Saturday, August 22, 2009
The event Sept. 10-12 at the Covelli Centre is an interfaith gathering.
Raymond Butler deals in governmental policies and voter rosters as recording secretary at Mahoning County Board of Elections, where he also handles public relations.
As a man of faith and the man with the idea for Pray 3 Days, he believes “God put people in place” as plans for the prayer vigil take shape.
Where the concept started and how it blossomed is a long and winding road … just ask Butler. He’ll tell you it started after the historic election of President Barack Obama and a portrait done by artist Bill Dotson, a self-taught black artist born in Youngstown who works in a ball-point pen style he developed. Butler said he suggested a fundraiser for churches to Dotson, a friend. The churches could sell prints of the Obama portrait. “We sold a lot of posters,” Butler admitted.
But along the way, Butler met and interacted with many pastors and people of faith. He learned about various prayer efforts, outreach and services in the spiritual community that had less to do with selling the prints and more about “being recession-proof through prayer.”
The idea of a stimulus party began to evolve but that had more to do with “having a purpose and coming together in the community,” Butler said.
When Butler met with Bishop Chorrethers Jenkins about his idea, Bishop Jenkins told him, “God got in the middle of your project.” And so the Pray 3 Days effort came to be.
Butler knew he couldn’t manage the project alone, so he enlisted help from members of the prayer community and others he knew were community-minded.
Coordinating the project with Butler are Pastor Tarone Claybrook of HeartReach Ministries; Linda Daniels of the City Prayer Team of Youngstown; Bishop Jenkins of Grace Evangelistic Temple; and Jeffrey M. Magada, executive director of Flying High Inc. “As time went on, God started putting people in my way to help direct and mold this need in the community,” Butler said of those he has on the prayer team.
“The Valley needs a spiritual healing,” Butler said. And his fellow coordinators agreed. “This is a great opportunity for the community,” he said, noting that most of the publicity so far has been generated by word-of-mouth.
Around the same time, Bishop Jenkins said he had attended a meeting with a group of pastors, who acknowledged the economic problems but realized that a “spiritual battle” was taking place in the community.
Bishop Jenkins cited the Scripture from 2 Chronicles 7:14, “ If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
He said that is the “epitome of the problem.” Bishop Jenkins said the clergy has realized there is a spiritual sickness of sorts in the community that has not been reached from the pulpit. “I think God is using a servant like Ray to bring us together … to do what is necessary,” he said.
Magada said he knew Butler through service on boards of community organizations. His non-profit organization, Flying High, is serving as the fiscal agent for the prayer vigil.
He agreed with Bishop Jenkins’ assessment. “We have poverty, foreclosures, crime and low income here,” he said. But at the same time, many community organizations, churches and governmental agencies have made positive strides in many areas. “But the statistics don’t seem to change,” he said. Magada said there has to be a “spiritual solution” that will “create a change in the atmosphere.”
Pastor Claybrook, who directs the Christian youth center of HeartReach, also cited the spiritual problem. “There has to be change in people’s hearts before they can change how they engage in life,” he said. “We’re all different, but we’re all part of God’s body.” He urged people to get off the sidelines. “Stand up and make a difference.”
Butler pointed out that after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, people did seek spiritual comfort. But, over time, that seems to have dissipated. “The crisis drew people together and they forgot their petty issues,” Butler said. “We need a oneness in spiritual change that will impact our practical problems.”
Butler said he selected the date for the prayer vigil not so much because it tied to 9/11 but because study of weather patterns indicated that weekend is often nice. And since part of the vigil would be outdoors in tents, he hoped for good weather. But Butler said he also hoped people could recapture the spiritual feeling they felt during that emotional time.
Daniels, who has led various interfaith prayer programs in the Valley, said she was impressed by Butler’s “vision” and the role he is playing in the prayer community.
“In Ray’s vision, everyone has a part to play,” Daniels said, noting that prayer vigil must be interfaith in nature to succeed.
Butler said people of all faiths are welcome as “prayer partners” to the event. “It’s a faith thing … what you bring with you,” Magada said.
“The fight to do good isn’t easy … it will take a spiritual attitude to change expectations,” he said.
“It’s Youngstown’s and the Mahoning Valley’s chance to re-invent itself through prayer,” Butler said.
Pray 3 Days is a 72-hour vigil that invites the community to pray for the spiritual, economic and social restoration of the Mahoning Valley. “Praying and Celebrating with a Powerful Purpose” is the theme.
Coordinators: Ramond Butler, a member of Price Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church; Pastor Tarone Claybrook of Heartreach Ministries; Linda Daniels of the City Prayer Team of Youngstown; Bishop Chorrethers Jenkins of Grace Evangelistic Temple; and Jeffrey M. Magada, executive director of Flying High Inc.
DATES
Sept. 10-12 at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown. There will be two tents set up on the grounds of the Covelli Centre - one devoted to praying and the other for celebrating. Speakers will address the audience inside the center. Some 20 social service agencies will set up informational displays in the arena. Some speakers and participants are being finalized. This is the schedule thus far.
Thursday, Sept. 10: 7 a.m., welcome and breakfast; 9 a.m., tent vigil opens and arena events begin with opening ceremonies featuring the Rev. Dr. Morris W. Lee of Third Baptist Church in Youngstown, the Rev. Dr. Robert Christian who is an elder of Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina and the Mahoning-Trumbull community mass choir; 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., lunch; 1 to 2:45, breakout sessions on business, banking and proposal writing; 3 to 6:45, speakers in the arena including the Rev. Michael Pangino of Abundant Harvest Church in Youngstown at 3 and the Rev. JoAnn Pangino at 6; 6:45 to 8, supper break; and 8 to 11, arena speaker and praise team.
Friday, Sept. 11: 8 to 11:45 a.m., the Rev. Gary Frost of Evergreen Baptist Church in New York and former pastor of Rising Star Baptist Church in Youngstown, and special 9/11 program with community mass choir; 11:45 to 1 p.m., lunch; 1 to 2:45, break-out sessions on stocks, bonds and organization building; 3 to 6:45, speakers and praise teams including the Rev. Dave Watson of Crossroads Church in Youngstown at 3; 6:45 to 7:30, supper; 8 to 11, the Rev. Roderick Hennings of Zion Dominion Church in Buffalo, N.Y., and musician J. Moss.
Saturday, Sept. 12: 8 to 11:45 a.m., youth ministries and youth choirs; 11:45 to 1 p.m., lunch; 1 to 2:45 p.m., youth sessions with speakers and youth choirs; 3 to 7:30, speakers and youth choirs.
Sunday, Sept. 13: 7 to 9 a.m., tent sunrise service with the Rev. Rosalynne Mitchell-Martin of Price AME Church and community mass choir and tent vigil closing.
Participation: Congregations are asked to select an hour for each of the three days to pray in the tent and have about 25 congregants involved. Prayer directives will be provided.
Donations: Pray 3 Days is operating under the fiduciary agency of Flying High Inc., a 501(c) (3) organization. Donations are tax deductible. Send donations to Flying High, P.O. Box 4971, Youngstown, Ohio 44515. Local businessman Clarence Smith is underwriting the cost of renting the center.
Contact information: LaVerne Brown, (330) 782-5760 or (330) 550-9076; Linda Daniels, (330) 799-1713; or Jessica Rechak, (330) 793-9822.
Source: www.Pray3Days.org