MOUNT VERNON — About 40 people gathered on Public Square at noon on Friday for a time of prayer and worship before deploying to pray throughout the downtown area.
Knox County resident Diana Wetzel, leader of Rachel’s Army, said she felt called to organize a prayer walk in the wake of high-profile violence across the nation over the past few weeks.
“We even have elected officials making statements that support that kind of response, and I just really felt the Lord’s heart that we need to come together, and we need to approach him in humility, asking for forgiveness as a nation,” she said.
“We’ve lost our way as far as being one nation under God. There are prayer events all across this nation right now, and obviously our prayer is that this will initiate a whole new move of the spirit.”
However, Wetzel noted that revival is not Christian nationalism.
“Revival is learning to walk in humility, to love mercy and justice. And that is what we want to be: A people that are faithful to the Lord.”
Roger Tickle pastors Set Free Ministries, a small local church with the goal of reaching out to the community and fostering unity among churches and their people.
“I’ve just got this feeling that if we would all come together, we would be a formidable force. It would be a power,” Tickle said.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the things that are going on, but we are desperate, and we desperately need God to reach in and heal our land.”
The blessing of being one nation
Tickle prayed for the participants, the community, national repentance, and for help to love the Lord.
He also prayed for the elected officials who attended the prayer walk, noting that “it takes a lot of courage to make a stand in the age we live in.”
Wetzel prayed for a spirit of unity, forgiveness, words full of grace and truth, and Charlie Kirk’s family. The conservative activist who was outspoken about his Christian beliefs was murdered on Sept. 10 in Utah.
Following Wetzel’s prayer,13 people stayed on Public Square and continued praying. The rest fanned out in groups of two and three among the downtown area.
Lois and David Carter of Mount Vernon were among those who came to pray.
“We want to shine the light and love of Jesus in our town. Jesus taught that God hears and answers our prayers when we pray in accordance with his will,” Lois Carter said.
“Our country is experiencing some very serious problems. We love our country and are asking for God to intervene and bring his peace and righteousness to our land.”
Griffin Rothgeb, chairman of the Knox County Young Republicans, said more events are planned for the future.
“I think the Spirit truly is moving through our country and through Knox County, especially,” he said.
Rothgeb said he received official word on Friday that plans are underway to start Turning Point USA chapters at Mount Vernon High School and Mount Nazarene University.
Plans are also underway for a night vigil in memory of Kirk on his birthday, Oct. 14. Details will be on the Knox County Young Republicans Facebook page as they become available.
About Rachel’s Army
Wetzel established Rachel’s Army in 2024 after reading the Bible verse Jeremiah 31 and thinking of it in terms of children and grandchildren.
“The thing that we discovered is that there are few things more fierce than a mother’s heart. And Jeremiah tells us about Rachel weeping for the children of Israel who have been seduced into a culture that is perverse and ungodly,” Wetzel said.
“So the women of my group, our desire is to pray, study, and act. We want to learn about culture, about history. We want to learn what the Bible says, and we want to fight on behalf of our children and grandchildren who are hearing things and being exposed to things that many of us don’t even know about.”
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