Calls for Leadership, Repentance Made During National Day of Prayer Observance in St. Clairsville
Robert A. DeFrank Trending
Calls for repentance, responsibility and leadership among Christians were themes of the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, when about 50 people gathered in front of the Belmont County Heritage Museum on the courthouse plaza.
Randy Marple of Shadyside, former Belmont County clerk of courts and a speaker on biblical prophecy, served as keynote speaker and was critical of the behavior of churches during the COVID-19 pandemic. Marple said he didn't condemn any church that closed during the height of the pandemic out of fear for vulnerable congregants, but he stressed that the government does not have the right to prohibit religious people from gathering together. Marple added that while COVID-19 was a deadly disease, it was not the most deadly disease, and his criticism was aimed at government and church leaders.
He added that the pandemic also spurred the public to be aware of the use of technology, particularly Zoom; however, he said to be effective a congregation must gather in person, not stay comfortably at home. He also voiced fears such technology could be "turned off" should preachers one day speak out against the government in a form of "soft totalitarianism."
He said COVID-19 responses have been an excuse for government and institutional overreach, including censoring and dismissing discussion of alternate treatments and infringing on personal freedoms and the economy.
"The church was not deemed essential, and the church, for the most part, stayed closed," he said. "For the first time since God's death on the cross and resurrection, Satan gloated over the fact that he stopped the majority of churches from gathering together. He shut down Easter and he shut down Pentecost for a lot of us."
Marple said other countries such as Canada, Australia and England exercised far more extreme measures. He also lamented the pandemic's impact on children.
"Perhaps the biggest victim of this lockdown were our children. All across the country, millions of children lost touch with normalcy," he said, adding that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been increases in mental health issues, depression, suicide and self-injury.
He referenced several Biblical figures who stood against tyranny, as well Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an anti-Nazi dissident executed by the Nazi regime. He called on ordinary people to be leaders in their roles as well as sharing the love of Jesus.
Marple said prophecy is an integral part of the Bible, and after studying he sees culture, politics, economics and history in the context of prophecy.
Chief Deputy James Zusack of the Belmont County Sheriff's Office led a prayer for the safety of law enforcement, the military, first responders and corrections officers.
The Rev. Gary Eller of Emmanuel Baptist Church in St. Clairsville spoke about social welfare.
"Father, I pray for the homeless and for those that are hurting desperately in our nation," he said. "Most of all I pray for those who are walking apart from you."
Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Frank Fregiato prayed for government and leaders, adding that it is a judge's duty to interpret the law as written, not to reinterpret it to mean something else.
Mary Ann Droll, music leader and part-time guest speaker at the New Athens Presbyterian Church, prayed for education and family and that parents and educators embrace traditional paths and the best interests of their children. She prayed that education would be fair and that race, creed, politics and ideologies would be left outside the classroom. She also prayed for the inmates at Sargus Juvenile Detention Center and other detention centers.
The Rev. Dean Myers of Harbor of Hope in St. Clairsville prayed for churches and the clergy.