SPENCER — Pray Rowan, an organization started to promote unity in the community through the power of prayer, will host a gathering Saturday at North Rowan High School.

The gathering will be from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the school gym, 300 N. Whitehead Ave. A format similar to the group’s first prayer gathering will be used, with singing and three-minute prayers by local ministers.

Pray Rowan held its first program Oct. 7 on the steps of the Rowan County Courthouse, and organizers vowed to have similar gatherings in the future.

The group was born out of a desire by Tonya Skelly and Father Lucas Rossi of Sacred Heart Catholic Church to have a place to pray for community residents and leaders. Skelly is a development associate with the Billy Graham Library.

She began with a June prayer breakfast that included local leaders, pastors and their wives. She appealed to those leaders to pray and encourage others to do so as well.

“We wanted to continue this as a monthly prayer event. So we wanted Oct. 7 to be the impetus for an ongoing prayer movement. What we are looking at doing is the first Saturday of every month at different municipalities in Rowan County,” Skelly said.

Organizers want to keep the gathering to an hour but include more participation from the community. Prayer requests were taken at the last gathering, and members of Pray Rowan will do the same this time but will pray for each request.

Skelly said there will be five people who will pray for three minutes on four different topics and then a general prayer time. The gathering will end with hand-in-hand praying for each other.

The December prayer gathering will be from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Dec. 2 at Hanna Park in downtown China Grove.

For more information about future prayer gatherings, visit the group’s Facebook page by searching for Pray Rowan.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.