Thousands gather in D.C. to pray for national healing

WASHINGTON — Jasper Williams and Nate Schneider danced side-by-side Saturday afternoon as Christian rock music boomed through speakers set up on the National Mall.

Minutes earlier, the two didn’t even know each other, but Schneider nonetheless approached Williams to ask if he could pray with him at Together 2016, a gathering of thousands of Christians on the mall for a day of music, speeches and prayer.

“It was a connection from Jesus,” Williams said.

Williams, 24, of Woodbridge, Va., said the event was an opportunity for people to come together as one, something he added was especially important given the number of recent violent episodes across the country and globe.

That was a common theme throughout the day, with many calling the gathering a chance for healing. Speakers made references to police killings of black men in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minn., to a sniper attack during a peaceful demonstration in Dallas that left five police officers dead, and to a truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice, France.

Whitney Dutton, 28, flew to Washington from New Mexico.

“For me, I just feel like so many people are not gracious with each other and not encouraging,” Dutton said. “And this is just an encouraging event to tell people about what we love, what we believe and that we want to help people.”

The event was held in blistering heat — it had to be called off early at 4 p.m. because of the weather — and some at the rally suffered from heat exhaustion.

But most didn’t let the temperatures stop them from celebrating. They huddled in prayer circles and flocked to several prayer tents set up on the mall, sang along with the music and cheered as celebrity speakers preached.

Ryan Swindell, 25, of Ocean City, Md., said it wasn’t until Friday night that he finally secured a ride to D.C. for the event.

He said that, in light of the recent terrorist attacks, it’s important that people draw closer with events like Together 2016.

“This stuff, it hurts everybody,” he added. “You don’t want to wake up in the morning and read that stuff. It hurts your whole day. So you’ve got to seek Jesus, and pray to him.”

Swindell planned to stay until the end of the day’s events before getting back in the car for the four hour drive home to Ocean City, where he’ll go into work Sunday for his job as a missionary.

Andrea Melorango, 27, flew in from Denver for the event.

“This prayer day, it’s just so significant and our nation needs it so much right now,” she said. “I just felt like I had to come.”