The Rev. Richard Fisher, pastor of Clifton Avenue Church of the Nazarene, says he is certain of one thing: It's going to take all kinds of people on their knees in prayer to improve life in Cincinnati in 2002.

        That is why his church is celebrating New Year's Day as a day of prayer. The church will be open 24 hours.

        “You don't have to come to the church to pray,” he said. “I want people to pray wherever they are. I want this to be a day of prayer for churches, neighborhoods, cities, states, nations and the whole world.”

        The 60-year-old minister has no problem thinking globally when it comes to ministry. For more than 40 years his church, at 3722 Clifton Ave. near the University of Cincinnati campus, has been a headquarters of diversity.

        Church members represent about 20 cultural and ethnic groups, he said, including black and white Americans, Koreans, Cambodians, Nigerians, South Africans, Chinese, Russians, Native Americans, Filipinos and Indians.

        There are ethnic-specific services, including the newest ministry to Hispanics, as well as services mixing several races, nationalities and languages.

        “We have a Hispanic pastor who is setting up services for Hispanics,” the Rev. Mr. Fisher said.

        “We started this about 20 years ago, when we had to minister to a lot of foreign students attending the University of Cincinnati,” he said.

        The Rev. Mr. Fisher received his early pastoral training from a black minister, the Rev. Edgar Maddex. He is pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Seymour, Ind.

        “I was a teen-ager. He let me be his assistant, and I helped out in the services, weddings and pray meetings,” the Rev. Mr. Fisher said. “That was quite an experience for me. But it was an experience I will never forget.”

        The Clifton Avenue Church of the Nazarene will offer a recorded prayer. To listen, dial (513) 751-3722.
       

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