Contact: Becky Armstrong, National Day of Prayer, 719-268-4813

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- The National Day of Prayer Task Force has launched the Freedom Challenge to rekindle patriotism and passion for our Christian heritage. The goal is to effectively engage and equip students and young adults in the pursuit of God, challenging them to be active in community transformation.

To kick off this powerful ministry movement, the National Day of Prayer Task Force and Tangle.com, the worlds' largest online Christian social network, have joined forces to create the Freedom Video Contest. Millions around the country are being challenged to submit videos that emphasize their freedom to Praise, Proclaim and Pray. A panel of judges, including Michael W. Smith, Shirley Dobson, Beth Moore, Ryan Dobson and Hollywood Producer Karen Covell, will select the winning video on April 24.

"The National Day of Prayer serves as a powerful reminder of prayer in our daily lives, not just one day, but every single day of the year. They are sponsoring the Freedom Video Contest to give Americans the opportunity to express what Freedom means to the," said Michael W. Smith, Grammy Award-Winning Recording Artist.

The winning video is scheduled to air on GOD TV, which is available in over 200 million homes worldwide. In addition, the winner will receive a travel package for two people to join Dr. James and Shirley Dobson and the NDP Honorary Chairman, Beth Moore, in Washington D.C. for the NDP national observance.

The Freedom campaign was designed to address the growing problem of spiritually-active teenagers disengaging from participation in the Christian faith during their young adult years. According the Barna research group, 6 of 10 twenty-somethings involved in church as teenagers have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood. The National Day of Prayer Task Force believes this is a growing concern because many teens have been raised in a culture unaware or unappreciative of the sacrifices made by men and woman of faith throughout our nation's history, enabling Christian Americans to enjoy the many freedoms we have today.

"When there are hardships and sacrifice for something you believe, you live a life that is unwavering in those convictions, said John Bornschein, NDPTF Senior Director. The current state of popular culture in America demonstrates the need for an initiative that challenges young people to lead disciplined lives built on a foundation of prayer."

To learn more and get involved with the Freedom Challenge, visit www.NationalDayofPrayer.org.