Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Former Del Rio Mayor Roger Cerny was one of two county residents who have urged county commissioners court to reconsider its vote against praying before meetings.
County Commissioner Pct. 3 Beau Nettleton asked the court during its Feb. 28 meeting to consider adding prayer to the court’s twice-monthly meetings, but his suggestion was voted down by a court majority.
During the court’s meeting on Tuesday, two Val Verde County residents asked the court to reconsider, speaking during the citizen comments portion of the court’s agenda.
Cerny, who also worked for the county for many years, spoke first.
“I am here to comment because of an item that appeared in The 830 Times regarding Commissioner Nettleton’s motion, seconded by Judge Owens, to add prayer, a prayer, more commonly known as an invocation, prior to the commissioners court meetings. When I learned that prior to this article that Commissioner Nettleton was going to place this on the agenda, I was enheartened,” Cerny told the court.
“I had heard also that our city had added an invocation prior to the commencement of their meetings, and the reason I was so enheartened was that there has never been a call for prayer that has echoed across our country, our state and our city like we are experiencing now,” he said.
“In the wake of things such as people being murdered in places of worship, hate crimes, corruption in government, things that the average person is trying to deal with and what do we do? We turn to almighty God in prayer. Then I learned, and I was equally dismayed by the fact that this motion had failed, twice, and it puzzled me, because over a period of years, have come to know this court and know that, in particular, I’ll cite one example,” Cerny said.
“Here about six or seven years ago, Commissioner Flores and I were enjoying a luncheon that was actually a working lunch, and yet after the issues of how our department could help his precinct, it turned to personal matters, and we had both of us had experienced a very, very, very serious medical condition and we were there enjoying a lunch, and we were adamant, adamant in our belief that the reason we were there that day, was because of the prayers that our family, our friends and ourselves, that almighty God had kept us there for a reason, to serve our fellow man, and which Gus has done and what I tried to do.
“And yet here we are still here today, a testament to prayer. You know, it would seem to me that it would be very, very difficult, if I were in a position, where I had to invoke the power of almighty God in the form of prayer on behalf of a sick family member, loved one or friend, when I had basically told Him, ‘I don’t need you in my public life.’
“I would say that there’s probably not an elected official in this room that, at one time or another in their recent campaigns, had not turned to almighty God in the form of prayer to be victorious in their candidacy.
“In closing, I would just like to say, that I would certainly hope that an invocation or a simple prayer, asking God to bless this court with wisdom and humility, in order to best serve the people of Val Verde County, will be rethought and appear on a future agenda,” Cerny finished.
Tommy Sondag. lead pastor at Del Rio Christian Fellowship, also urged the court to reconsider its prior vote not to pray before meetings.
“I certainly don’t have much to add to that, just to ask that the court reconsider the motion to invoke the presence of God and the wisdom of God in the governing matters of this county. Thank you,” Sontag told the court.
The court took no action on the prayer request, as it was not an item on the court’s agenda.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .
