Gloverville pastor takes prayer concerns aloft

Oct. 12—GLOVERVILLE — Prayer from the air was the focus of afternoon attention Oct. 11 in Gloverville Park, as a local pastor took his concerns aloft and spent a few minutes in prayer with help from a helicopter and the pilot who donated his services and the use of his Lexington-based Bell 206B.

Heading up for a loop around the Graniteville area was Rev. Eder Herrera, with Unity Outreach Church, and he had about 30 spectators in and around Gloverville Park. The idea, he said, was "to bring positive vibes" and "let Aiken County know that there's a church here in the valley that's praying and believing for the best for their family, their children and our community."

This was his first helicopter flight but not his first aerial prayer flight, he added. "In 2020, we did it in a small airplane, but today, we were doing it in a helicopter, because we were spraying anointing oil in our community."

The Langley Fire Department provided a truck, with lights in action and a siren sounding, to help make the landing area more obvious for the incoming pilot.

Several neighborhood dogs sprang into vocal action during the landing and takeoff, and a few neighbors walked to the park to ask about what was taking place. At least one expressed strong agreement about the need for prayer.

Herrera's prayer targets during his 20 minutes above the treetops included Gloverville Elementary, Graniteville Elementary, Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle and Midland Valley High. He said the idea came to him Sunday, in church.

"After you watch the news and you see what's taking place in the world, the good Lord just laid upon my heart, 'You need to go up and declare the word of the Lord in the air,' and we just posted it, when we needed a helicopter, and in less than an hour, we had a helicopter."

The pilot, he said, was "Mr. Clifford," from Lexington.