

spring. "Our vision is that the body of Christ come

together," Harwell said. Referencing Chronicles

2:14, Harwell said, "If my people who are called by

my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face

and turn away from their wicked ways, then I will hear

from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their

land."

The result

was a gathering of the prayerful in June which has grown

steadily to number 50 in September. "Ten to 15

different churches are represented," Harwell noted.

Priests and ministers from various denominations take

turns leading the one-hour service, which opens with a

15-minute segment of praise and worship.

"The

Lord is there with us and it's a time to worship

Him," said the Rev. Dr. John Hatcher, senior pastor

of Rivers Edge Community Church. He also observed that

the gathering has become more diverse in the months

following the May Day of Prayer, drawing pastors from all

types of churches from charismatic to Catholic.

"There is also a good number of lay people

attending," Hatcher noted.

Thursday,

Oct. 7, the monthly prayer meeting will focus on

preparing the hearts of the community for the debut of

the "Jesus video." Scheduled for mailing

between Oct. 4 and 14, the video, which portrays the life

of Jesus Christ, will be delivered to every household in

Fayette and Coweta counties. The arrival of the video

will initiate "a time of spiritual awakening for the

community," predicted the Rev. Sam Colleiro, senior

associate pastor at River's Edge Community Church.

Sunday, Oct. 3, also will be marked as a day of prayer

and preparation in area churches; a day when pastors will

alert their congregations to the coming of Jesus in VHS

format. "This will impact every church in the

county," Colleiro said.

Approximately

40,000 videos are ready for distribution, according to

Mary Frances Bowley, a key organizer for the project,

which has the support of 76 churches, J93.3 JOY FM radio

and The Citizen newspaper. Bowley said a postcard will be

sent out to all households in Fayette and Coweta

counties, alerting residents to look for their copies of

the Jesus video soon. Radio spots and billboard

advertisements also are in the works as part of the

overall plan to promote the video's arrival.

For

information about the prayer meetings, phone Lynn at

770-306-0290.