03-05-2025
Hundreds gather to pray for county
AUSTINBURG TOWNSHIP — Hundreds of people gathered to pray Friday morning during the Ashtabula County Concerts of Prayer Breakfast at Eagleville Bible Church.
'When you look around this room, it is all about unity,' Ashtabula Concerts of Prayer Board President Janie Gildersleeve said as she got the event rolling. The event was the 35th concerts of prayer breakfast that has included speakers ranging from professional athletes to Christian's with a unique life experience.
She urged those in attendance to continue the prayer into next week and beyond.
'It shouldn't end today,' Gildersleeve said.
Eight area residents were chosen to pray for eight different aspects of society, which included churches, the economy, education and youth, families and community, first responders and law enforcement, the military, medical facilities and health care and addiction and homelessness.
A video detailing the power of prayer in the family of Rev. Curtis Cecil. The video brought to life the real life story of his daughter, Dakota, who was in a terrible crash on March 10, 2024.
Cecil said, in the video, the family did not know if their daughter would live or day for the first 20 days and then what her life might be like if she survived.
He credited prayer, and God's sovereignty, with putting the right medical personnel in close access to the crash scene that helped save her life.
Roman Vencill prayed for the economy and area business, and Rev. Tim Kraus prayed for area churches.
James Kimmerle prayed for the military, saying our young men and women perform as the 'tip of the spear' to protect our freedoms. He said he prays daily for his two sons presently serving in the military.
'My legs are out in my car,' Gordon Mapley, who lost parts of both his legs in 2014 after a still unknown disease attacked his body, said. He now has prothesis that he uses, but did not Friday morning.
Mapley detailed how he believes his two sons and himself would not be alive if it were not for the power of prayer. Mapley added he spent seven and a half months in the hospital and the prayers of people from all over the country, and the world, sustained him.
'I was not expected to live,' Mapley said. He said he had been a Christian for about 50 years, but did not have the experiential challenge of facing such a major life experience which helped his faith grow.
Mapley said his son, Andrew also started to have seizures at the age of 36, and his son, Peter had a heart attack at 43.
'Both of my sons and I are here because of prayer and nobody will ever convince me otherwise,' Mapley said.
Mapley said he spent 40 years working in college administration until his retirement in 2019.
He also said he doesn't know why some prayer requests don't seem to be answered, but God wants us to always to bring our requests to him.
'All I know is God wants us to be faithful,' Mapley said.
