CINCINNATI, Ohio — A coalition of 55 churches in southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky gathered their congregations together to unite people in Cincinnati through worship and to support the Black community in their fight against racial injustice.
Paul Booth Jr., lead pastor of Legacy Pointe Church in Cincinnati, kicked off the event by addressing the crowd of thousands — with a goal of raising awareness against racial injustice.
“I see the church leading the way, because if not us, who else? Because when we think about racism, when we think about all the disparity that we face, it really comes down to a heart issue,” Booth Jr. said.
His remarks at the start of the Unified Cincy Prayer Walk were followed by songs of worship and prayer.
After about 30 minutes, the group took to the streets to march and pick up litter on their way to Fountain Square.
Chuck Mingo, a teacher and pastor at Crossroads Church, said it makes his heart full to see such a strong turnout.
“We’ve been complicit, where we’ve been on the sidelines,” Mingo said. “Today is an opportunity for us to come out of the sidelines, come out of the shadows, and say we want to be at the forefront of the conversation of prayers for unity for God to heal our nation.”
Marcus Meacum, a senior pastor for Seven Hills Church in Florence, Kentucky, was one of the lead organizers for the prayer walk. He hopes the relationships created during the event will be a spark of momentum toward creating tangible change, which he says starts in the heart.
“We love people, we love the Black community, and our hearts are broken for their hurt and their pain,” Meacum said. “We’re going to stand for what’s right for righteousness and justice. So yeah, very grateful that we could be unified on this day.”
Mingo said this is just the start of churches collaborating for change.
“We’re saying we won’t miss this moment, that this is not going to be a moment in time where we come together, but we want to work together to bring about unity through justice,” he said. “So, I’m excited because in many ways this is not a culmination, this is just the beginning.”
