The Macon-Bibb County Council of Clergy and the Beloved Community Paired Clergy will host a Public Prayer Meeting for Reconciliation, Justice, and Healing at Government Center on Thursday, July 21, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. The Meeting is open to the general public. During the Meeting, prayers will be offered for the local and national community by members of the various faiths.

“We decided to call for a city-wide public prayer meeting in response to the recent violence and shootings happening around the country,” says Dr. John Dunaway with the Beloved Community Paired Clergy.

“There is natural synergy between the two groups,” says Dr. James Bumpus, Director of Small Business Affairs and Macon-Bibb County liaison to the Council of Clergy. “Both groups have a focus on improving race relations, creating healthy faith communities, and improving the quality of life for all citizens.”

The Beloved Community Paired Clergy is a group of interfaith clergy who are paired together by community and social interest. The group grew out of the Beloved Community Symposium, which was started by Dr. John Dunaway as a platform to promote racial healing and human wholeness in Macon-Bibb County.  Members of the Paired Clergy meet monthly over breakfast to discuss and identify ways to create the Beloved Community in our area.

The Macon-Bibb County Council of Clergy was formed shortly after consolidation and meets every month over lunch. It provides the chance for the faith-based community to hear about work in the new government, identify ways in which the faith-based community can work together and with the government, and express concerns from their communities. Through the Council, neighborhood cleanups have been coordinated, church leaders and congregations have visited others, prayer vigils have been held together, and more.

“It will take more than the consolidated government to unify and strengthen our community; we need to our faith-based community to be engaged and actively working together to improve and move forward all neighborhoods,” says Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert.

The Beloved Community Paired Clergy and the Macon-Bibb County Council of Clergy have been working together since early 2014. The groups have worked together on a number of unity events including What Color is Your Brother, interfaith worship services, An Evening of Word and Music, and special prayer services for congregations suffering from tragedy.