In an event organized by Franklin Graham, some 50,000 Christians gathered at the national mall in Washington, D.C., Saturday to pray for the nation. “Father, our country is in trouble. We need your help.” said Graham in his prayer.
The prayer march was overshadowed by President Trump’s announcement of his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, and received little media attention.
Although the event was promoted as non-political, and participants were told not to bring political paraphernalia or wear hats or T-shirts with political messaging, Vice-President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, attended the first part of the march. When Pence spoke and prayed, the event had the tenor of a political rally.
Vice President Mike Pence speaks and prays on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
After Pence left, the event took on a less political and more spiritual character. The marchers progressed from the Lincoln Memorial to six other locations on the national mall, including the (2) the World War II memorial, (3) the Washington Monument, (4) the White House, (5) the National Museum of African American History and Culture, (6) the National Archives, and (7) the U.S. Capitol.
Each of these locations had different prayer emphases. At the National Museum of African American History and Culture (lately infamous for the whiteness chart that briefly appeared on its website), the emphasis was on national reconciliation. Former baseball star Darryl Strawberry and Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., prayed there.
In addition to the planned prayers by the rally’s leaders, many spontaneous prayer groups of 5 or 6 people formed at various places in the mall.
The livestream was hosted by Governor Mike Huckabee and Cissie Graham Lynch, Franklin Graham’s daughter. The event clearly bore the cast of the Graham family, several of whom were featured prominently including Franklin’s sister Ann Graham Lotz and two of Franklin Graham’s sons. During lulls in the event, when the participants were moving from site to site, the livestream featured clips from Billy’s Graham’s many sermons, including one event in 1952 on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building.
The full 2 hours, 33 minutes livestream is posted below:
Livestream of Prayer March 2020, with Franklin Graham