Times Leader Staff Writer
BETHESDA Area residents turned out in groups large and small to mark the National Day of Prayer on Thursday with a message of unity, community and asking God for strength to bear up during difficult times.
At St. Clairsville, about 40 people gathered under a tent on the plaza in front of the Belmont County Courthouse.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic meant the in-person gathering could not occur, and the faithful viewed a livestreamed event. Organizers said attendees were excited Thursday.
The Rev. Leonard Payne, chaplain of the Family Life Ministry Center Assemblies of God in Bridgeport, was the speaker. He spoke about the importance of hearing God’s call and witnessing love, forgiveness and mercy rather than worldly matters.
Times Leader Staff Writer
BETHESDA Area residents turned out in groups large and small to mark the National Day of Prayer on Thursday with a message of unity, community and asking God for strength to bear up during difficult times.
At St. Clairsville, about 40 people gathered under a tent on the plaza in front of the Belmont County Courthouse.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic meant the in-person gathering could not occur, and the faithful viewed a livestreamed event. Organizers said attendees were excited Thursday.
The Rev. Leonard Payne, chaplain of the Family Life Ministry Center Assemblies of God in Bridgeport, was the speaker. He spoke about the importance of hearing God’s call and witnessing love, forgiveness and mercy rather than worldly matters.
In Loving Memory of Iris Marie Laurent Stanford
On Saturday, January 23, the children of Iris Marie Laurent Stanford held a drive-by outdoor, memorial at the LA Sentinel. Family, friends, colleagues, and over 40 people on zoom gathered outside the Sentinel, where Iris she worked in the Classified section department for 27 years. The memorial was opened with a prayer by pastor and cousin, Kasey Whitney. The spirit-filled event filled with a purple theme, included speeches from her children, Kyara, Tanya, and Wellington, Jr., who spoke about their experiences and lessons bestowed upon them by their mother. Also, the other spoke gave testimonies on their experiences with iris. As the event summed up the memorial, the assembly of attendees released 66 purple balloons in Iris’s honor, on Crenshaw Blvd., as the DJ played Gladys Night’s “I Hope You Dance.”