A secular community is only as strong as its religious community. That is the one that gives the spiritual guidance and moral leadership that can keep a community as a unit that will help each other.

That is why it is such a good thing that the Ironton Ministerial Association is undergoing a revival after so many years of being unenthusiastic about its mission in Ironton.

The association is open to all churches, whether traditional liturgical or evangelical, which enables a satisfying dialogue for all.

Since the first of the year, the association that meets monthly for fellowship and educational programs, has organized two important community events. The first was the Martin Luther King Jr. service that brought a packed house to the First Church of the Nazarene. The second was the community Good Friday service.

Now at noon on Thursday the third service will be at the Lawrence County Courthouse, open to all, on the lawn. That will be the annual National Day of Prayer that promises to be a larger event than ever before.

National Day of Prayer started in the 1950s when a group of concerned citizens got a bill passed that allowed the president to set aside a special day. That grew into the organization that exists today that chooses a theme and Scripture verse to draw the country closer to its religious roots.

In 1988 President Reagan proclaimed that the first Thursday in May would be the official National Day of Prayer.

We salute the prayer day organization. But more importantly the men and women in Ironton’s religious community to create a communion that will help us all.