Ministers Push Prayer for Peace

By Dani Mc Clain         
dmcclain@MiamiHerald.com
LIBERTY CITY            

A group of local ministers brought prayer and hope to a neighborhood rocked by violence, as part of a proposed weekly event.

Scores of people from the Liberty Square public housing project -- nearly half of them small children and teenagers -- gathered beneath a tent to sway to gospel music, listen to the sermon, and raise their hands to the night sky in praise.

'This is the original vision God gave me: to be on the grounds of the Pork 'n' Beans,'' said the Rev. Devin Brown, gesturing toward the nearly 70 people gathered in the heart of a community recently rocked by violence.

Friday night was the first of what a coalition of ministers from across Miami-Dade hope will be a weekly event. They've been lobbying Miami-Dade officials since January to let them host an outdoor service on the plot of vacant land at 64th Street and Northwest 15th Avenue, which the county owns.

The idea gained steam in July, when 9-year-old Sherdavia Jenkins was killed by a stray bullet just around the corner. Two men have been charged in her death.

But until recently, the Miami-Dade housing agency refused to give the ministers access to this patch of land, saying they doubted interest from area residents would be high.

A letter from state Sen. Frederica Wilson to Cynthia Curry, the county manager's advisor on housing issues, helped cut through the red tape. In the past few weeks, the ministers obtained the necessary permit, insurance, the tent, a generator and about 80 chairs -- all through donations.

As children bounced basketballs on the asphalt nearby, music echoed through the tent revival.

''That's gospel, that ain't booty shaking,'' said Shawn Peyton, 23. ``We need it. They were shooting out here five minutes ago.''

The plan is for the ministers -- who call themselves the Distinguished People for Christ -- to take turns preaching every week.

The Rev. Charles Dinkins of Hosanna Community Church took the stage Friday night.

He had looked to the Book of Mark for inspiration for his sermon, and strained his voice to the upper registers preaching about obstacles, and how this congregation might overcome theirs. ''If you gonna get beyond issues, you gotta push beyond your no-good friends,'' he shouted.

The gathering was about physical, as well as spiritual health. A few yards away from the tent, tables held baskets of condoms and pamphlets titled ''Wake up to the risks of marijuana.'' Nearby, another table was piled high with donated clothes.

Nurses screened for high blood pressure and gave HIV tests. Members of various churches served hot food.

Brown said the Friday night revivals will become a Liberty Square institution.

''We'll be here until our crime rates go down, until our babies stop killing each other,'' Brown said. ``We'll be here until there's peace in the valley.''