Prayer event offers ‘compassion and love’ amid controversy over Alabama pastor’s suicide

Organized by the leaders of Phenix City, it was billed as a community prayer event “to show compassion and love in this very sensitive time.”

The news release announcing Tuesday night’s gathering at the Phenix City Amphitheater didn’t mention Bubba Copeland, the Smiths Station mayor, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Phenix City and owner of the Country Market in Salem, who killed himself Friday, two days after a blog exposed his secret online activity, which included posting provocative photos of himself dressed as a woman.

And none of the nine speakers during the 45-minute event mentioned Copeland as they led approximately 50 folks in prayer. But he clearly was on everyone’s mind.

Alluding to the deluge of social media comments condemning and commending Copeland and his legacy, Phenix City Mayor Lowe told the Ledger-Enquirer, because of the situation’s controversy “and all the things that are out there, we’re not going to use any names.”

Lowe began the event by telling the crowd, “This is strictly for the purpose of showing compassion and showing love to the city of Smiths Station as well as to First Baptist Church but also to this region. … Let’s continue to be a lifter and not a leaner.”

Lynn McManious, pastor of Beaver Creek Baptist Church in Phenix City, offered a prayer for Smiths Station.

“God, we’re going to be honest: Our hearts hurt,” he said. “Lord, for some there’s hurt. For some, there’s anger. There’s others that have confusion. And, Lord, when I look at those words, I hear only the voice of Satan, the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy. … And so, Father, we seek You to make sense of all that doesn’t make sense to us.”

Raymond Cochran, pastor of Franchise Missionary Baptist Church in Phenix City, offered a prayer for First Baptist Church.

“God, we ask now that You have mercy upon them,” he said. “… Let them know that Your Word teaches, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.’”

Ricky Ward, pastor of Grace Free Will Baptist Church in Phenix City, offered a prayer for unity.

“In Psalm 133, Verse 1, the Word tells us, ‘Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity,’” he said. “If ever there’s a time that we have seen in our life or been a part of, it is today that we need to dwell in unity.”

Annie Lewis, pastor of We Can Ministries in Phenix City, offered a prayer of compassion.

“Oh, God, look down upon us tonight with pity and compassion because in Heaven’s eyes, there are no helpless, no hopeless cases,” she said. “But people like you and I are amazed at the grace we can find.”

Johnny Ellison, senior pastor of Chatt Valley Church in Salem, offered a prayer for love.

“From Columbus to LaGrange, from Phenix City to Crawford, and from Seale to Salem,” he said, “Lord, we are gathering here and representing this area and asking that Your people might live in expression of agape love, Lord, that we might care more about what other people need than what we prefer.”

Theodis Jordan, pastor of Rhema Word Church in Phenix City, offered a prayer for grace.

“Forgive us for all our sins, Father,” he said. “… We know that many things are being shaken at this time. … The enemy is stirring up all around, but we have a promise from You that You already said, that ‘upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail.’”

Carmen Evans, pastor of Evangel Church in Columbus, offered a prayer for empathy.

“Father, we know that You hurt when we hurt,” she said. “So now, as a community, we ask You to begin the healing of hearts and lives. Do a work in us as a family of believers. Show us the way to go as we reach out to one another. Help us to treat each other with the love that You have extended to us.”

Lowe asked everyone in attendance to join hands and voice their personal prayer for this region. After an “amen” from Lowe, Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson’s remarks concluded the event.

“I don’t understand why some things happen,” he said. “People think that when you’re in elected office you have the answers. I promise you we’ve got more questions than we’ve got answers.

“… I don’t understand how people can treat each other with malice in their heart. I don’t understand how you can have a neighbor and be so unneighborly. I don’t understand how we somehow think that we’ve been put here to judge others, and yet we take great offense when they judge us. I don’t understand why we can take the creations of God almighty, disrespect them, take them for granted. There’s a lot of things I don’t understand.

“On both sides of the river, there are people who are dealing with things. … Don’t judge them. Don’t ridicule them. Reach out to them and give them a hug. … If we don’t work to get back to the kind of communities and country that we fell in love with years ago and are so proud to be a part of, we’re going to have problems.”