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Stay Fearless Tennessee is bringing a community recognition of House Joint Resolution 803 to the Claiborne County Courthouse steps on Friday, July 5 at 6 p.m.

House Joint Resolution 803 (HJR803) declares July 2024 as a month of prayer and fasting for repentance.

“This is truly historic, I’ve never known another state in America that has declared something like this by resolution — this had to go through the 113th Assembly, the House and the Senate both had to pass it and the governor had to sign it,” said Dan Spurlock.

All churches in Tennessee were asked to read the resolution during their worship services on Sunday (June 30) . The resolution’s sponsor, State. Rep. Monty Fritts, is visiting all 95 counties this month. He’ll be at the Claiborne County Courthouse on Friday and joined by County Mayor Joe Brooks and other community leaders.

“We’re going to have a full program there. Mike Gibson is going to open with a song he personally wrote called ‘Heal Our Land,’” Spurlock said. 

HJR803 calls for Tennessee to join together or 30 days of prayer and fasting starting on July 1. Fritts and Sen. Mark Pody got the resolution through the Legislature and Gov. Bill Lee signed it in April.

A letter accompanying the Resolution calls those who are physically able and spiritually inclined to join in this 30-day season of prayer and intermittent fasting during July for God’s grace, mercy and blessing for Tennessee and our nation.

“Many believe an upcoming election can fix the ills of the United States when scripture explains in  II Chronicle 7:14 the answer lies in prayer and repentance. This scripture states when God’s people pray and seek him and repent, then he will heal the land,” Rev. Sheldon Livesay shared in his article for the Rogersville Review.

Pody and Fritts invited churches across Tennessee to read the Resolution on June 30. They invite those that hear to “examine our lives in light of God’s Word and confess of our sins”. And they ask that the Church “acknowledge…we…have failed to stand for the principles of God, ask for His Forgiveness and Mercy ,m and commit to stand firmly on those principles going forward.”

 The letter ends by inviting “those who are able, join in prayer and intermittent fasting as a means of demonstrating our desire for repentance.” Fritts states the success of this bill is not a document on paper, but the feet and hands action of local congregations who earnestly join this effort on their knees.  

In this historic context, several times in history either presidents or governors called for times of prayer and repentance which often changed expected outcomes. Many remember churches full of people praying just before the deployment for “Desert Storm”. A series of miracles took place as a result, reducing casualties from an expected 30,000 to less than 100 in that initial assault of Baghdad.

A copy of the resolution can be obtained from the office of Senator Mark Pody 615-741-2421 or Representative Montry Fritts 615-741-7658 or emailing standntgap@gmail.com , a local East Tennessee Ministry promoting this prayer initiative.