With the violence caused by the protests in Charlottesville this previous weekend, it has caused many in the community here in Plymouth to not only question the state of the nation, but to question the state of the local community. Pastor Nick Stanton and others in the area will be joining together for an event called Plymouth United in Prayer, on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 4:30 p.m. at River Park Square.
“The event is mainly to gather together interdenominational non-Christians and Christians to remind each other of the hope and love of Jesus,” said Stanton.
The focus of the event will be to pray for the issues that are effecting both the Plymouth community and the nation. Some of the issues that will receive prayer, according to Stanton, will include drugs, poverty, homelessness, and focusing on racial reconciliation.
“Pray for the community. For the brokenness of the community and the reminder that the brokenness that we see in our country and wanting to unite for the things that we’re for and reconciliation in the hope we find in Christ and for unity,” Stanton said. “If we don’t start here at home, we need to start by praying for our brokenness and for our shortcomings and hope to inspire others and bring hope to others.”
Members of the community that will be praying include Mayor Mark Senter, Pastor Nick Stanton from Plymouth Community Church, Pastor Tom Anders from Plymouth Church of the Brethren, Bryan Saint-Louis from The Crossing, and Angie Rupchock-Schafer from the Marshall County Community Foundation. Stanton will be performing music between speakers. Members from the community are welcome to speak. If interested, contact Angie Rupchock-Schafer at 574-936-3366 or email at arschafer@marshallcountycf.org.
Plymouth United in Prayer started as a spontaneous yet planned event by Stanton and others in the community. Stanton stated that this was not a protest, simply a gathering of people to pray together as a community in response to the negative events happening recently.
“We’ve been dormant for too long in response of the hatred we see in our country,” said Stanton. He went on to say that the event Sunday is “a call to our community to gather together. If you’ve been feeling this angst this is what to do. We should always start with prayer and allow God to do what only God can do.”
A video was released Thursday, Aug. 16 on Plymouth Community Church’s Facebook page that details the event and can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/plymouthcommunitychurch/.
Provided by By James Master
Staff Writer for the Pilot News
