Baptist Crossroads Church calls other churches to pray together

The Crossroads Church invited other churches to join them on Saturday morning to focus “on the needs of those who are suffering from the on-going drought and asking that God will be merciful and send rain on the parched land.”

The Reverend Frank Willis, the pastor at the Crossroads church, said the response from other churches had been “positive”.

The plan is to have breakfast at 7.30 am on Saturday and then start praying in half hour sessions until noon.

“People from all the Glen Innes churches are united in their concern for the many who are suffering as a result of the drought”, he said.

The pastor said that churches were also going to help in more material ways by collecting groceries for drought victims. “We are very much aware that they need practical help.”

It is not clear how effective rain prayers are.

Nearly two thousand years ago, a Roman emperor wrote that the ancient Greeks used this prayer: “Rain, rain, rain, O dear Zeus, down on the ploughed fields of the Athenians and on the plains”.

American Indians – the indigenous peoples – had “rain dances”.

And in the modern United States, legislators have called for prayers for rain during drought.

In Alabama, Governor Bob Riley issued a proclamation in 2007. His press release said: “The Governor has issued a proclamation declaring June 30 through July 7 as "Days of Prayer for Rain" in Alabama, and he is asking citizens to pray individually and in their houses of worship for rain.

"Throughout our history, Alabamians have turned in prayer to God to humbly ask for His blessings and to hold us steady during times of difficulty. This drought is without question a time of great difficulty for our farmers and for communities across the state," Governor Riley said.

The Alabama government press release continued: “Jerry Newby, President and CEO of the Alabama Farmers Federation, agrees. ‘Alabama farmers have been through tough times before. But, through God's grace, they have learned to withstand whatever circumstances they faced. The farmers have been praying for rain for weeks and they covet the prayers of their fellow Alabamians’."

There was a similar “Days of Prayer for Rain in Texas”, after which the Washington Post wrote: “It took many months for significant rains to fall over parts of Texas after the Days of Prayer”, adding , “it took at least two months for several major cities in Texas to receive any appreciable rainfall.”