By Katie Ginn
Prayer groups form at Unite Mississippi’s January 15 luncheon at the Mississippi Ag Museum in Jackson.
Christian, if you need a sign to tell you to pray, consider this it. On Thursday, January 15, Jackson Mayor John Horhn held a citywide prayer night at Thalia Mara Hall downtown, with local faith leaders praying for the city’s welfare, as well as for healing after the recent arson at Temple Beth Israel.
Just hours earlier, another group gathered in Jackson to pray – though some of them didn’t know what they were getting into, including myself.
Unite Mississippi, an organization aimed at uniting the body of Christ and transforming Mississippi one community at a time, met for its monthly luncheon at the Mississippi Ag Museum on Thursday. But this lunch took a different format than normal. Crossgates Pastor Kyle Reno, one of the speakers for the day, said he didn’t just want to talk about prayer. “God isn’t impressed with my preaching,” he said. “But He loves to hear from His kids.”
Reno asked attendees – who numbered approximately 150 – to cluster in groups of four to five. From there, he led the groups in prayer according to 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “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.”
The prayer groups took a few minutes to pray through each part of the scripture, first humbling themselves before God, then seeking His face, and repenting of sin, both as individuals and on behalf of their families, cities, and communities. Partway through the prayer time, Reno asked people to switch prayer groups so they could pray with others.
I was part of two different prayer groups. As an introvert with a quiet voice, I never felt “pressured” to amp up my prayers and make them more dramatic or exciting – but I felt energized and encouraged by the people around me, and I prayed more boldly than my norm. (Why would we not, when we’re asking the One who can do anything? The worst He can do is say, “No, I have something better in mind.”)
The auditorium filled with the voices of believers crying out to God – in praise, in humility, in repentance, and yes, in bold requests for our city, our state, and beyond. “If anyone tries to tell you prayer is boring, tell them they’re wrong,” Reno said. Honestly, this prayer session was a thousand times more fun than anything you could do at your average Rotary Club meeting – and I’m certain it was more productive.
Later that evening, pastors, faith leaders, and several hundred everyday folks met at Thalia Mara to pray over our capital city. I was unable to attend this gathering, but my friend Tonja Murphy went and participated:
“It was refreshing to see friends in faith come together in prayer for our city. As we huddled in small groups, no one asked where you worshiped, what religion you practiced, or what you believed. We simply prayed. My prayer is that we carry that same energy from Thalia Mara Hall to every street, every building, and every corner, working toward seeing those prayers realized.”
Pastor CJ Rhodes of Mt. Helm Baptist Church offered a prayer from the stage for Jackson’s Beth Israel Congregation, still reeling after an arsonist destroyed most of the library and synagogue the weekend before. The fire was just one of several recent antisemitic attacks throughout the world, including a December 14 mass shooting at a Hanukkah event at Australia’s Bondi Beach.