Elected Officials and Faith Leaders Gather to Pray for City of Memphis
Following a weekend of deadly violence in Memphis, faith leaders joined with elected officials in “a massive prayer summit to help the community heal.”
Action News 5 WMC reports church members from all over town gathered Sunday at Renasant Convention Center, filling the hall with songs of praise and worship.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner was in attendance as well as Memphis Councilwoman Rhonda Logan. Councilwoman Logan observed that “it’s critical to bring the city’s leadership, community, and believers together under God’s guidance to heal.”
On the list of prayers offered by all in attendance were those for “peace, protection, and prosperity for the City of Memphis.”
Pastor Henry Lavender with Living Life in Victory Church said they will need to be praying also about carjackings, street drag racing, home invasions, and other rising crime.
According to WHBQ, Lavender invited church members and elected officials from across the city.
“‘Memphis is in crying need because of what’s happening in our city: the crimes,’ he said.”
Memphis Police Department reported a high rate of weekend crime, with at least six dead and eight injured, including two minors, after an “explosion of shootings” across the city.
Councilwoman Logan expressed shock “to learn of the weekend shootings and hopes the prayer summit can inspire people to take a stand and make a difference in their community.”
“Prayer has been taken out of almost every sector of our community for years and we are seeing the fallout of that,” Memphis city councilwoman Rhonda Logan said. “It’s time that we make certain as believers to bring that back.”
“Cedric Taylor, an apostle of the Koinonia Christian Center said. ‘You can legislate a lot of things, but you can’t legislate a heart change.'”
2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV, says, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Those involved in the prayer summit acknowledged it will likely take time but believe that their prayer summit will not only move the hands of God but will also restore faith in prayer across their city.
ONE Memphis Prayer Summit was recorded and can be viewed on their Facebook Page in all of its four hours of prayer and worship.
As one Facebook viewer commented, “This is unprecedented.”
We can follow their lead and pray that what Memphis has started will become more and more common across the nation as reports of shooting deaths become less common.
