More than 1,000 people are expected to participate in the National Day of Prayer Thursday at the fountain in Fayetteville's Heritage Park.

The day-long event will begin at 7 a.m. with a youth prayer rally, followed by a noon hour of prayer. It will conclude with a family prayer rally from 6­8 p.m. This is expected to be one of Atlanta's largest gatherings of people to "pray for the country's aching heart in Colorado and the leadership required in America to restore our eroding morals," according to event organizers.

"There is a real revival going on here," said Ted Climo, chairman of the NDP task force for Fayette County. "Many churches are joining together interdenominationally to acknowledge their common faith in Jesus and ignore their differences. I believe God is working in the people here."

Last year, prayer day in Fayetteville drew hundreds of people seeking to pray for the country and its leaders. This year, Climo predicts a significant increase in turnout due to the series of crises in the country. "Americans turn to God for comfort and guidance whenever they are hurting. This dates back to the very birth of our nation," he said.

"Every history buff knows how heavily our founding fathers depended on God for answers," he said. "Today Americans are hurting. Our young men and women of the military are threatened by another war abroad, this time in Kosovo. Our children are threatened by an ongoing war at home with the breakdown of the family... Fayette County residents have expressed an enormous interest in the NDP this year for the same reason church attendance growth is increasing all across America; people turn to God in crisis," Climo said.

The early morning rally, 7­8 a.m., will be led by young people and is geared for youths. There will be a praise and worship time and a period of prayer. Simultaneously, local elected officials are invited to attend a prayer breakfast at Grace Evangelical Church.

The noon rally will be led by the Rev. Dr. John Avant, the Rev. Dr. John Hatcher, the Rev. Timothy Hepburn and the Rev. Rick Snow, representing, respectively, two Baptist churches, the Fayetteville Catholic parish, and a nondenominational charismatic church. The featured event is the family prayer time led by the Rev. Mark Baldwin, the Rev. Sam Calleiro, the Rev. Willie James Christian and the Rev. Dr. Justin Kollmeyer.