First Church Congregational in Painesville to host prayer service for peace

Nov. 2—People from all walks of life are invited to attend a prayer service for peace on Nov. 5 in Painesville.

The event, featuring clergy from various Christian denominations, is slated for 7 p.m. at First Church Congregational, located at 22 Liberty St.

"We feel it is important for us as pastors from diverse traditions to come together and be visible at this time, in part because of the escalating conflicts around the globe," said the Rev. Shanon Sterringer, pastor of the Community of St. Hildegard in Fairport Harbor. "It is an effort to sow small seeds of love and peace where we are able."

Sterringer is uniting with these active and retired pastors to lead the prayer service for peace:

—The Rev. Tom Cofer, pastor of First Church Congregational in Painesville

—The Rev. Tina Green, pastor of Fairport Harbor Congregational Church

—The Rev. Dick Dunn, retired United Methodist pastor

—The Rev. Peter Mihalic, retired pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Fairport Harbor

—The Rev. Rachel Harrison, pastor of St. James Episcopal Church in Painesville

—The Rev. Marilyn Matevia, pastor of Celebration Lutheran Church in Chardon Township

During the service, each of the pastors will offer a brief reflection, poem, prayer or Scripture reading.

"We are envisioning the service to be a 'mosaic' comprising of our diverse traditions — each will have a few minutes to offer something that captures the 'flavor' of their community prayer," Sterringer said.

Several of the pastors also will either be singing or playing musical instruments throughout the service, she said.

Sterringer estimated that the service will last less than an hour, and everyone is welcome to stay afterward for refreshments.

She added that a live-stream video of the service will be shown on The Hildegard Haus Facebook page for anyone who wants participate but can't attend in person.