North Carolina Pastor Seeking Support For Christian Prayer At City Council

In Thomasville, North Carolina, Rev. Donnie Lunsford was concerned that only 50 people turned out for a City Council meeting last month at which City Councilman Dwight Cornelison proposed including Christian prayers at Council meetings. So Lunsford is planning a Feb. 3 breakfast billed as a "Christian involvement conference" to increase support for Cornelison's proposal, according to yesterday's Lexington (NC) Dispatch. Cornelison is attempting to create a policy that will both allow Christian prayer and pass Constitutional scrutiny. He says that options are offering invocations before meetings are officially called to order; having council members pray only for themselves instead of on behalf of the entire city; or to inviting clergy on a rotating basis from various faiths. Councilman Cornelison supporting Rev. Lunsford's "involvement conference" said: "We're going to dispel the rumors that Christians can't be involved.... God ordained government, church and the family. It's a Christian duty and obligation to participate in civil government."