On January 8, about 30 of us from the Lynchburg/Bedford area started the New Year right by riding to Richmond on a comfortable bus to attend the Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast and Stand for Life Rally. This annual event takes place on the opening day of the General Assembly session. Even though it was a cold day, and we boarded the bus in the wee hours of the morning, we all felt blessed to have this opportunity to pray and be spiritually encouraged.
Our hearts were especially warmed by the amazing testimonies of two men at the Prayer Breakfast. I will never forget watching George Dennehy play the guitar with his feet, while singing beautiful praises to the Lord. George was born in Romania without any arms and was adopted by a wonderful Christian family. His trust in God is truly inspiring. He spoke about how those facing trials can either become better or bitter. George has definitely become better! As Pastor Joe Horrell of Brookhill Wesleyan said, “The Spirit of the Lord was greatly present at the Prayer Breakfast.”
I would agree with Mr. Travis Witt that this year’s breakfast exceeded last year. “This one was much better than the last. Speakers and those who prayed challenged the audience to remember that Virginia needs a third party in every area of life—God. As believers we must remember that we battle not against flesh and blood… God’s intervention will come from our vigilant prayers and unceasing attention to the actions of those who serve ‘We, the People.’”
After the Prayer Breakfast at the Convention Center, we traveled via bus to the Capitol grounds for the Stand for Life Rally. Since it was such a cold day, praying on the bus took the place of the originally planned “prayer walk.” So just as Joshua circled Jericho, we circled the Capital area with our four pastors, Joe Horrell, Dominic Alvey, Issac Wendland, and Myron Atkinson along with Melvin Adams of Renewanation as they led us in corporate prayer. At the Capitol, we joined hundreds of other pro-life believers for the Stand for Life. As Pastor Joe commented, “The keynote speaker was inspiring and her passion for the unborn awakened a greater desire in me to fight to end the atrocity of abortion.” Lila Rose is a remarkable young woman, and we were also privileged to hear Victoria Cobb of the Family Foundation. Sandy Adams, a CWA member who rode the bus for the prayer “ride” and attended the rally, said, “What an honor and privilege it was to gather together with other believers and unite and pray for a cause that I believe is very close to God’s heart. As one of the pro-life rally speakers said, ‘How can you have a more basic human right than life itself?’ God is the creator of life, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take a stand for it!” After the Stand for Life Rally, we immediately had an opportunity to take a stand for life by visiting our legislators and encouraging them to protect the unborn.
Pastor Joe stated, “This was a great day for all who attended. A Home Run, Jan (Robey). Definitely a yearly event for Brookhill!” Thank you to Janet Robey (CWA’s State Director) for her hard work organizing this event, even though she was sick. And thank you, God, for Janet’s recovery just in time so she could attend! Thanks to both CWA of Virginia and Brookhill Wesleyan for providing the bus transportation. I hope many more of you will join us next year for this worthwhile and encouraging annual event!