Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Monticello Community Prayer Breakfast was hosted on Oct. 6 by the First Baptist Church of Monticello, bringing together about 50 mostly lay people from a variety of local Christian denominations to begin their day with a hearty breakfast, fellowship, song and testimony.
To begin the program, Gary Wright, who began organizing these prayer breakfasts in 1994, shared a bit about his Christian upbringing. His faith began with a small-town foundation among Baptists and Methodists. Later, while on assignment with the American Embassy in Rome, Italy, he developed an appreciation for Catholic traditions, and currently he attends the Episcopal church. The breadth of his experience in Christianity contributed to his original vision for the Community Prayer Breakfast as a way to bring together people from different Christian perspectives with a common goal of praying for the sick and distressed. Nearly 30 years later, the ecumenical breakfast gatherings are going strong, providing fellowship and shared purpose without regard to church affiliation.
Rev. Sean Vickers gave the blessing over the meal. Mike Grisham led singing of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and “America the Beautiful.” Rev. Steve Pessah led the prayers for the sick and distressed, including appeals for the victims of and responders to the devastation of Hurricane Ian.
The guest speaker for October was local rancher Chris Tuten, who also serves on the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners. Tuten's testimony centered around his experiences when he was first married and moved to Gainesville for three years while his wife completed veterinary school at the University of Florida. Tuten needed to find work and was encouraged by a friend to see what Shands Hospital had to offer.
It was a daunting prospect for Tuten because, even though he had a bachelor's degree in Animal Science, he had never done any work other than ranching, had never filled out a resume before, had never been through a job interview. He applied nonetheless and says he'll never forget when a woman in the human resources office phoned and said, “God told me to call you.” For a job as a scheduling clerk in a women's health clinic, he ended up in a group interview with eight other candidates. He felt it went well, and he was right, because before he made it back to his truck in the parking lot, he got the call offering him the job.
Looking back, Tuten realizes that his success in this very different work environment was preparing him for future opportunities he couldn't at that time imagine. Learning to work in an office setting, building relationships with staff, starting an office softball team, developing phone skills and making new friends – all of it was a very good experience for him.
“It was a path leading me here,” he said. “God had a plan. Sometimes we don't see the forest for the trees, and we want to look behind us to where we were, and that's not where God's path is. God's path is in front of us. All we have to do is keep our eyes forward and up, and he is there. Be encouraged by the opportunities that God puts in front of you.”
Tuten says his next adventure is working with the youth group at the First Baptist Church of Lloyd.
The next Community Prayer Breakfast will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3, at Christ Episcopal Church. Samantha Cooksey Strickland is scheduled to speak. Wright invites the whole community to join in! For more information, email him at Lgwright39@embarqmail.com or call (850) 933-5567.
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