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As we prepare for the July 4th holiday, ERLA Board Secretary, Garland Gates, adapted the prayer for Independence Day from the 1947 E&R Book of Worship and it is included below for your enjoyment and use.

O blessed and only Ruler, who has granted unto our country freedom, and established sovereignty by the people’s will, we thank you for the great men and women you have raised up for our nation, to defend our liberty, and maintain law and order within our borders. Ever give unto the Republic wise and fearless leaders in every time of need. Enlighten and direct the multitudes whom you have ordained in power, that their counsels may be filled with knowledge and equity, and the whole commonwealth be preserved in peace, unity, strength, and honor. Take under your governance and protection your servants, the President, the Governors of States and Territories, the lawgivers and the judges, and all who are entrusted with authority; so defending them from all evil and enriching them with all needed good, that the people may prosper in freedom beneath an equal law, and our nation may magnify your name in all the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

To celebrate the July 4th holiday and to enjoy time with family and friends, we will be CLOSED on Friday, July 4, 2025. #erlibraryandarchives
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Today, we pause to celebrate Juneteenth, the day that General Order No. 3 was written in 1865 that stated, "all slaves are free." Also known as Freedom Day, this event helps to remind us of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the important role that libraries, archives, and museums play in promoting positive social justice issues.

You can learn more about Juneteenth and the "unearthing" of General Order No. 3 by clicking the links in the comments below. #Juneteenth #erlibraryandarchives #Libraries #archives #NationalArchives
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As we prepare for Memorial Day, ERLA Board Secretary, Garland Gates, adapted the Memorial Day prayer from the 1947 E&R Book of Worship and it is included below for your enjoyment and use.

A Prayer for Memorial Day

Lord God of Hosts, in whom our fathers and mothers trusted and found their faith rewarded by your gracious care, bless us today as we commemorate their valor and their sacrifice. We thank you for the brave men and women who in the time of conflict were ready to lay down their lives if need be in the cause of liberty and righteousness. We thank you for what they did and suffered on our behalf, in unflinching loyalty to this union of free states, in order that popular self-government might not perish from the earth. Unite all people of this great nation in a holy purpose to defend the principles of freedom and community for which they lived and died. Help us emulate the loyalty of these heroic men and women. And may the nation which they helped to establish on an enduring foundation be ever true to the great ideals of the founders, and gain increasing prosperity, justice, and equal rights to all people; to the honor and praise of your holy name. Amen.

To celebrate the Memorial Day holiday and to enjoy time with family and friends, we will be CLOSED on Monday, May 26, 2025. #erlibraryandarchives
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From all of us at the E&R Library & Archives, we wish all who celebrate a Happy Easter! #erlibrary
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