Church Group Urges Prayer as Key to Bipartisanship on Veterans Issues

1 year ago

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A group of Seventh-Day Adventists will pray for bipartisanship Wednesday on Capitol Hill, the latest call for prayer to become a bigger part of politics.

The group is appealing to President Obama and Congress to use prayer in any strategy for battling unemployment rates among homeless and disenfranchised veterans. The group believes that the power of prayer can change things, especially for those who have served their country.

"If prayer worked for gas prices," said the movement's leader, Rocky Twyman, "then it will certainly work for unemployment." Twyman, a community organizer from Rockville, Md., was referring to his group's Pray at the Pump initiative, held at gas stations across the country in April. Prices did roll back somewhat after the initial vigils.

Twyman wants to bring God into other problems facing the nation. Last week, he led a small group of veterans into the First Seventh Day Adventist Church in Washington on Veterans Day. Most of the vets, homeless and unemployed, had come for a free meal and a message of hope.

"When you come out [of the Army] you think there's going to be a safety net," said Murphy Peterson, a guest speaker for the event and a former Marine. "Our government has programs, but they are hard to find and hard to get to."

Peterson, an attorney, had to file for bankruptcy just last year. He's still looking for work.

"When my wife handed me the mortgage book on our way home from the airport, I sat frozen," Peterson said. "You're a soldier first, so you're used to taking orders, but when you come out, there are no more orders. You have to figure out what's next."

As they ate the hot meal prepared by volunteers at the church, many of the men talked about how they believed their service in the Army would at least afford them employment. Finding themselves jobless and in some cases homeless, the veterans now share a common belief in the power of prayer -- and God's ability to intercede on their behalf.

"In times like this we need an anchor," Peterson said, quoting from the hymn "In Times Like These We Need a Savior."

Roy Harris served in the British infantry several years ago. Now a U.S. citizen, he came to the U.S. from Jamaica to be with his wife, who had moved here with her parents. He found work in road paving and was injured on the job two years ago. Needing the money, and hoping that the pain would go away, Harris kept working.

"The doctor told me it could affect my spinal chord," Harris said, referencing a reluctant trip to a hospital. He filed for Social Security benefits, but while he waits, he has little savings and no income.

"You work so hard for all these years," Harris said. His stern face fought back tears. "It's hard."

Because of the bleak circumstances after his tour of duty, Harris says he relies more on his faith than ever. "I go to church and pray," he said. "I try not to step in front of God because he will take care of it."

Organizers believe there's power in a bringing the community together to share stories -- and support.

Twyman and Hardy Bennett, of the Montgomery County Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Services, said they see how prayer can be the first step in positive change for men and women who feel abandoned after returning from military service. Twyman led a similar event in Frederick, Md., later on Veterans Day as a way to spread the message that prayer can help.

"One former Marine just walked up and threw down his hat," said Twyman. "People are really angry."

Tagged: bipartisanship, dailyguidance, seventh day adventists

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