The Fourth Annual Clarendon County National Day of Prayer Breakfast was held Thursday morning at Manning United Methodist Church, where residents, pastors, elected officials, and community leaders gathered in a spirit of humility and hope, united in prayer for the nation and for one another.
The event, themed “Heal Our Land,” was co-chaired by Manning Mayor Julia A. Nelson and Clarendon County Council Chairman Jay Johnson. Scripture readings, solo performances, and intercessory prayers centered on renewal, repentance, and reconciliation, culminating in a keynote address by retired Circuit Court Judge Thomas W. Cooper Jr.
The call for healing was perhaps most poignantly expressed in a moment of quiet conviction from Cooper: “Who is going to bring us together?” he asked the room. “Who is going to speak to unity, to harmony? Right here and today. That’s why we are here.”
Cooper, a Maysville native and longtime public servant in Clarendon County, reflected on the fractures in American political, religious, and social life. In a speech that was both personal and deeply spiritual, he pointed to the divisions that dominate public discourse—from political party polarization to denominational rifts—and urged attendees to start rebuilding unity through faith and individual action.
“The enemy is us,” Cooper said, quoting political cartoonist Walt Kelly’s adaptation of the War of 1812 message: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Cooper added, “That’s good news, and bad news. The good news is that we only have to correct ourselves.”
He drew from 2 Chronicles 7:14, reminding attendees of the biblical formula for national restoration: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…”
Cooper emphasized that prayer must be more than a passive noun, it must become an active verb. “Prayer cannot just remain in our lives as a thing,” he said. “It has to become a word of action.”
Rev. David D. McManus Jr., pastor of Manning United Methodist Church, delivered the prayer for the nation, laying bare the nation’s spiritual condition. “We are a people obsessed with self,” he said. “And yet You—God—allow us to come to Your throne of grace. So Lord, bless and judge us. For Your judgment is Your truest blessing.”
His prayer called not just for blessing but for transformation. “Break down the walls of hostility that separate and bind and destroy us,” McManus prayed. “Remind us that every last one of us exists for the other and not for ourselves.”
Additional prayers were offered for the Clarendon County community by the Honorable R. Ferrel Cothran Jr., who reminded the crowd, “It truly matters how we love each other.” Musical performances included solos by Dr. Brenda C. Clark and Ms. Claire Miles, accompanied by her father, Rev. Daniel Miles.
The event, sponsored by local businesses and organized by the Summerton and Manning Rotary Clubs, served breakfast prepared by the Men’s Fellowship of Manning United Methodist Church. Mayor Nelson closed by thanking those who made the event possible and reminded guests to carry the morning’s message forward.
“Let us take his words to heart,” Nelson said of Cooper’s address. “So that we can be the change.”
The morning closed in prayer led by former council chairman Dwight Stewart: “May we, as Your people, go forward and share those blessings with those whom You love.”
As the community looks forward to next year’s fifth annual gathering, the call remains simple and urgent: love God, love your neighbor, and pray with action.
