BENNETTSVILLE — At the special request of Bennettsville Mayor Tyron Abraham, city officials, elected leaders, and community members came together to pray Thursday night in honor of the nation’s National Day of Prayer, May 7. The nation has come together in prayer on this day in May since 1952 to plead for intercession on behalf of America.
The community prayer service garnered an impressive turnout in spite of the soggy afternoon causing a change of venue from city hall to the Bennettsville Community Center for the event.
This year’s National Day of Prayer theme is to “Glorify God among the nations. Seeking Him in all generations.” The initiative cites 1 Chronicles 16:24, “Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples,” as its defining verse.
Taking the initiative to heart, Mayor Abraham’s community prayer service featured a round table of different prayer stations, with representatives from each major branch in community service: Military and First Responders, Business sector, Education, Church, Government and City Leaders, and Media, present for the community to join with in prayer.
“Community prayer is important because it brings people together in faith, unity, and purpose. It reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles, hopes, or blessings,” the mayor said, when asked why holding this special community prayer event was so important to him personally.
The mayor said he felt the event could not have been possible without the support he received from local pastors, such as Pastor Jacob Orr, Pastor of the 2nd Baptist Church.
“I want to thank—our Bennettsville city staff, citizens, event participants, pastors, and all who attended, and a special thank you to Mrs. Amanda Cudd for donating the beautiful prayer cards,” said Abraham.
Attendees and representatives were asked to use each table’s customized prayer card to continue praying for each represented branch even after the conclusion of the city’s National Day of Prayer service. Residents prayed over and with representatives, sharing many of their fears and concerns about the future of Bennettsville.
Mayor Abraham said he heard a lot of residents talking about finding cohesion as a community. He said, “Citizens were very thankful to have this event, knowing that prayer brings unity and hope for the present and the future. My dream as mayor is that prayer will bring unity, growth and peace for our city.”
Clio Mayor Adam Pate said he traveled all the way to the City on the Move to be a part of his Bennettsville counterpart’s prayer service because he says he strongly believes in the lasting and continuous effects of prayer.
“I truly believe in the power of prayer. I believe that God should be first and foremost in everything – of course, personally, but also to even include your town or city. If we want to truly revitalize and bring our communities back, we have to put God at the center of everything.”
The best way Mayor Pate said he felt this can be accomplished is by, “First giving Him thanks & praise, but also, laying our needs and requests at His altar. We must always pray for our schools and children, our families, our first responders, our elected officials, and towns/cities! The Lord is faithful! If we believe and trust God’s plan, he’ll take care of the rest. I truly enjoyed joining the City of Bennettsville in Prayer. The Town of Clio also hosts “Prayer on Main” events. We need more of it! We are very blessed to have a community that values prayer.”
Marlboro County Sheriff Larry McNeil shared his appreciation as a Christian for the mayor’s initiative.
“Much of the feedback I heard centered around protection and security. Our residents want to feel safe and they want to see more unity. I don’t think we can come together without coming together spiritually first, at least that is my view as a Christian. I do want to thank the mayor and everyone responsible for putting this event together. We need more of these types of events and I hope to see more people coming out for them,” McNeil said. He added, “I really want to thank the pastors and ministers who gave of their time to make this event possible.”
Representing local military service, Reverend Frank Faulkner said many of the concerns he heard from residents involved protection for the nation’s military as well as locally for the county’s first responders.
Bennettsville Councilman Cy’Heim McRae said he felt blessed to be in attendance Thursday.
“I think this is a great event and opportunity for our community to come together and put aside differences. I hope to see more people turn out next year,” McRae said.
Representing education, LaKeia Brewington and Tanaysha Bright prayed with many attendees.
LaKeia said issues she heard voiced during prayer largely related to ongoing leadership and financial struggles within the Marlboro County school district.
Agreeing, Tanaysha said many of the prayers they participated in were for teachers, staff, and administration.
Leading the event from a spiritual standpoint, Pastor Orr explained the reason for including stations maned by different representatives in the community was a nod to the importance of inclusion.
Orr said, “We wanted to include as many aspects of our community in this event as possible, because we are indeed one community. Most of the time, individuals, even individuals who care about our community, generally focus their time and energy on one of these areas, so we wanted to give our community an opportunity to all come together for the purposes of uniting our city in prayer.”