Greensburg ministers plan prayer vigil for Saturday
Two Greensburg ministers are hoping a Saturday prayer vigil in the city will become an ecumenical gathering in support of change after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“Prayer is the language that stretches across denominations, and we are bringing this together for not just a show of solidarity, but a show of strength in the church body,” said Bishop Carl Jones Sr. of Greater Parkview Church in Greensburg, who is organizing the vigil along with Bishop Dale Adams of LifeSpring Church.
“We wanted to fix this spiritual issue that we have,” Jones said. “We wanted to bring together all denominations to pray for not just spiritual healing, but for prison reform, for an end to police brutality, and all of the setbacks we experience.”
Both Jones and Adams pointed to the May 31 protest in Greensburg as an exemplar of the type of event they want to create.
“I was very proud of Greensburg,” Adams said. “The demonstration that we had was done right. They were able to express their angst, but not in a way that was destructive.”
Jones agreed.
“It was engaging, it was peaceful, and it was done in a very spiritually professional manner,” he said.
That is their hope for Saturday’s vigil, set for 9 a.m. to noon at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on North Main Street in Greensburg.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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