LEWISTOWN – A prayer service for rain drew approximately 60 people to the Lewis County Fairgrounds in northeast Missouri on June 8.
The service was ecumenical, with approximately 10 churches from northeast Missouri, representing at least four denominations. Representatives of the Mount Salem-Wyaconda Southern Baptist Association coordinated the prayer service and had more than a half dozen of the represented churches.
Tony Stottlemyre, pastor of First Baptist, Lewistown, shared a message from the book of James, focusing on the topic of the necessity of prayer. That passage also included Elijah’s role in ending a drought also mentioned more fully in 1 Kings.
Cathy Kelso, also of FBC Lewistown, led in rain-related worship songs.
After the message, the people, which included more than a half-dozen children, gathered in a circle in one of the open-air covered shelters of the fairgrounds, holding hands and offering sentence prayers as desired. People prayed for rain specifically, for forgiveness, for patience if God waits in answering the rain request, mercy, thanksgiving for the coming rain, and thanksgiving for the faith displayed.
The prayer itself took almost 20 minutes of the hour-long service.
Ewing Assembly of God Pastor Elmer Hagood closed the time of prayer, and Gabe Hoener, associate pastor of Hester Community Church, closed the gathering time.
Extreme northeast Missouri is listed by the U.S. drought monitor mainly in the severe drought status, although a portion of the area is listed in the more extreme drought status.