Lincoln Countians praying.

Old, young. Black, white. Rich, poor.

Praying together.

Rev. Anne Matthews, of Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Brookhaven, has been dreaming of that since she became a part of Mission Mississippi, a statewide organization dedicated to bringing Christians of different races and denominations together.

Her dream came true last year with their first community prayer and praise event, and she hopes to have more people and community involvement this year.

The second annual Community Prayer and Praise event will be Friday at 11:30 a.m. at Mt. Wade Missionary Baptist Church in the Samuel L. Brown Fellowship Hall.

“The event is open to all congregations. We will have people providing music and we will have pastors praying for different groups,” Matthews said. “Last year, we prayed for children, youth, schools, cities, county and more. We’ve added some groups like law enforcement and prisoners to pray for.”

The Lincoln County chapter of Mission Mississippi plans to lead the community prayer and praise event every year. Matthews said the organization has helped her connect with other pastors and gain a group of friends as she has learned various worship styles.

Mission Mississippi’s goal is to host events at various churches to build unity among Christians in the community.

“Mission Mississippi is all about racial reconciliation … it’s for all Christians in the community, black and white, and for us to come together and get to know people individually,” Matthews said. “As you examine your community involvement, I invite people to consider Mission Mississippi and making it a priority this year.”

The event will include pastors and choirs from the community. All area churches are welcome to participate in the community event. To get involved or for more information, call 601-695-1650.