On behalf of the Clarksville Town Council, welcome everyone to the February 18th regular meeting.

Councilman Stotz, if you would introduce tonight's invocation.

Yes, tonight we have with us uh Pastor Hunter McDavid.

Um he is with Cogate Baptist Church.

If you can come up, sir, we'd appreciate it.

Well, first off, I would like to say thank you to Clarksville and those who invited me here this evening.

This is the first time that I've been able to have this honor, and so I'm very much appreciative of it.

I would like to, before I pray, read a very short passage.

The Apostle Paul, at the end of his life, he writes to his son in the faith, Timothy, and First Timothy chapter two.

He writes this.

He says, first of all, by the way, this is the third command in his book.

Um I think Paul was a Baptist because he rambled and forgot how to count.

Um so I pray that that won't happen tonight.

So this is the third command, but he says, first of all, first importance, I urge you that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.

Verse 2 for kings and all those who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

For there's one God, and there's one mediator between God and man, the man, Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Our church, we uh every first Wednesday, we visit our members who can't come to our church.

We visit um those in our community, and we also pray.

So we have members praying at the church and deacons and myself, we lead visitations.

And I was convicted recently of this passage that I don't, I have an apathetic spirit about against what is going on in the world sometimes.

It's just me, myself, and I, my little church and my little world.

I was convicted of this passage that I don't pray enough for men and women like you, and all the jobs that you do.

Meetings like this.

So this past Wednesday, for the first time in seven years of pastoral ministry, I said, in our prayer list, we're going to pray for our town council of Clarksville.

And by name, I produced your let your names on our prayer to guide.

Not a few days after that, not too long after that, I get a call from Bob Stotz and said, Do you want to come on a Tuesday and pray for us?

And I said, in my mind, not really.

I'd rather be home with my family.

But I realized my apathy, the Lord was calling that out.

So I ask, on behalf of us, ask for your forgiveness that we don't lift you up more and encourage you more.

And as a community, I ask that we pray for our leaders, because they've been God given authority over us.

They may be servants of God.

So with that, I'll pray.

Father, I thank you so much to have the opportunity to pray in public and not fear your persecution or fear death.

God, I thank you for all the freedoms we have in this amazing country, despite all of its problems.

God, I lift up Bob Stotz.

I lift up AD Stone Cypher, I lift up Tony Munich, I lift up Karen Henderson and Ryan Ramsey and Jennifer Voiner and uh Darcy Schiller and Bob McEwen, and all those, whether it's the police or firefighters or teachers, or those who are taking care of our parks or our code enforcement or everything that it takes to live in a society.

Father, I lift up these people, these men and women to you.

You may guide them, and you would be honored in their service.

I ask that we as a people would serve you by praying for them, by lifting them up and giving them respect, and we lift that we may live peaceful and quiet lives with all people, that they may hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thank you.

I'd like to lead us through the flag of the United States of America, and to the refined way for which it stands one nation under eye, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

We have a couple of recognitions and appointments this evening.

First, I wanted to make mention that um unfortunately our firefighter of the year could not join us this evening, so we will recognize him at our first meeting in March, and then also first meeting in March, we'll make an appointment to the insurance committee.

But we'll go ahead and begin first with resolution 2025 R09 honoring Paul Gibson for 37 years of service to the town.

For those of you who can read on the screen, I'm just going to go down through and highlight.

Paul Gibson served as a member of the parks board for 37 years.

He did that through two different uh time periods, 1984 through 1991, and then again 1996 to 2004.

He served in many leadership positions during those terms.

Some of the things that are interesting is uh the changes that have occurred in Clarksville while Paul was on the board.

Um he was a member when the old Colgate pool was in operation, and he witnessed the evolution of the Family Aquatic Center, which eventually evolved into the cove, which is the current water park that the community enjoys today.

He was present when Mooded View Golf Course saw significant improvements, including construction of a new clubhouse, cart barn, and maintenance shop.

He was also there through the installation of a new modern irrigation system and accessibility enhancements to the course.

His contributions extend beyond golf and aquatics.

He was instrumental in planning the development of the new Little League Park and played a role in recent additions to Gateway Park and the state-of-the-art accessible playground at Ashland Park.

He's also a strong supporter of the Ohio River Greenway.

And recognize its importance for connecting Clarksville to our surrounding communities.