One county commissioner is seeking opinions on how the court should shape a policy installing prayer in commissioners court meetings.

Commissioner Lester Gibson turned to residents at the Fred Batts Leadership Luncheon on Monday for their input and concerns on how to incorporate a prayer in a way that includes all faiths and protects the county from potential lawsuits.

The Rev. Joe Carbajal of the Mighty Wind Worship Center had the opportunity to pray for the opening of the Texas Senate during a pastoral reception day.

“The rights of all need to be respected, and we shouldn’t be imposing segregations in regard to what type of prayer is accepted,” said commissioner Lester Gibson on Monday.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald, file

“There are no restrictions on you. I was able to pray the way I wanted to pray. I did say ‘In Jesus’ name’ in my prayer,” Carbajal said.

“You can look up the minutes from the session, and the prayers are part of the public record, and I gave the Senate a copy of my prayer to include in the minutes.”

Carbajal said the county could model its prayer policy after the Senate, which invites clergy from different religions to say the prayer at the start of each session.

The Rev. Willie Stanley, who said the concluding prayer for the luncheon, said a nonsectarian prayer falls in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ, who instructed his disciples not to offend others while spreading the gospel.

“If you are praying a nonsectarian prayer, it’s not like you’re not giving homage to God or homage to Christ or whoever it is, but you don’t offend anybody,” Stanley said.

Since the court’s decision June 22 to start meetings with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, Gibson said he has received about 20 e-mails from atheists, most of whom live outside McLennan County.

The correspondence has not swayed his belief that the court must begin with a prayer before the pledge is said. However, Gibson said the court has to be careful not to promote any one religion.

“I’ve been a resident of this county since I was 8 years old, and I would say from my observations that most of the county were Christian at the time I was growing up,” he said. “I’m 61 now, and I have seen the infusion of people with various views and faiths into the county.

“The rights of all need to be respected, and we shouldn’t be imposing segregations in regard to what type of prayer is accepted.”

Gibson said he has been studying case law on prayer in governmental meetings to begin structuring a county policy.

He plans to meet with Commissioner Kelly Snell and county attorney Mike Dixon later this week to begin drafting the prayer policy.

rdennis@wacotrib.com

757-5755

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