Jan Deems, Billie Lawson and Maxine Wilson, all of Calhoun, are the driving force behind an area-wide prayer group that prays on behalf of the nation.

The three women have been praying together since August of last year; they started the prayer meetings for fellow Americans who “share a burden for the direction in which the U.S. is headed,” said Deems.

“We thought we needed to do something, and we felt that God wanted us to start prayer meetings so more people could be praying for our country,” she said.

Deems said II Chronicles 7:14 inspired her, Lawson and Wilson. The verses call Christian believers to “humble themselves and pray.”

There have been two prayer meetings thus far; the first one was in October of last year and the second one was in the winter during an ice storm.

Deems said the group is trying to host the prayer meetings every three to four months.

“People having been saying ‘enough is enough;’ it is not about Republican or Democrat; it is about self-focused leaders who have been using their power in obstructive ways,” she said.

The meetings revolve around four main topics of prayer: revival for the nation, moral restoration in America, children and schools and for America to turn back to its foundation of “In God We Trust.”

The meetings begin with a designated local leading the group in a song, and then a fellow resident expounds on prayer topics, Deems said. Then the crowd branches off into groups of six to eight people and prays for specific topics; each meeting concludes with a song.

Deems said there were approximately 40 people at the first prayer meeting, and around 30 locals came to the second one – attendance was lower due to weather conditions. Deems said she hopes to see at least 100 people at the next gathering.

The meetings are held in the Calhoun Recreation Center under the pavilion if weather permits, she said, and the next area-wide praying meeting will be on May 15 at 10 a.m.

“Everyone said they were very blessed when they left the (previous) prayer meetings, and I want a lot of people to come to the next (meeting) and pray with us because God is going to honor His people who cry out to him. (Prayer) is the only thing that can turn our country around,” Deems said.