Prayer vigil planned

Staff

Published Sunday, March 30, 2003

Suffolk News-Herald

Donna Perry has committed her life to serving God and His people, and in doing so she is constantly seeking ways in which to bring people together in service to each other. This week, she has come up with another idea, one that is extremely well-timed.

Perry has organized a candlelight/prayer vigil for 7 p.m. Monday, March 31, at Oxford Methodist Church on the corner of West Washington and South Broad streets.

"I just want to provide a place for people to be able to join together, express their concerns and pray together for the safe return of all our troops," said Perry. "There are people right here in Suffolk who have husbands, wives, and children fighting on the front lines. This prayer vigil will be very informal and we ask everyone to take part in this event."

The speakers include Rev. Cliff Whitlock of Oxford United Methodist Church, Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett and Perry. The candlelight ceremony will take place outside the church immediately following the service. Candles will be provided. Perry has requested that everyone wear red, white and blue. Family members and friends will be invited to share stories about their family members in service.

Perry has also lined up another speaker, Navy wife Cindy Clark. Her husband is serving in Bahrain, and her son has just returned from two years in the Mediterranean.

"I read the story about PFC Chuck Terrell and I know Cindy Clark also has a husband and son involved in the war," said Perry. "I think people here watch the news and read these war stories, but if you do not have someone involved in the military, there is no way to imagine just what these parents, husbands and wives, and even kids are going through. This is just my way of bringing us all together to pray as God instructed us to do."

Clark, whose husband, Chief Warrant Officer Jay Clark, said her thoughts never leave him alone. She is also jubilant these days since her son Eric is back.

"I will be at the prayer vigil because I have a great reason to thank God for the safe return of my son," said Clark. "This is truly an answered prayer and now, I hope for the safe return of his dad. I trust God for that and I refuse to believe anything other than Jay will be home safe."

She spoke Tuesday by telephone with her husband, and as they talked he was rocked off the sofa where he was resting. She inquired about loud booming noise.

"He said, 'Oh, it's just another bomb,' and then he went right on talking as if nothing had happened," said Clark. "He said that although no news is coming out of Bahrain right now, the bombing is still going on there. He said there are a lot of rioters in the area also. I do worry about Jay, but I know his spirits are good and he's also trusting God to bring him safely home. We are both just so grateful to God for bringing Eric home."

Clark is a big Perry fan and said she's a woman with boundless energy that allows her to do more than most people in the community.

"Donna is great and she's always coming up with new ways to help everyone out," said Clark. "This prayer vigil is good for the community, and I believe that whether you have a family member or friend in service, you could come out to pray for those in harm's way. Though there's disagreement about the best way to disarm Saddam, there's something most of us do agree upon, and that is that America must be united in support for our troops. We must defend our defenders and stand up for the brave men and women of our military.

They are making a tremendous sacrifice and undertaking great risks, and they need to know that America is with them and that we owe them a debt of gratitude."

Perry, named the News-Herald's 2003 "Citizen of the Year," said each and every member of our military is part of an American family.

"It becomes personal," she explained. "Nobody wants a war, but it's happening, so we need to support our troops. I would like to ask that every citizen of Suffolk pray for everybody, not just the troops but also the innocents in Iraq."

A dedication to God and country is Perry's strength and she stands firm on her beliefs.

"Throughout history, our presidents have had to make hard and difficult decisions about what would be the best course of action to take to achieve and maintain peace," she said. "We believe that all people of the world have a right to enduring freedom, so once again, our president - President Bush - was forced to make such a decision. The people fighting for our freedom and the freedom of Iraq need to see we are behind them.

I think it's very important that we speak very loud and clear that we support our troops."

Speaking of the troops, Perry has picked up on the idea of the "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree,' asking that citizens take the time to actually tie a yellow ribbon around a tree or light post in front of their homes.

"Wouldn't it be great if PFC Terrell and Chief Warrant Officer Clark and all the others from Suffolk came home to find all our ribbons?" asked Perry. "They would surely know that even though we disagree with the fact of war, we certainly love and support them."

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