WHEREAS, the United States Congress and 48 States including the New Jersey State Legislature, have passed the "Prayer Day Act"; and

               WHEREAS, New Jersey Assembly Bill 1405 permanently designated the first Thursday in May each year as "A Day of Prayer in New Jersey"; and

               WHEREAS, in 1988, Federal legislation setting aside the first Thursday of May in each year as a National Day of Prayer was passed unanimously by both Houses of Congress and signed by President Reagan; and

               WHEREAS, Civic prayers and National days of prayers have a long and venerable history in our Constitutional Republic, dating back to the First Continental Congress in 1775; and

               WHEREAS, the framers of our Constitution recognized God as our Founding Father; and whereby "inalienable rights" were endowed upon us by the Creator not created by any government of man as stated by our First President, George Washington, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

               WHEREAS, to this day, we continue to pledge our allegiance as one Nation under God; to pay our debts with coin and dollar which attests, "In God We Trust"; to sing "God Bless America" and "God Shed His Grace on Thee" and our National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, in the fourth stanza reads, Aand this be our motto: "n God is our Trust"; and

               WHEREAS, the Supreme Court has affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayers and the Supreme Court and the U.S. Congress themselves begin each day with prayer; and

               WHEREAS, the National Day of Prayer is an opportunity for the people of our nation to respect one another and be bound together beyond racial or religious barriers, asking for God's unity to restore the people; and

               WHEREAS, we need to be mindful that the phrase, "Separation of Church and State," is not written in our Constitution, nor in our Bill of Rights, but rather the First Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The intent was to prohibit Congress from establishing a National religion, such as the National Church of England, while assuring the freedom of religious people to be in our Government;

               NOW THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED, the Mayor and Township Committee of the Township of Plumsted, County of Ocean, State of New Jersey hereby designates May 4, 2012 as "A Day of Prayer in Plumsted Township" and urges the citizens of Plumsted Township to observe this day in ways appropriate to its importance and significance.