A Prayer Request

Author: Wayne Verry, St. Paul’s Foley [Chair, Commission on Prison Ministry]

To my Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

I made the following statement/prayer request before Bishop Russell and the delegates to our 49th Annual Diocesan Convention last weekend. I am now sharing my request with you, and ask that you include Mr. Woods in your prayers.

I want to inform you that on Thursday, March the 5th, the State of Alabama will execute Mr. Nathaniel Woods. I ask that in the coming days and weeks that all church families will pray for Nathaniel’s life and soul, for the families of his victims, for those who will carry out the execution, and for all those on Death Row in Alabama, Florida, and throughout the United States.

It is not my purpose here to call for support of or opposition to the Death Penalty. Instead, may this somber event serve as a source of discussion, reflection, discernment, and prayer as we continue to consider the 2018 General Convention Resolution D077, which calls for the repeal of the Death Penalty in the United States.

Thank you for your prayers, time and consideration, and may we all continue to strive for justice and peace as we serve Our Lord.