Prayer rally at SC Statehouse seen as a ‘victory’ for peace

Although Saturday at the State House was a frenzied scene of protesters from the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Panthers, Sunday was much different as members of local churches gathered peacefully on the grounds to pray for peace in South Carolina.

About 100 people attended the prayer rally at the State House, which was initially going to be held Saturday but was pushed to Sunday afternoon in order to respect Gov. Nikki Haley’s wishes for people to avoid the KKK rally. As people gathered on the opposite side of the State House from where the Confederate flag once stood, they held hands and prayed, not only for peace, but for unity and the end of racism in the state.

“This is an opportunity that God gave us to get together. To show the unity of the church and for purpose to pray against racism,” Mike Smith, the pastor of Trenholm Road United Methodist Church, said.

Smith was joined by James Walden, pastor at Riverside Community Church, and Tim Hodge, pastor at Crossroads World Outreach Center, who helped organize the rally.

“I hope people are encouraged by the sounds of victory,” Walden said.

Hodge said he believes this rally will trickle down into the rest of the state’s communities and will be an example as to how to come together through prayer.

“Our congregation is multicultural,” Hodge said. “So with what’s going on across the state we had already been praying for God to give us an opportunity to stand together and show love. I believe what we see today is a true representation of what Christianity is all about. God is doing something here and throughout South Carolina to make it an example in the nation. We are here to demonstrate unity, love, passion, a love for God and a love for people.”

Many of the rally-goers came from across the state and even internationally to participate in the rally. Jocelyn Brannon, who was born and raised in Columbia, traveled from her home in East Africa to visit her cousin and be a part of the rally.

“I live in East Africa, and I know that people call it different things, but there are spirits and energies that people have,” Brannon said. “There is no better time than to be among people with the spirit and energy of love. It certainly is a victory, because I can’t imagine that anything of God could have been here yesterday.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 7:07 AM with the headline "Prayer rally at SC Statehouse seen as a ‘victory’ for peace."