Prayer service offers support for city and new mayor
Respected religious leaders queued in Union Baptist Church yesterday for a pre-inauguration Breakfast and Ecumenical Prayer Service for Mayorelect Reed Gusciora.
Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary offered moments for Gusciora to meet church members and supporters before the new city leader listened to inspirational words and guidance offered by Rev. Simeon Spencer.
Bishop E. Earl Jenkins of True Servant Worship & Praise Church offered a prayer for City Council members and the City of Trenton. Jenkins enlightens a church in Hamilton Twp. but his ministry outreaches into the capital city. Jenkins asked for cohesion.
“We are called to humble ourselves and to understand the power of unity and the power of love,” Jenkins said. “It’s time that we come together and bring about real positive change to communities.
Jenkins asked that council members find a blessing of “wisdom and knowledge to lead this city forward together.”
Jenkins’ message resonated throughout the special day as Mayor-elect Gusciora offered a similar theme during a breakfast interview before he moved upstairs.
“We have to lift Trenton together. It’s not going to be one person or just City Council,” Gusciora said. “We really need to pull neighborhoods, civic leaders and churches together. I think there’s an optimism in the city and we need to capitalize on this moment. I think the energy is there to really change Trenton and get the city back in motion.”
Gusciora rides a wave of optimism on the heels of Eric Jackson, a predecessor who failed to energize this city following the corruption conviction of former Mayor Tony Mack. Lack of imagination doomed Jackson as a lethargic performance produced no desire for a second term.
Gusciora, a state assembly member for more than 20 years, had predicated his mayoral hopes only if Jackson walked away. Next, Gusciora finished second to Paul Perez in an initial municipal election that included seven candidates. The assemblyman then defeated Perez in a run off.
Pastor Yolanda Marrero-Lopez prayed for education and children.
“I think we should offer our youth venues where they can play and enjoy being in each others company without fear, where they can play and burn their energy doing things that are positive,” Marrero-Lopez, pastor for the Spanish Church of God, said.
“Our children need someone to watch over them and work on their behalf. We talk about guns, violence and drug use, it’s our duty to offer them other avenues and educate them to make better decisions. If situations exist where parents are not engaged then it’s our duty as a community, as a church and as pastors.”
Many local religious leaders garner criticism regarding heading ministries in Trenton but living in safe suburbs, opening their doors for extended hours, for meals and recreation may alter complaints and deliver positive results.
As Gusciora and City Council members start a new era, churches, congregations and religious leaders could enhance revitalization and cultivate safer environs. Of course, such an agenda will require the cohesion Jenkins spoke about as religious leaders develop strategies developed from a collective effort.
Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen prayed for unity. The Westminster Presbyterian Church leader said citizens should lean on God and others.
“To depend on God is a realization that we cannot do this ourselves. To depend on God is to understand that we all have been created in his image. We are one family and we can be one city,” Hernandez-Granzen assured.
“Diversity can be such a wonderful advantage. Our diversity of culture and traditions brings wisdom to the table. And wisdom? Helps us make good decisions that benefit everyone.”
The slate of religious leaders included Imam Abdul-Malik Ali of Masjidul Taqwa, Rev. Darrell Armstrong of Shiloh Baptist Church and Dr. John Harris, Jr. of Galilee Baptist Church.