Anesa Ellis, right, and Roberta W. Stamps were among 35 people who attended the National Day of Prayer service Thursday on the lawn at the Old Court House Museum. Pastor Phillip Burks of Belmont M.B. Church in Utica delivered a message based on the Day of Prayer’s theme, Prayer: America’s Hope. “Its important for people to pray every day,” said Minister Willie Earl Lewis, assistant pastor of Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Utica, “because it’s our connection with God and that builds hope.” The museum was one of 10 sites for public prayer. (Suzanne Feliciano*The Vicksburg Post)