Christians Cry Out to God in Charlotte, NC, Ahead of DNC

Christians all over the country are realizing how important the upcoming presidential elections are to the fate of our country, and are gathering together for prayer and fasting.

Several rallies have been organized on behalf of the nation, including America for Jesus and Prayer Rally for America’s Future. But Charlotte714 has a local feel, though its purpose is to unite as a church body.

The movement’s website (charlotte714.com) states: “We want to provide a forum for the city church to come together in Jesus’ name to return to our first love, and to cry out in repentance and faith for the city we love and for which we’ve given our lives and ministries.”

Pastor Randall Hall Walker of Freedom Worship Center in Charlotte, N.C., explains that churches of Charlotte—which he calls a “a spiritual city, an anointed city … and a place where God is the center”—will come together to pray in the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and ask for God’s forgiveness.

“We’re gonna pray and we’re gonna believe God for some great things,” he says in a video interview. “We want to repent, we want to pray and we want to reach out to God.”

Charlotte714 will take place Sunday afternoon at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre, two days ahead of the Democratic National Convention in the city. Organizers purposely scheduled the event just before the convention, but say the DNC is merely a platform to get their message out—not a target.

“We want our city to be like a spiritual ‘city of refuge’” the site explains, “ where the church is founded squarely on Jesus Christ, ablaze with the Holy Spirit, and united in God’s love.”

The rally is not the first significant event held in Charlotte. A young colonial businessman named Thomas Polk invited people throughout the city of Charlotte for a historic gathering in front of the courthouse in 1775, before America declared its independence from England.

This gathering ended up being the catalyst for the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, the first declaration of its kind. The event, though simple, sparked a revolution in Charlotte that was felt throughout the thirteen colonies.

“This September the eyes of the world will once again be on Charlotte,” a promotional video declares. Click below to watch the video for more information.