Recent violence leads to faith leader prayer vigil in Seaside

About 30 people packed the parking lot at Seaside Community Seventh-day Adventist Church on Tuesday to offer encouraging words and prayers for the city and a grieving family.

Just last week, 32-year-old Tremain Calloway was shot and killed near the SDA church on Valmar Court in Seaside. The police chief says it is the first homicide in the city in about five years.

“This is really an anomaly, and that’s I think why the community is shaken by it,” said Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen.

“Prayer is a key, prayer is a key to healing and to get not only the city through this, but the family through this,” said Kenny Murray, pastor of Ocean View Baptist Church.

Pastor Murray organized the prayer meeting on Tuesday, and he brought in leaders from different Christian denominations to show that the church as a whole must work together to bring peace.

“Faith is not denominational, faith is not religiosity. Faith is our belief, faith is what we believe and what we take action on,” said Murray.

“The healing aspect of prayer to a large degree is the most powerful aspect of prayer,” said Harold Lusk, pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Seaside.

Chief Pridgen believes the faith community can have a strong influence on the issue of violence.

“People who are children and adults, they usually grow up in the church. So they got a really strong connection to the church and respect the voice of the church,” said Pridgen. “So it’s important for the faith-based community to be involved in trying to resolve this.”

The chief says they are currently running down leads in the homicide investigation. He says hopefully they can soon identify the person responsible in Calloway’s death.

He also hopes events like this prayer meeting will inspire others not to turn to violence.