An effort to increase racial and denominational unity is the purpose of a gathering in Vicksburg Saturday.

If you go

Day of Dialogue, a nondenominational Christian gathering, will be Saturday from 8:30 to 12:30 in the library at Vicksburg Junior High School, 1533 Baldwin Ferry Road.

Sponsored by Mission Mississippi and endorsed by churches across Vicksburg, the gathering will feature speakers and prayer, said the Rev. Chan Osborne de Anaya, rector of Christ Episcopal Church on Main Street.

“This meeting is for all Christians who share a passion for building bridges of unity, and forging ideas that promote reconciliation in our churches and our community,” Anaya said.

The event will be held in the Vickburg Junior High School library from 8:30 to 12:30.

Mission Mississippi’s purpose is to “encourage and demonstrate unity in the Body of Christ across racial and denominational lines so that communities throughout Mississippi can better understand the gospel message,” according to its Web site.

A first Day of Dialogue was held last year, Anaya said, and in previous years other ecumenical celebrations and worship services have been held in the city.