Paso Robles seeking invocators for city council meetings in 2024
Church leaders of all denominations, faith-based organizations welcome to participate
– The City of Paso Robles is seeking local churches or religious leaders to hold an invocation at the beginning of each Paso Robles City Council meeting. The meetings take place at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
An invocation prayer is an opening prayer for a church service or meeting. Invocations are usually around one minute long and are written at the speaker’s discretion.
The US Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that sectarian invocations do not automatically violate the U.S. Constitution. The city has always opened city council meetings with a brief prayer and the Supreme Court ruling encouraged community leaders to expand the tradition by inviting church leaders of all denominations in the community to take turns leading the invocation.
The practice has been well-received by local churches, according to the city, and city leaders would like to see even more local churches, temples, and synagogues participate and “bring their own brand of spirituality to each meeting.”
“We were able to broaden participation throughout 2023 and hope to continue to add even more participants in 2024. Church leaders of all denominations and faith-based organizations in the community are welcome to participate,” says City Clerk Melissa Boyer.
Contact the Paso Robles City Clerk at (805) 237-3888 or at cityclerk@prcity.com if you would be interested in leading the council invocation and staff will provide you with options for available dates to serve the city in this unique way.
