More than 300 people from the business community were united in prayer and worship at the 23rd annual Blessing of the Marketplace on May 13 at Destin Methodist Church Family Life Center, as part of the Week of Blessings.
“Everything we do is for unity,” said Michelle Terry, president of the Church of Destin.
The Church of Destin, which heads up the Week of Blessings, is a community organization that presents a united voice for all the churches in the Destin area. Its mission is to unify the body of Christ in Destin through fellowship and prayer – one church, many congregations.
And on May 13, pastors from the many churches came to bless those throughout the business community, from those that work in real estate to those who work in the medical field and those who protect people on the water ― most every walk of life.
Before they prayed, Chef Tommy and Kylie Lemasters of the Big Red Truck provided bag lunches for all who attended.
Shane Moody, CEO of the Destin Chamber of Commerce, served as emcee for the event.
After Moody shared a verse from Hebrews 10 that talked about “assembling together” and “exhorting one another” he introduced the Faith at Work panel.
Serving on panel were Kim Thornell of Hot Mess Salon, Lori Joyner of the Harvest House, and Capt. Jason Fulghum of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department. They were asked questions about how they use their faith at work in their various jobs.
Fulghum said a lot of praying takes place.
He talked of how he’s been through a lot of leadership training, but the main theme is to let people you work with know that you care for them.
Fulghum said the greatest leader that ever walked was Jesus Christ.
“And the best leadership book I’ve read is the Bible,” Fulghum said.
“My calling to love my fellow man and to serve my community fits naturally into my role as a leader,” he said.
Joyner, who heads the Harvest House food pantry, said they show Jesus Christ by having a “welcoming and well stocked food pantry.”
“When people come in, you never know what they are walking through,” she said. “We love on them, we journey with them and we pray with them.
“So, we not only feed them food, but we feed them with love and dignity.”
As a hairstylist, Thornell said, “people bring me all their stuff … they tell me everything. I know a lot about all of you in this room,” which drew a big laugh from the group.
“I pray over my clients even when I shampoo them. I call it sneaky Jesus’ prayers. But it is all about the love and putting them first, and their needs,” Thornell said.
After the panel time, the pastors in attendance prayed for various areas of work in the marketplace.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: Destin business community gathers for 23rd Blessing of the Marketplace
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
