Pastor calls for prayer during City Council meetings

Council agrees, with one condition

A pastor from Arizona was excited to introduce the idea of starting every city council meeting with a prayer, only to be disappointed with the council's decision to allow only Christian prayers when and if they implement the use of prayers.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - After the council voted 4-2 in favor of the change on Monday, Pastor Byron Sanders of Fairhaven Baptist Church felt blindsided.

The Blaze reported Sanders' attempt to convince the council to begin meetings a prayer has backfired in a controversial decision to allow only Christian prayers.

Sanders said, "I was blindsided by the whole thing really. I wanted this to get involvement from the community, to have the churches in the community be represented." He added that the City Council was not a pulpit.

Sanders thought the idea of having a prayer before the council meeting would create unity among different religions and be an activity that allowed everyone to take part and practice their own faith. In the end, the "Christian-only" decision could aggravate and offend people.

From 1996 to 2007, a prayer was part of Coolidge City Council meetings, but because of the community's lack of participation and interest, the practice was eventually stopped.

Sanders said he feels that if every person was allowed to say a prayer before a meeting, people of different religions would be represented before the counci. He said, "It would get people represented in front of the council," he said. "If something were to happen in the community, everyone would know who to talk to if they need help."

Councilman Robert Hudelson came up with the amendment to Sanders' prayer idea. Hudelson thought prayers should reflect historical fact and the sentiment of the United States as a Christian nation.

In an interview with Hudelson, he was quoted saying, "That's our heritage, we should not be ashamed of it, nor should we be pushed into a corner because [of] Supreme Court decisions."
Mayor Jon Thompson and council member Gilbert Lopez opposed the measure and cited legal concerns.

Victoria Lopez, American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona's legal director stated, "We are of the opinion it would violate the Constitution and send a really bad message to folks that live in the town of Coolidge, that if they're not Christian, then they are excluded from participating in government affairs.

A proposal will be drafted by city attorney Denis Fitzgibbons who has agreed to take council requests into account and present it for final approval.

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