Thursday, dozens of community members from various religious backgrounds gathered inside The Link at First Baptist Church of Picayune for the third annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, in observance of The National Day of Prayer.
Members of Picayune Memorial High School’s NJROTC unit presented the colors and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance during the event.
Choir members from Pearl River Community College sang the National Anthem and other patriotic songs throughout the event.
Highland Community Hospital Administrator Mark Stockstill opened with a scripture reading.
First United Methodist Church of Picayune pastor Rev. Harold Manning recited Thomas Jefferson’s “Prayer for the Nation.”
Poplarville Mayor Brad Necaise read a prayer first spoken by George Washington.
“I believe that with the power of Picayune, the power of Poplarville and the power of Pearl River County, we can introduce a God who gave us a son who saved us for eternity,” Necaise said. “If we just believe that he died for us and rose again.”
Pearl River Community College President William Lewis recited John Quincy Adams’ Independence Day Speech, which Adams gave on July 4, 1837.
“A moral ruler of the universe, the governor and controller of all human power, is the only unlimited sovereign acknowledged by the Declaration of Independence; and it claims for the United States of America, when assuming their equal station among the nations of the Earth, only the power to do all that may be done of right,” Lewis read.
Keith Warden, pastor of First Baptist Church of Picayune, prayed with the assembly.
Picayune Mayor Ed Pinero delivered the mayor’s address and recognized the growth of the event over the years.
“Every table is full,” he said. “It’s county-wide, not just one city or school. Even in 1952, Congress recognized that we might have to dedicate a day to prayer. But if you look around and follow the leadership of our school systems, prayer hasn’t gone away. We pray, recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day at some point. We need to thank these leaders for standing up, as we see people nationwide fight for this right that we have. Nobody is challenging us in Pearl River County and no one will because we’re not going to bow down.”
Resurrection Life Church Pastor Rev. Allen Hickman made closing remarks and encouraged attendees to form groups of three to pray with one another.
According to the National Day of Prayer Task Force website, the National Day of Prayer was declared in 1952 to unite people from all religions with prayer.