Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by The Reverend Bill Shillady

PHILADELPHIA, July 28, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Please hold the hands of the persons next to you! Let us pray:

O God of many names, we know that You call us to work hard to bring people together.

To build bridges of hope for the future, we reach out to our neighbors, no matter their race, creed, sexual orientation, or color. We hold hands together for healing the pain and grief from violence and death. We allow Your love, Gracious God, to overcome our fears as we learn to respect the "other" and to treat the most vulnerable of our society just as we do our friends. Help us to become the loving children You want us to be!

We ask You to open our minds to discern the complex issues of our communities, our nation, and our world. Open our hearts to Your Spirit and to Your teaching to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to open our doors with radical hospitality to all our neighbors, seeking both conversations and actions as we work together to end discrimination in all forms and to solve our communities' problems.

Lord, You have spoken through Your many prophets and teachers throughout history. They have taught us that we must not demonize individuals, groups, or peoples of other faiths as a response to perceived threats. They have challenged us to tear down walls of fear and hatred so that we can be stronger together. They have called us to love others as we love You and to treat others as we wish to be treated.

As we hold hands right now, we are reminded that together, we can transform the world for good.

Lord God, give us the courage to leave this place with determination and fortitude to move onward and upward to become a better nation, one that can solve our many problems TOGETHER, not apart. Help all of the world to see our nation as a shining lamp on a hill.

Great God of the Universe, may we, as the founder of Methodism taught, "Do all the good we can. By all the means we can. In all the ways we can. In all the places we can. At all the times we can. To all the people we can. As long as ever we can."

AMEN.

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SOURCE 2016 Democratic National Convention Committee

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