A Washington church is inviting the community to come together for a day of prayer.

Maranatha Seventh Day Adventist Church will host its “Washington, Get Up and Pray” prayer day at the church this weekend. The event will feature speakers from the church, as well as pastors who have been invited from the South Atlantic Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, according to Maranatha prayer coordinator Geneva Horne. Also at the event will be singing performances and words of encouragement in the form of testimonies from several speakers.

The event is broken into two sessions, according to Horne. The first session will be led by B.C. Williams, assistant prayer coordinator for the South Atlantic Conference, who will host a prayer workshop to provide instruction on how to pray and how to pray for others.

“Prayer is an answer to everything,” Horne said. “It’s like breathing. If you pray to the Lord, God hears it and he answers it. The Bible says, ‘Pray without ceasing.’ Prayer changes things. It really works. I think that’s the biggest thing we have going for us is prayer. That’s our greatest weapon.”

After a break for lunch, the second session will kickoff, featuring a lineup of pastors, some of whom are guests, Horne said. Among those set to speak include: Pastor Alice Hawkins, who also preaches at Maranatha, will be praying for unity and the community; Assistant Pastor Martha White of Washington Heights Church of God, who will be praying for all leaders and children; and Pastor Allen Vega of the Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church of Washington, who will be praying for the United States president and the federal government, according to Horne.

Horne, who has been an elder for the past 15-plus years, said she became an elder through ministering to people. Horne is also prayer coordinator for North Carolina under the South Atlantic Conference. As an elder, she was given the opportunity to preach one Saturday out of the month and eventually asked if she could dedicate her monthly service to prayer, she said. One Saturday of the year she hosts a prayer day that includes inviting guests and services on a bigger scale, with last year’s event designed specifically for women, she said. This year’s day of prayer, however, will be open to the entire community, Horne said.

“Anyone can come, even if they’re not a member,” Horne said. “No matter who you are, we are all God’s children. We are really involved in the community as far as spreading the gospel. That’s what we want to do is spread the gospel through prayer.”

Mary Cannon, also a member of Maranatha, is helping Horne coordinate the event, which will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.

“We need prayer,” Cannon said. “This is a praying time for praying people. We want everyone to come out and pray for elected officials, community leaders, the president, children in schools, teachers and more. We want to save souls for the Kingdom of God. Someone needs to know your story, what the Lord has done for you. Let people know what he has done for you. When they see what God has done for you, they kind of open up.”

Horne said the church invites area pastors to come and join in praying during the event.

Maranatha Seventh Day Adventist Church is located at 501 E. Sixth St. in Washington. For more information, contact the church at 252-975-6904.