National Day of Prayer at Mayo Baptist Church

By Ira Mikell, Free Press Reporter

May 07, 2008 02:58 pm

— Lafayette County residents and local officials gathered at the garden center of Mayo Baptist Church on Thursday, May 1, to participate in the annual National Day of Prayer luncheon at noon. Last year, the event was held at Veterans Memorial Park of Mayo.
Everyone who attended said they felt uplifted by the ceremony. They also enjoyed a barbecue lunch consisting of hamburgers and hotdogs, cooked by Carson McCall, and cookies and brownies for dessert.
Several religious leaders of the community stood up to lead the audience in prayer as well as to give a brief talk about how God does wonderful things when we seek him in prayer. Jimmy Legg, pastor of Mayo Baptist Church, who gave the opening remarks, said we are truly blessed to live in a country where we can worship and pray without the fear of being punished or arrested and put in jail.
Wayne Hudson, pastor of New Beginnings Church, led the participants in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Afterwards, Cathy Palomino sang a song about how the Lord lifts us up when we feel troubled and need his help. She also led everyone in singing “God Bless America” at the end of the ceremony.
Chuck Hodge, pastor of Alton Church of God, prayed on behalf of our national leaders in Washington, D.C.
John Wittington, pastor of Lighthouse Christian Center, prayed for our state leaders such as Gov. Charlie Christ, state Sen. Charlie Dean, and state Rep. Debbie Boyd.
Chip Parker, pastor of Airline Baptist Church, prayed for our local leaders, some of whom were in the audience: County commissioners Charles Driver and Donnie Hamlin; Judge Darren Jackson; Fred Ward, Lafayette County Schools superintendent; Lana Morgan, supervisor of elections; and Lafayette County Sheriff Carson McCall.
Taylor McGrew, former mayor of the town of Mayo, prayed for our city leaders: Mayor Danny Hewett, Town Clerk Linda Cone and City Council members Ken Hewett, Wayne Hamlin, Ann Murphy, and McGrew himself.
Adam Cochran, who recently moved from Alabama to join Mayo Baptist Church as youth pastor, prayed for the youth of our community. He asked God to help everyone in the community to be the best role model for our youth to follow and help them grow to become successful as adults.
Since 1952, communities across America have been uniting on the first day of May to observe National Day of Prayer. The event began during Harry S. Truman’s presidency. To learn more about this national event, go to www.nationaldayofprayer.org.