PRAYER BREAKFAST … Those involved in the 2019 Bryan Area Christian Prayer Breakfast, held at Wesley United Methodist Church in Bryan, from left to right, front row are Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade, Prayer Breakfast Steering Committee Chairman Jenella Tilton, Carole Cramer who is on the invitations committee, and vocalist Dotty Miller. Back row: Reverend Tom Graves from Asbury and Calvary United Methodist Churches in Williams Center, Pastor Jared Burgess from Bryan Church of the Nazarene, Pastor Lynn Lemmon from Union Chapel Church of God and the speaker for the event, J.B. Orendorff. (PHOTO BY REBECCA MILLER, STAFF)
By: Rebecca Miller
On the morning of September 24 2019, numbers of well dressed business men and women of Northwest Ohio gathered for a light breakfast and fellowship before finding their seats in the sanctuary of Wesley Unity Methodist Church in Bryan, Ohio. All were there to pray for America and to “reaffirm their mutual dependence on God.”
As they trickled in from breakfast, visiting with each other, pianist from The First Church of Christ in Bryan, Joanne Allison, played a lovely rendition of hymns, with choices such as “Shall We Gather at the River”, “What a Friend We have in Jesus” and “Love Lifted Me”.
Following the presentation of the Flags, the entire assembly stood and sang America the Beautiful. The invocation was given by Reverend Tom Graves of Asbury and Calvary United Methodist Churches in Williams Center.
Graves asked God to help leaders to take a serious look at their personal integrity and to inspire them to “be men and women of prayer, to be hungry for His guidance and to rise up with Godly boldness and determination to be the best leaders that they can be.”
He spoke of himself and those present, in his prayer, that they might rededicate themselves to Him and spend their days walking before Him with integrity and obedience. He also thanked God for the nation and all of His blessings on it.
Vocalist, Dotty Miller, whose family moved to Bryan when she was in the seventh grade, and who is currently the Director of Human Resources for DeKalb County government in Auburn, Indiana, greeted the audience saying how nice it was to be back, before singing Sweet Peace of God.
Carole Cramer, who is on the Prayer Breakfast Steering Committee, spoke of the importance of praying for all of our leaders and asked the elected officials who were present to stand as she mentioned their name in prayer. There were quite a few present including Judge Steve Byrd and Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade, State Representative Jim Hoops, State Senator Rob McColley and Representative Bob Latta’s rep from his office, whom he had sent.
Mayor Carrie Schlade welcomed everyone and thanked all those who put the meeting together. She proceeded to read the Proclamation for the day. Pastor Lynn Lemmon of Union Chapel Church of God prayed for Governmental Leaders and Military Personnel.
He stressed the importance of prayer for each person and our country every day. “God help us. We need you!” He spent time in thanksgiving, confession and asking for forgiveness, grace and mercy. He also asked for God’s will to be done in America, including for salvation for any leaders who don’t know Him.
For the next portion of the program, Dotty Miller gave a mini concert with a variety of songs on the theme of prayer. She sang a medley of “In the Garden” and drew at the heartstrings with the Navy Song, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Bring Christ Your Broken Heart” were also among those she sang.
This year’s speaker, Navy Veteran J.B. Orendorff, participated in the presentation of Flags and Pledges, coming in with fellow veteran John Martin. Orendorff is, as was stated in his bio for the event, “a familiar voice to us from his 31 years at WBNO radio.” Following his years on the radio, he spent eight years as an emergency services dispatcher for Williams County and is now serving as a Lay Preacher for several Presbyterian Churches in the area.
Orendorff started out by saying he was glad that what used to be the Bryan Women’s Prayer Breakfast has now included men. This gentleman, who is known to love making people laugh, of course started out with a joke, drawing a nice chuckle from the audience.
His talk was entitled The Meaning of Prayer and he spoke of how sometimes the word prayer is a noun and sometimes a verb. “Are you a Prayer? Do you pray?” He then shared a serious story of a midwestern young man who 50 years ago “found himself in a large west coast city on Christmas Eve.” He pointed out how in that era there was a lot of anti military sentiment and he had been called a baby killer and had been spat upon in that city.
He was lonely and had gone for a long meandering walk, when he realized he was lost. He heard the sound of Christmas Carols coming from a church, and those going in invited him to join them. The preacher that night stressed the importance of prayer, with thanksgiving, “frequently and fervently.” When that same sailor found himself a few weeks later, on his ship off the coast of South Vietnam, frightened, hot and uncomfortable, his ship was attacked. He remembered that night in the little church and he prayed, “frequently and fervently”.
When it ended he was grateful it was over, but was also grateful for that message that helped him through that moment. It stayed with him and comforted him for the next 50 years as he would always be grateful for that sermon and that Christ was born and died for him. And he prayed…”frequently and fervently”.
When his ship returned, he “made a beeline for that little church” and was welcomed home by the members at the congregation. The pastor even thanked God for returning him safely. The sermon that day was about how God looks out for us all and the importance of having “an attitude of gratitude,” and he said we should give thanks “frequently and fervently”.
Orendorff then spoke about the horrible affects of Agent Orange, which was a chemical which was dropped in the jungles to make the leaves fall off the trees so that the opposition forces could be seen. “Just over 2.7 million U.S. forces served in country in Vietnam, including John Martin.” All of the medical conditions, including cancers, which are traced to Agent Orange have been denied by the Veteran’s Administration for 47 years and he announced that Washington has now admitted that “maybe” the sailors off the coast may have been exposed as well.
When he said, “It seems to me that this is plainly and simply wrong.” There was a firm “Amen” from someone in the audience and he thanked them. He thanked anyone who may have prayed for this awful situation and asked that everyone continue to pray for all those who have been affected by Agent Orange.
Wrapping up with some personal thoughts, Orendorff said, “Are you a prayer? I think you oughta be. I think you all oughta be. And if you’re not, its a good time to start. I pray because I believe in the power of prayer. I pray because I have no doubt that God has answered my prayers. I pray because God allowed me to wake up to see another day this morning. No matter what others think or say I will pray. As that guy on the radio used to say from time to time, ‘Live well. Love much. Laugh often….and Pray.”
Dotty Miller sang “The Prayer”, which has the line “let this be our prayer as we go our way.” Jenella Tilton, Chairman of the Prayer Breakfast Steering committee, announced that the net proceeds raised that day will go to the Compassion Medical Clinic in Bryan this year. All were asked to stand and sing God Bless America, and the Benediction was given by Bryan Church of the Nazarene’s new pastor, Jared Burgess.
(The Bryan Area Christian Prayer Breakfast is patterned after the National Prayer Breakfast, which was started 65 years ago by the men of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, to bring together people in positions of authority from across our land and other countries. It is based on the Bible verse, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.” I Timothy 2:1-2)
Rebecca may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
