Standing at the front of the House of the Lord church in Akron, Bishop Joey Johnson was asked Tuesday what message he wanted to deliver to the American Christian Church.
“I think that the rhetoric coming out of Washington, D.C., is racist, misogynist, it’s a whole lot of things,” Johnson responded to Mark Ford, the executive director of the Love Akron Network. “And I’m not talking about [Donald] Trump alone; I’m talking about the people who voted for him.”
But after asserting his dissatisfaction in the current political climate, Johnson, who leads the House of the Lord, offered a glimmer of hope.
“The church didn’t respond well during slavery. The church didn’t respond well during Reconstruction. The church didn’t respond well … during the civil-rights days,” Johnson said. “But we have a new opportunity to respond as the church of Jesus Christ.”
In response to the insolence that arose during the 2016 national election, the Love Akron Network hosted Unite Our Hearts at the House of the Lord, where nearly 200 people gathered Tuesday to pray for unity between people of all walks of life despite race, political affiliation or religion.
“We are in what I call a crisis for civility,” said Ford, whose Akron organization hosts programs to pray, unite and collaborate.
Beneath 70 countries’ flags hanging on the ceiling, a sea of people raised their hands to the sky as a 50-piece choir — featuring members from the House of the Lord and The Chapel, sang out, “Oh, praise his name forever more.”
In between musical performances, community officials stepped onto the stage to pray for unity among people of different races, ideologies and political parties.
For each prayer segment, two community officials within that segment led the prayer.
The Rev. Diana Swoope from Arlington Church of God and the Rev. Tim Armstrong from The Chapel prayed for unity across religions; the Rev. Josh Deeter from Tallmadge First Church of God and the Rev. Bryndon Glass from SPAN Ministries prayed for unity across races; and Judges Donna Carr and Carla Moore, both from the 9th District Court of Appeals, prayed for unity across political platforms.
One person in each of those pairings was black, the other was white.
Some prayed for unity in general, but others showed no qualms about naming President-elect Donald Trump and the national election as the source of the country’s divisiveness.
“I was very distraught during this campaign, as so many were. As I was praying one day, God really laid on my heart that I need to stop putting my trust in the government,” said Carr, explaining she now puts all her faith in God.
After each official said his or her prayer, all members of the audience who were part of that segment were invited to stand so people could surround them and pray over them individually.
“My heart is sore,” said Tavia Baxter Galonski, a Summit County Juvenile Court magistrate who stood after the judges spoke for political unity. “We want to help heal hearts … and just speak positively, not negatively, no matter how strong the voice of the devil.”
Leaders and audience members had faith the event would spark a conversation in the community about solving local issues, which, Ford emphasized, starts with understanding one another.
“Hopefully, we can have some honest conversations about what’s going on in the community,” said Angela Robinson of Akron, a member of House of the Lord. “I’m just grateful for this opportunity. I do believe something positive will come out of this.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .