‘Pray4tn’ service draws local crowd
People gather in front of the Anderson County Courthouse on Saturday afternoon (July 12) for a prayer service as part of the call to prayer by the group “Pray4tn.” (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
“Pray4tn,” an organization created in response to a resolution by the Tennessee General Assembly to bring all of the state together in prayer, led the Anderson County event.
Pastors from some local churches led the open prayer session on Saturday, and Frank read a resolution passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee on May 2, calling “for those ‘physically able and spiritually inclined’ to join in prayer, fasting and repentance.”
House Joint Resolution 0051, with 59 co-sponsors in the state House and Senate, followed a similar measure passed in 2024.
According to the Pray4tn.us website, in 2024, Tennessee launched a prayer movement with House Joint Resolution 803, a “call to prayer, fasting and repentance” for the whole month of July.
That measure, introduced by Rep. Monty Fritts in the House, carried to the Senate by Sen. Mark Pody and signed by Lee, aimed to unite “all 95 Tennessee counties in prayer, with countywide Sacred Assemblies at each County Courthouse, from July 1 to July 31, with participation ranging from a handful to hundreds gathering in each county — a humble start to a burgeoning movement.”
The website notes, “Tennessee faces urgent challenges: Deadly drugs in our smallest towns, broken families, rising crime, and more that makes the need for hope and healing essential. But no law or politician can offer this, and without repentance, there is no revival.”
In its call to prayer, the organization said this on its website:
“If you believe Jesus Christ is Tennessee’s only hope, this is your moment. Join believers across the state in the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17. Let’s stand together, hand in hand, for a Ninevah moment -- for healing of our families, cities, state, and nation.”
Other county officials on hand for Saturday’s event outside the courthouse included Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton and county commissioners Denise Palmer and Joshua Anderson.
Two pastors led the group in prayer from the podium, then several of those attending the event also spoke their own prayers to the group.
Frank and Shelton read the resolutions passed by the General Assembly.
