White House to Host Prayer Gathering on National Mall for U.S. 250th Anniversary

The White House is holding a prayer gathering in Washington, D.C., this weekend as part of an initiative to mark the United States’s 250th anniversary. m. m. on Sunday. It will feature faith leaders and top officials, including a video address from President Donald Trump, and conclude with a worship concert.

Freedom 250, a semiquincentennial initiative spearheaded by Trump, is hosting the Rededicate 250 event. Admission is free and open to all, though registration is encouraged. Organizers have described the gathering as a “national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving” and expect it to draw upwards of 15,000 attendees for the rededication of the country as One Nation Under God.

The day will include Scripture readings, music, testimony and prayer. It is scheduled to begin with sunrise worship in front of the Capitol building and end with a praise concert on 12th Street. Grammy-winning contemporary Christian artist Chris Tomlin is set to headline the concert, along with Blessing Offor and Aodhan King.

Public officials are scheduled to speak alongside religious figures that include Evangelist Franklin Graham, Liberty University Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik. Podcaster Sadie Robertson Huff and author Eric Metaxas are also set to speak.

A senior faith adviser to the White House who is speaking at the event said last month that it would focus on the history and foundations of the nation. ” Work on the stage for the event was continuing as of May 12, according to photographs from the National Mall.