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ST. GEORGE — For its 18th consecutive year, the annual Prayer Over the City event brought various faith traditions together in unity on New Year's Day to offer supplications to a higher power on behalf of the community they all love and call home.
"We can say we have truly found the answer to unity that does not require uniformity of thought and it's really two simple words – respect and love," Rev. Jimi Kestin, of Solomon's Porch Foursquare Fellowship, told St. George News. "If we respect each others' differences and we love unconditionally … then we can find areas to cooperate and not worry about the places we wouldn't."
Kestin was one of the founding members of Prayer Over the City when it started on New Year's Day in 2006. At the time, the event was held between the leaders of different Christian faiths and held outdoors in Pioneer Park. Since then, it has grown to include several diverse faith traditions including Judaism, Buddhism, the Baha'i faith, Islam and others.
As the event grew it also moved indoors and found a home in the St. George Tabernacle, which is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Except for the times when renovations to the building were being completed and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prayer Over the City has been held in the building for the majority of its 18 years.
