WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

Nearly 20 Winston-Salem residents gathered together in front of the police department at 725 N Cherry St. this past Sunday, even with the threat of inclement weather.

They all came out for the now monthly Police Prayer Circles started by Gloria Corn.

Corn stated she started the prayer circle after watching the news of the police officer from Houston who was shot at a gas station in August 2015. She stated it broke her heart and God spoke to her and said she needed to do something.

After contemplating what to do, she came to the decision to be proactive and hold a prayer circle to pray for officers in the city before a tragedy happens to hopefully have God keep a watchful eye out for them.

The circles started out as every other month events in 2016 but at the start of the year she began to hold them monthly.

“The crowd really varies. We’ve had anywhere from eight to 300 depending on the weather and what’s happening,” Corn said. “The largest crowd was when the Dallas and New Orleans officers were shot.”

“It’s very humbling and so satisfying to know there are a lot of people out here that care about not only the police but everybody. We want people to focus on the positive and stay away from the negative. If we could all come together for human kind, the neighborhood, the community, the state and the country, the world would be so much better.”

Corn started off the event with a heartfelt prayer for the safety of public officers. As more people began to gather, others chimed in with prayers of their own. Everyone there had a story as to why they decided to attend.

Sam Dixon said he was there because he was a close friend of a slain Winston-Salem police officer Sgt. Mickey Hutchens who was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 12, 2009.

“Hutchens was a great officer, did a lot of things for the community and was a great family man,” Dixon continued. “It’s 2017 and I still miss Mickey. You hear a lot of stories about people having bad things happen to them with police officers but I’ve always had good experiences with them.”

“I come here because it make me feel like I’m closer to him by praying for these officers who put their lives on the line every day.”

Fellow prayer circle participant Kenyatta Pettaway said, “I love God, so praying for a cause such as this, it just hits my heart.

I love people whether they are good or bad because we don’t know what they have gone through. I’m a caring person, so I look for the best in everyone.”

Some of Winston-Salem’s finest also came out to witness the prayer circle. Twenty-year police veteran Paul Felske said he was really appreciative for the citizens to come out for the prayer circle. He thinks this was a great gesture for the police officers of the city.

“It’s a true blessing that people come out and pray for us,” said Felske. “It’s a hard job and it’s so nice for them to take the time out of their lives to come out and pray for all of us. It’s well taken throughout our police department and much appreciated.”