Faithful in AV join Day of Prayer

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Friday, May 7, 2004.
By RICH BREAULT
Valley Press Senior Writer and
NORMAN SHOAF
Valley Press Religion Editor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Lancaster and Palmdale, nearly 1,800 citizens across the spectrums of religion gathered Thursday to celebrate their various prayer traditions at a pair of predominantly Protestant Christian breakfasts organized around both cities' mayors and at an interfaith observance both mayors attended in order to embrace all faiths.
One mayor's breakfast in Lancaster at the new Antelope Valley Fairgrounds drew 1,500 of the faithful. In Palmdale, another 100 or so worshipers gathered to break bread together.

In the evening in Palmdale, at Poncitlan Square, an ecumenical service was conducted for worshipers from many faith traditions across the spectrum of world religions.

Jackie Fisher, the new president of Antelope Valley College, was the keynote speaker at the event. And the prayer service was a mosaic of diversity, including Buddhist chants, Hebrew blessings, Muslim scriptures, Baha'i poetry, Orthodox Catholic entreaties to God, and invoking of Wiccan gods and goddesses.

The Valley events coincided with President George W. Bush's proclamation of the National Day of Prayer, enjoining Americans to "give thanks for our blessings and pray for each other and our nation."

Bush urged Americans to give thanks according to their own faiths. Hundreds of such events were conducted across the country.

During the Lancaster Mayor's Prayer Breakfast at the Poppy Pavilion, Jeff Elmore, chaplain at Antelope Valley Hospital and this year's chairman for the breakfast, said, "this is a praying community. And that unity we celebrate today."

Earlier, Elmore told the assemblage of nearly 1,500 people, "I would not speak for the diverse faith groups here in the Antelope Valley, but I would love to see our local newspaper do perhaps a photographic montage of the various gatherings in churches, synagogues, mosques, ashrams and retreat centers throughout our Valley on this National Day of Prayer.

"Nor would I presume to speak for the diverse Christian community, either, but I do declare that your presence here today witnesses to a shared commitment to prayerfully uphold and encourage our fellow citizens and our leaders on the local national and state levels."

At the Palmdale breakfast, a similar theme was sounded.

Although neither the mayors nor the organizations sponsoring the breakfasts extended any formalized invitation or welcome to worshipers outside the umbrella of Protestant denominations, both mayors announced their intentions to visit the interfaith gathering set for the evening at Poncitlan Square.

Spokesmen for the Protestant congregations said they wanted to gather to worship and pray in their own fashion, and an interfaith gathering was not in their planning because they said people of other faiths might feel awkward about attending.

"Prayer has been part of our country since the beginning," Ken Hart, pastor of The Highlands Church, said in opening his remarks Thursday morning at the 24th annual Palmdale Mayor's Prayer Breakfast.

The atmosphere at the Chimbole Cultural Center event was warm and congenial, with more than 100 attendees coming together for a breakfast buffet, prayer and performances of sacred music.

Hart, the featured speaker, devoted his message to how ancient Israel's King David overcame a personal "season in the desert" to become one of history's greatest Jewish kings.

Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford told the group, "No doubt we're instruments in God's hand … when I look at our community and where we're heading, truly we are blessed."

Ledford invited all the breakfast crowd "to show up tonight and be united in prayer" at the Antelope Valley Interfaith Council event.

In Palmdale, Charles Miller, pastor of Desert Highlands Baptist Church, in a prayer for the community and its leaders, reminded attendees they had not come "to bash each other or each other's faith, but to pray for our community."

Miller led the faithful in asking the Eternal to help them remember that "no matter what our faith is or how we practice our faith … you have called us to be warriors for you."

"Bless this community in a mighty way as we strive to move forward in the direction you're leading us," Miller prayed.

Jim Powell, pastor of Palmdale's First United Methodist Church, offered the prayer of invocation and table blessing. Paul Ferguson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Palmdale, delivered a prayer for the nation and the world. Ned Beadel, pastor of Palmdale's Desert Winds Community Church, gave the benediction.

Musical performances were offered by Alis Clausen; the Palmdale High School Choral Ensemble, under the direction of Mike McCullough; and Brad Alford.

Attendees were asked by the Kiwanis Club of West Palmdale, which sponsored the breakfast, to write letters of encouragement to U.S. armed forces as part of "Operation Gratitude."

"Operation Gratitude" will deliver the letters - along with personal items such as lip balm, sunscreen, reading materials, socks, snack foods, stationery and batteries - to the troops.

Readers who wish to support "Operation Gratitude" can deliver letters, personal items or cash donations to Valley collection points including Suburban Realty, 3001 Rancho Vista Blvd.; Edward Jones Investments, 38745 Tierra Subida Ave. No. 130; and Desert Winds Community Church, 2121 East Palmdale Blvd.

Donation checks may be made payable to Kiwanis Operation Gratitude and sent to P.O. Box 900974, Palmdale, CA 93590.

At the Poppy Pavilion, Mayor Frank Roberts introduced the members of the Lancaster City Council and heads of city departments.

"This day we need to accentuate the importance of prayer in our lives, and especially for our leaders," Roberts said.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Clifton Perry, wing chaplain at Edwards Air Force Base, offered the invocation.

"As I walked in here today, I saw some people carrying Bibles, and I said (to myself) 'Man, this is going to be a good prayer breakfast,' " he said.

Assemblywoman Sharon Runner of the 36th District offered a prayer for local, state and national leaders. Student Joshua Thompson offered a prayer for youth.

Keynote speaker Dan Baumann captivated the audience as he spoke of his relationship with God, and the importance of that relationship in his life and during his ordeal for 63 days in 1997 as a prisoner in Iran, accused of espionage.

"I brought a book here with me - 'Imprisoned in Iran.' I don't want to ruin the ending, but I heard he gets out," Baumann said of the book he authored.

"When you give your life to God, you have no idea of what he wants you to do. I am so glad that God once again allowed me to live in freedom."

Baumann went to Iran as a missionary, and his two sisters are missionaries in India.

"When you give your life to God, he wants to take our little world, and give us the whole world," Baumann said. "When I was imprisoned in Iran, my mom prayed that Dan not be released until all (God's) purposes are revealed.

"Oh, my God! I'm just glad other people were praying for me."

Baumann said as a young teenager he learned "everything you want to be is overflow of intimacy with God."

"Jesus affirms you in your jobs as you work in different places in society," Baumann said. "That's where he wants us to be. And he wants us to be a light in that place."

For 10 years, Baumann ran a hospital in Afghanistan. He also did missionary work in other areas of the Middle East, before he was imprisoned in Iran.

"The safest place to be is in the center of where Jesus wants us."

rbreault@avpress.com

nshoaf@avpress.com