“Prayer is a force as real as territorial gravity,” said Dr. Alexis Carrel. “As a physician, I have seen men, after all therapy had failed, lifted out of disease and melancholy by the serene effort of prayer.”
Earlier this month, Carrel, whose training is rooted in the knowledge of science, referenced his personal testimony chronicling inexplicable healings that occurred due to a force greater than science alone.
With the idea that there’s power in numbers, people from all walks of life gathered at Long Beach City Hall on Thursday, May 2, for the city’s annual National Day of Prayer Service.
Faith leaders from throughout the area led the crowd of dozens of people in unified, spoken prayers for various local sectors and industries, including military and family.
“I think there was a great turnout today,” said Long Beach Mayor George Bass. “I think it’s very important that we show unity, not just to those who showed up to be with us, but also for our citizens – a lot of them work and could not afford to come here and be part of this service. It would be great if it could have been held on a Saturday, but the National Day of Prayer took place today, on a Thursday. God allowed that to happen, and we are honoring that, but also praying for our citizens who were not able to attend, as well.”
Reverend Jon Kaufman with First United Methodist Church of Long Beach led the prayer for those who work in education, including his daughter, an educator in north Mississippi.
“Educators have to be called to be in this vocation to serve, because it is so important in the lives of our communities and children,” Kaufman said, before opening the public prayer for educators and the education system.
Brother Mike Stewart with Antioch Baptist Church headed up the prayer for government.
“We pray not only for our government, but we also pray for our policemen. You know the dangers they and our first responders face,” Stewart said. “We pray for our firemen as they seek to protect our property and people. We pray for all those who serve us in government.”
Numerous local police officers and firefighters participated in the prayer service, including Long Beach Fire Chief Griff Skellie and Long Beach Police Chief Billy Seal.
Long Beach Mayor George Bass knows all too well the dangers that first responders face on a daily basis, having prior served as Long Beach’s Fire Chief.
“We always want to protect our first responders, whether it’s fire, police or rescue responders,” Bass said. “There are always situations they could be in that are not conclusive to a safe environment for them, so we always lift them up. Of course, we need prayer for our government, too. I pray God leads us every time we have a meeting, that God would lead us in the decisions we make and keep us informed, so that we properly represent the citizens who elected us, and we’re trying to fulfill the reason why they elected us. We can’t meet everyone’s wants and demands. It’s just not possible to do, but we ask God to guide us in all our decisions.”
This year’s theme – “Lift Up the Word, Light up the World”- is based on the Biblical scripture found in 2 Samuel 22:29-:31.
The Long Beach High School Choir lifted their voices in song during a special, live performance before the public group prayers began at the service.
Pastor Ben Barlow with The Well Church in Long Beach said the prayer for family. Rev. Matthew Gaddy with First Baptist Church of Long Beach led the prayer for churches. The prayer for military was conducted by Deacon Jerry Dubuisson with St. Thomas Catholic Church in Long Beach. Pastor Brian Roussel with Connect Fellowship led the prayer for businesses.
Ward 2 Long Beach Alderman Bernie Parker said the closing prayer at the service.
