Mayor, residents gather to pray for community

If everyone followed the Golden Rule and loved their neighbors, imagine what the world would be like, the leader of a Christian-based group asked a group of community leaders.

Winning over people’s hearts is more important than winning arguments, but it also is important for Christians to be able to give a clear explanation of their faith, said Philip DelRe, who is the executive director for at the Institute for Christian Apologetics.

“The most loving thing for a neighbor to do is to evangelize,” he said.

DelRe was the keynote speaker at the 28th annual Greenwood Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast hosted by the Christian Business Men’s Connection.

Residents, community leaders and pastors gathered at The Nest Event Center in Greenwood on Saturday morning to pray for the community’s leaders and the future of the city and the nation. They prayed that police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers would be protected while carrying out their dangerous duties, and that elected officials would be given wisdom in making their decisions.

Members of the community have been praying for Greenwood for years and the city has been blessed, said Mayor Mark Myers at an annual prayer gathering this weekend.

The community has been praying for the success and growth of the city, and Greenwood is growing by more than 1,000 residents every year, he said.

“We have been praying for God’s blessing, and he has responded,” Myers said.