Each year, the Warwick Association of Church Women schedules a Day of Prayer. This year, that event will be held on Friday, March 4, at Lititz Mennonite Church, 165 Front St., Lititz. Doors will open and music will begin at 6:30 p.m. The service, which will feature Del Burkholder, director of Support for Prison Ministries (SFPM) of Lancaster.

The service will feature prayers by pastor James Haun of St. Luke's United Church of Christ (UCC), pastor Jim Grossnickle-Batterton of Lititz Church of the Brethren (COB), and pastor Ryan Taylor of Trinity Evangelical Congregational (EC) Church. The offering challenge will be presented by Teresa Goodhart, a Warwick Released Time teacher and board member. Special music will be provided by the Lititz Moravian Trombone Choir and St. James Catholic Church Folk Ensemble. The Day of Prayer proclamation will be read by Mayor Timothy Snyder.

Burkholder is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, and he was a youth speaker and evangelist prior to becoming involved in prison ministry in 2002. He is licensed in prison ministry through Hinkletown Mennonite Church, and he has served with Streams of Life, a ministry in state prisons. SFPM works to assist local pastors and prison ministry team workers to gain access to prisons. It is a goal of the organization to bring hope and encouragement to those in prison by acting as an arm of the local church. The organization also works with aftercare ministries to help ex-offenders re-enter society, with a vision to reconcile men and women involved with the criminal justice system with the community. The organization provides chaplain services at Lancaster County Prison and Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center.

Ruth McKennon, of Trinity EC Church, who has been involved in organizing the Day of Prayer since its inception, said that she believes it started in 1995. She recalled being asked to attend a meeting at Lititz United Methodist Church (UMC) and being told by the pastor at that time that the goal was to form a group that would unite the church community and organize a service. The pastor appointed her chair of the new group, which was called Church Women United. The organization, which included representatives from area churches, decided to hold a service on World Day of Prayer and to give the offering to the common cause of Warwick Released Time. For more than 25 years, the churches have taken turns hosting the event. McKennon said the group currently includes representatives from St. Luke's UCC, Trinity EC, Lititz COB, Burning Hearts Community Church, Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, Lititz Mennonite Church, St. James Catholic Church, and St. Paul Lutheran Church, and that representatives are needed from several churches, along with any other churches that would like to join the group.

Masks will be available for those who would like to wear them at the service.