Since 1819, Alabama has been a state divided in the midst of many social, political and cultural conflicts, but religious devotion has been a consistent defining characteristic of its people.
Organizers of Alabamians One Call, a solemn assembly prayer gathering to be held in Clanton on Dec. 14, hope the event will be a time of repentance and the beginning of spiritual renewal for the state and nation following another contentious electoral cycle.
“We will gather on the state’s 205th anniversary of statehood to thank God for the state we live in and pray for our people to keep our focus on the Lord,” said Shree Shaw Lovett, an organizer of the event.
Lovett, Alabama state coordinator for the National Day of Prayer, said humility and unity in the body of Christ is more important than ever.
“I feel like God has called us to be an example,” she said. “The more we come outside of our churches, showing those who don’t know Christ our love for Him and for each other, the better our example will be.”
The solemn assembly will be held Dec. 14 from noon to 4 p.m. at Corner Park in Clanton, deemed Alabama’s geographical center in the 1950s when Congress extended the state’s boundary lines into the Gulf of Mexico.
‘Urgent call’
Lovett said the idea for an interdenominational prayer event at the geographical center of the state began with a similar effort in Kansas. Other states followed suit. About two years ago, Lovett began working on the event with volunteers in Alabama’s National Day of Prayer District IV, led by coordinator Abraham Isreal Javine.
After attending a solemn assembly led by retired minister Barry Cosper, she asked him to lead the prayer event. Cosper has led many solemn assemblies over his 50 years of ministry. For those unfamiliar with the concept, he summarized the solemn assembly first as an “urgent call to prayer.”
Time of confession, repentance
“Solemn assemblies are times for God’s people to confess and repent of their sins … to renew the covenant relationship with the Lord and return to Him in faithful love and obedience,” Cosper said.
Pointing to Joel 1 and 2, Cosper said the solemn assembly is a time for corporate repentance, noting that “a number of national revivals in the Old Testament occurred in response to a solemn assembly.”
The solemn assembly also has deep significance for churches and individuals, as it is an opportunity for “individuals and the church to renew their relationships with the Lord,” Cosper said. “God’s people must confess and repent from our sin. Only through repentance can we stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ.”
Lovett also invited Tyler Eiland, director of missions for Chilton Baptist Association, to help get the word out to local churches. Eiland said it’s evident that America needs a movement of God, and prayer is the key.
“History teaches us that every spiritual awakening has been birthed through fervent prayer and heartfelt repentance,” Eiland said. “This is the heart of the solemn assembly — a sacred time for God’s people, regardless of denomination or background, to come together in unity, seek the Lord passionately in prayer and humbly adopt a posture of repentance.”
The solemn assembly will include times of corporate and small group prayer focused on invocation, praise, confession and repentance, Lovett said. She and other organizers are hoping Christians from across the state will come to Clanton to pray.
“God put it on the people’s heart to gather,” she said. “Anything that involves Alabama, we will ask the Lord’s blessing on it. We will pray for our people to totally yield and surrender all to Him.”
Corner Park is located at 6th Street North in Clanton. For more information, contact Lovett at ndptf22alabama@gmail.com or Javine at 205-393-5322.
Examples in Scripture
The following are some examples of Solemn Assemblies in Scripture.
- Jacob assembles his family (Gen. 35:1–15)
- Moses consecrates Israel (Ex. 19:10–19).
- Joshua seeks the Lord following defeat at Ai (Jos. 7).
- Samuel guides Israel to return to the Lord (1 Sam. 7:2–13).
- King Solomon and Israel celebrate Tabernacles and dedicate the Temple (2 Chron. 5–7).
- King Asa guides an assembly (2 Chron. 15:1–15).
- King Jehosphat calls a fast (2 Chron. 20:1–30).
- King Hezekiah celebrates the Passover (2 Chron. 30).
- King Josiah renews the Covenant (2 Chron. 34:14–33).
- Revival under Ezra and Nehemiah (Neh. 8–10).
- Nineveh repents after the message from Jonah (Jonah 3).
(Scripture examples provided by Barry Cosper)
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