Odessa needs prayer and three elected officials have organized a “5 Prayers for Our City” event to coincide with the May 5 National Day of Prayer.
With special attention to young people, Mayor Javier Joven and city council members Denise Swanner and Mark Matta are combining to help address human trafficking, drug addiction, public education, abuse and neglect and mental health and suicide.
There will be a speaker on each topic and then a minister or a professional will lead a prayer from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, in Ballroom D at the MCM Grande Hotel & FunDome at 6201 Business I-20.
A poster is being circulated that quotes Proverbs 11:11, saying, “Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.”
Matta, the city’s District 1 councilman, said teenagers’ quandaries are often minimized by adults, but they should be taken seriously “because their world is pretty small and it revolves around themselves.
“Some of our youth have a hard time because adults tend to play their problems down as minor and little,” Matta said. “We may see them as small problems, but they see them as big. These are some of the hot topics, not just in our city but also in our schools.”
The event is not being sponsored by the City of Odessa.
The speakers will be as follows:
- Human trafficking, ECISD Trustee Chris Stanley and the Rev. Tina Gillihan, founder of the Basin Dream Center for Orphans in Midland.
- Drug addiction, Springboard Center Development and Marketing Director Paul Colwell of Midland and the Rev. Ty Coke, pastor of The Rock Church.
- Public education, District 15 State Board of Education Republican nominee Aaron Kinsey and Travis Elementary School Principal Amy Russell.
- Abuse and neglect, Harmony Home Children’s Advocacy Center Executive Director Carrie Bronaugh and the Rev. Shaye Lane, associate pastor of Hope Christian Fellowship.
- Mental health and suicide, Licensed Professional Counselor Bryn Dodd and a minister to be named.
The event is being sponsored by the Investment Corp. of American, Paul Evans Carpet & Flooring and Odessa Headlines, News That Matters. Registration is at tinyurl.com/mveu4jsp.
