In difficult times, people

often turn to prayer, and Sunday may not come soon enough.

During the days immediately

following Sept. 11, houses of worship throughout the community opened

their doors to allow believers to gather, to grieve together, and to turn

to God for solace and protection.

But not everyone got the word,

especially in large congregations, and many would-be worshippers did not

know, or guessed wrong about date and time.

For that reason, Peachtree

City pastors who meet informally each week for lunch have come up with

a plan, said the Rev. John Weber of Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church.

From now on, at 7 p.m. on the

day following a major event such as the terrorist attacks or the announcement

that war has begun, a community prayer service will be conducted at First

Baptist Church in Peachtree City, with First Presbyterian also available

as needed if the Baptist sanctuary fills to capacity. These churches were

selected because they are centrally located and close to each other, Weber

said.

The service will be nondenominational

and led by area clergy. Everyone is welcome, he said, whether or not they

are members of any church.

How will citizens know that

a new development or incident will result in a special service being planned?

They may check by calling their own or any Peachtree City church office,

Weber said.

Because people have expressed

a need for the ongoing refuge of a sanctuary, many local churches also

are scheduling regular prayer services or keeping their doors open throughout

the week.

Peachtree City Christian Church,

for example, conducts a short service at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

The sanctuary of First Presbyterian,

206 Willowbend Road, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for prayer or meditation;

a prayer leader is there for about 15 minutes at the beginning and end

of that time period.

And at Christ Our Shepherd,

101 Peachtree Pkwy. N., a brief service built on prayer and scripture

takes place at noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and at 6 p.m. Tuesday

and Thursday.

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