In the U.S., Local Churches Fight National Divisiveness With Prayer

Faith leaders from various churches and denominations in the two largest cities of Tennessee, United States, came together to promote unity and instill hope.

Both events, which were a week apart in July 2019, occurred amid escalating racial tension and violence across the nation.

“With where we are as a country, it is imperative that we come together as clergy, as different denominations,” said Gregory Fontus, a member of Riverside Church’s pastoral staff, and one of the main organizers of the InterfaithDay of Prayer thathis church hosted in Nashville, Tennessee.

Along with Seventh-day Adventists, other participating denominations were Baptist, Church of God in Christ, Lutheran, and United Methodists. The worship service was followed by prayer seminars, a churchwide fellowship meal, and outreach activities in the community.

Dawn Bennett, past vicar, Memorial Lutheran Church, said the Day of Prayer was spiritually enriching and needed to perpetuate a mindset of unity.

“It was wonderful to be invited as a white woman to provide and offer prayer,” said Bennet, referencing the predominantly black Riverside congregation. “I think it sends a public message that as believers in Christ, that we can come together as one body, and we can worship together, and we can find those mutual offerings of the Good News through the gospel.”

Fontus agreed. “It wasn’t about them or us; we were all together celebrating Christ,” he said. “I think that was so powerful and impactful.”

A week earlier, Longview Heights Church in Memphis, Tennessee, hosted a Preach Out. Several pastors, accompanied by their choirs, took turns preaching from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., for what turned out to be a day of high unified praise.

In addition to receiving inspiring messages, Preach Outorganizers said the event was an opportunity for members of the community to meet faith leaders they can connect with when problems arise, whether they be personal or communal.

“There are going to be some problems,” said Alex Horton, Longview Heights pastor. “But where do you go when you want to talk about them? I hope our church can be one of those areas.”

Joe I. Grider, ministerial director of the South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and one of the Preach Out organizers, said there can never be too many programs that bring different churches and denominations together. Grider extolled messages of hope and unity.

“With what’s going on locally and across the country, those messages are needed more than ever,” he said.

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Tidings news site.