The Way held a peace service March 12 with interactive prayer stations, lament, 167 seconds of silence and more. (South Carolina Advocate Photo)
South Carolina Advocate | March 24, 2026
Thousands lay dead and injured across Iran, Israel and surrounding nations after the United States and Israel launched widespread airstrikes Feb. 28 against Iran.
The joint military operative claimed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, resulting in counter attacks from Iran targeting Israel and U.S. facilities in surrounding countries.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
Calling the conflict Operation Epic Fury, Trump pledged “a massive and ongoing operation.”
In the face of the ongoing conflict, a number of United Methodist churches across the state are doing what the church does best in times of great uncertainty and fear—turning to prayer.
Dr. Mark E. Thompson, pastor of Gilbert UMC, Gilbert, and a retired United States Army chaplain, immediately called upon his church to pray for service members and their families.
In a message he shared with his congregation, Thompson wrote, “Brothers and sisters in Christ, I do not know how everyone feels about the war that we have just entered. After having served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, I have my own perspective and feelings about what we have just entered into. What I would like to ask of each one of you in the coming weeks, or however long this might last, is to set aside five minutes each day to pray for our service members and their families. This will be an incredibly stressful time for all.”
Thompson said that he remembers during his time deployed to the war in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division that every time a news report came out about the death of a service member, the people at home were asking: Is it my husband, is it my wife, is it my dad, is it my mom, is it my son, is it my daughter?
“Please, even if you have to set a daily alarm as a reminder, take the time to pray for our service members and their families,” Thompson said.
The Rev. Athena Dickey-Cathcart, pastor of New Hope and Mount Olive UMCs, Rock Hill, is calling on her congregations to do the same. The church leadership, along with the members of the church, have committed to praying daily for the deployed soldiers. In addition, they are gathering for communal prayer every Tuesday and Thursday on their Intercessory Prayer Line at 240-220-6295.
“We stand in faith, covering our soldiers and their families in prayer for protection, strength and peace,” Dickey-Cathcart said.
The Way held a peace service March 12 with interactive prayer stations, lament, 167 seconds of silence and more.
The Rev. Nellie Cloninger, pastor of El Bethel UMC, Fort Lawn, said her church has been praying for all involved in the war, including President Trump, the House of Representatives and the Senate, United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, our service members and their families.
“We also pray for those suffering panic attacks and fear over what this war may bring to our continent and fear of Mr. Trump severing relations with NATO,” Cloninger said. “We are praying a lot for the people of Iran.”
The Rev. Jack W. Hutto said the Hampton-Varnville Charge, Hampton, is praying for our leadership at the national, local and state levels as well as for our military troops.
“We are praying for repentance and restoration and that we all might turn our hearts and minds back to the Lord God and put him first in all we say and do. 2 Chronicles 7:14 in the King James Version states, ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’”
The Rev. Ralph T. Bowling lll said Main Street UMC, Greenwood, is having a time of silent prayer during the morning prayers section of its 11 a.m. service each week.
The Little Rock Parish in the Marion District, under Pastor Ronald McCall, is praying and fasting for the community and the world—including the war in Iran—every third Wednesday.
The Way, a satellite campus affiliated with Grace UMC, North Augusta, held a peace service March 12 with interactive prayer stations, lament, 167 seconds of silence (one second for each person killed in the school strike according to the death toll at the time) and a prophetic call to be advocates and workshops of peace.
“Participants left with tealight candles to burn to foster small, bright spots of peace and keep vigil for those suffering or killed,” said the Rev. Patrick Taylor.
The Rev. Kenneth B. Middleton, pastor of St. Stephen UMC, Orangeburg, said his church is doing several things in response to the conflict in Iran. They have incorporated daily prayer for deployed service members and their families into their morning corporate prayer call. He noted they don’t pray in generalities—they pray with awareness of what military families actually carry. He is also developing a Bible study series, “The Hidden Weight of War,” designed to help the congregation understand the stress military members and their families experience through the lens of Scripture.
“We believe the Bible has always told the truth about what war does to people, and the church should, too,” he said. “As a Gulf War veteran who served as a Navy hospital corpsman, this is not an abstract concern for me. St. Stephen is a congregation that takes the full humanity of our service members seriously—before deployment, during and long after they come home.”
The Rev. Antuan L. Cromedy said the congregation of Jericho UMC, Cottageville, is praying for all families affected by the war and hopes to adopt a family with a loved one in the war if they can find one.
Dave Fields, pastor of the Target-Gerizim Charge in Holly Hill, said his churches are probably getting tired of hearing him quoting Jesus, praying for peace, mentioning wars and going over Iran’s long history during his pre-Call to Worship introduction. He says he’s been “crying and praying, sometimes simultaneously” since the news broke.
The Rev. Kim Strong, pastor of Joseph B. Bethea UMC, Myrtle Beach, said his church is uplifting the war in prayer. Strong said they are also taking steps to prevent terrorism during their church services while at the same time keeping all God’s children in prayer. They are starting to lock all exterior doors at 11:15 and have trained veterans who sit at the back of the church. Also, at the request of those who lead their Hispanic services, they removed that information from their outdoor message board.
Jessica Brodie
Jessica Brodie is editor of the South Carolina Advocate, from which this article is republished with permission.