By B.C. Manion
People are hurting.
Unemployment in Pasco County remains above 10 percent and more than half of the homeowners in the county owe more on their homes than they are worth.
For many, not having a job has meant not being able to pay the mortgage.
And because of all of this, many people are stressing out.
Rabbi Larry Johnson of Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue and Pastor Dave Huff of Trinity Church want to help relieve some of that stress by bringing the community together for a National Day of Prayer event in Wesley Chapel.
Both religious leaders said they are unaware of anyone else sponsoring a community-wide event in Wesley Chapel, so they want to get one started.
Similar events already are all over the country, including local events in Dade City and Zephyrhills, Johnson said.
“We’re all in this together,” said Johnson, whose synagogue meets in the annex building of Trinity Church, a nondenominational Christian church that meets in a larger sanctuary building at 33425 SR 54.
The idea is to bring business leaders, politicians, public servants and people from all religious persuasions together to share in prayer, Johnson said.
“We have invited several clergy to participate with us,” he noted.
It’s a call to “lift up the community, lift up the nation,” Huff said, noting, “the nation itself needs to be bathed in prayer, there’s just no doubt about that.
“The community needs to able to pull together,” Huff continued. “People are looking for answers. Your answers are not in what your government can do for you. Your answers are in what God can do for you. When you build a unified community, in coming together in prayer, there’s so much power in prayer.”
People need to feel a sense of hope, Johnson said, adding that many people have been discouraged by difficulties caused by the recent economic downturn.
But Johnson said the community needs to be reminded of the great things that are to come.
He points to the vision of the Porter family, owners of Wiregrass Ranch, who have played a pivotal role in bringing growth to the area.
The family owned the land where The Shops at Wiregrass stands and has donated a 60-acre site for a community college, which Pasco-Hernando Community College plans to break ground on this summer.
The Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel also is under way on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, north of SR 56.
If people were more aware of the various projects poised to open in the near future, they would have a greater sense of hope, Johnson said.
“This isn’t a crisis that we can’t overcome. We’ve had many other crises and we’ve survived. But we survived because we came together.”
And Johnson and Huff hope they can help build a deeper sense of community through the National Day of Prayer event.
The Wesley Chapel National Day of Prayer is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. on May 5, at the annex of Trinity Church, 33425 SR 54.
Besides prayer, it will feature talks by local leaders and music.
For more information call Johnson at (813) 760-3269.
