By MICHELLE BEARDEN | The Tampa Tribune Published: June 23, 2012 Updated: June 23, 2012 - 7:00 AM
Come late August, downtown Tampa will be the epicenter of politics and protests when the Republican National Convention rolls into town.
One Davis Islands woman is leading an initiative to make sure that another element plays an important role: prayer.
"Face it, the divide is so deep in Washington that somebody had to do something, somewhere, to heal it," says Camille McWhirter, a member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. "And the problems are too big for any one political party or any one man to solve.
"So as God's people, we're going to pray."
And they're doing it through all kinds of venues, from an online outreach, a rally in a public park, a minichapel at the convention site and an inspirational concert aimed at youth.
A volunteer group led by McWhirter launched a website (www.conventionsprayercoverage.com) to build a "nonpolitical, nonpartisan house of prayer" to bring people together on a common spiritual ground. The effort now includes organizers in Charlotte, N.C., where the Democratic National Convention meets Sept. 3 to 6.
With an estimated 100,000 political leaders, protesters, media and tourists converging on the two cities, McWhirter says, "We need all the prayers we can get" to ask for divine guidance in making rational decisions, healing bitterness and keeping the peace.
A link on the site asks visitors to sign up to pray in 15-minute increments between now and early September. McWhirter set an ambitious goal for the effort. "We're hoping for 1 million people," she says. "The Internet has a worldwide reach, so it's possible. With God, all things are possible."
Volunteers are reaching out to local pastors from all denominations, Christian magazines and broadcasters, and the governors of both of the host states. The initiative also has a Facebook page.
See the rest here:
Republican, Democratic conventions to be blessed with prayers