During a prayer breakfast held at First Baptist Church in Jackson, lawmakers from across the state are discussing their hopes for this legislative session with members of the faith community. Pastor C. J. Rhodes of Mount Helm Baptist Church chairs the board of Mission Mississippi, a faith-based organization focused on Christian reconciliation and racial healing.
Rhodes says “Mission Mississippi has been a beacon of hope in this state bringing together people across denominational, racial and political lines. Today that will be reflected in our time of prayer.”
Several guests were invited to pray during the meal, and were accompanied by state leaders who gave words of encouragement to others in the crowd. Speaker of the House Philip Gunn calls on lawmakers to have their faith inform policy decisions, and Governor Tate Reeves says Mississippi’s elected officials should honor a religious calling to be good stewards for the people.
Brian Crawford is the President-Elect for Mission Mississippi.
“We are here to pray, because we believe our leaders, our legislature and our state need the lords help,” says Crawford. “Not just because of the unique time that we’re living in, because we are Mississippi or different from any other state, we simply just believe that we need the lords help because we always need it.”
No policy decisions were discussed during the breakfast, but advocates for bipartisanship say this could be one of the few gatherings of the session where lawmakers gather under shared ideology.
