By BRIANNA C. WATTS
www.americustimesrecorder.com

DESOTO — Freedom Harvest Worship Center of De Soto hosted its first Community Wide Prayer Brunch Saturday, Jan. 30. The event began at 10 a.m. and opened with praise and worship selections from community members.
The program included various pastors and ministers from the Leslie and DeSoto communities, including Pastor Guy Mathis of Leslie/De Soto Methodist Church, Pastors Mathis and Linda Wright, Pastor Mary E. Green, Minister David Watts, Evangelist Ernestine Morgan, and Pastor David Hamm. Each guest was asked to pray for the city of Leslie, De Soto, Cobb, the governments, communities, and church establishments, respectively.
Many of the prayers touched on strengthening the communities and uniting the church bodies of Leslie and DeSoto together to pray against violence and wrongdoing.
Pastor Georgia Deriso, pastor of Freedom Harvest Worship Center, expressed that her vision for the program came from a talk with God, claiming that if the community can come together as churches, it can heal the land.
“It’s not just about Freedom Harvest, but the whole Leslie/DeSoto communities,” Deriso said. “It’s our jobs to root up the evil and draw people back to the churches.”
When asked about the participants chosen, Deriso said, “It’s important to call out the leaders: if you can get the head right, the body will fall in line.”
Deriso plans to continue the brunch monthly with the next program being held towards the end of February.
“We just have to continue praying. We’re going to pray and pray until the walls come down and churches are refilled. If we’re sincere, God will hear our prayers. He wants us to prosper and if we bond together to pray, God will continue to bless us,” Deriso says.