Prayer meetings to support Rally

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Women are invited to join Sonja Williams, wife of Youngstown mayor Jay Williams, at a prayer meeting Friday at 6 p.m. at Covelli Centre in support of the Men’s Rally in the Valley conference.

No reservations are needed.

Williams will provide the opening address for the prayer gathering, which will conclude 30 straight nights of prayer at Youngstown- area locations for the Men’s Rally.

The event will also include prayer from an airplane that will circle over Covelli Centre for an hour during the gathering.

“Prayer is not what the church does to prepare for its work,” said Rev. Bob Offerdahl, of Coitsville Presbyterian Church and the lead organizer of the 30 nights of prayer. “Prayer is the work of the church.”

The Men’s Rally in the Valley is a Promise Keepers-style conference scheduled for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 8.

The event will feature Dave Dravecky, Rev. Gary Frost and five other speakers, as well as music and drama artists. Mayor Williams will provide that event’s opening remarks.

The conference is designed to challenge local Christian men to “walk the walk” of their faith, reaching beyond mere church attendance to model Christ-like qualities consistently and without compromise.

In addition to Mrs. Williams, most of the Men’s Rally conference speakers will be in attendance Friday.

While local women pray inside the arena, a Cessna 172 aircraft will fly in a circle over Covelli Centre and Trinity United Methodist Church, site of a men’s prayer meeting.

Vera Kinsey of Leetonia and Jim Freeman of Columbiana will be praying from the rented plane, which will be flown by an instructor based at the Salem Airport. Members of Men of Faith, the group organizing the Men’s Rally, raised the money for the plane rental.

A men’s prayer meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Trinity United Methodist, 30 W. Front St., will conclude with a prayer walk to Covelli Centre.

For more information, go to www.mensrally.org.