With gifts and prayer, Peckville (Pennsylvania) Alliance Church honored their local police department at the tail end of National Police Week.
The church invited Mayor Jeanette Acciare-Mariani, Police Chief Guy Salerno, and the 15 officers in the Blakely Borough Police Department to a Sunday service devoted to them. The church packed gift bags of homemade cookies and gave each officer a Law Enforcement Officer’s Bible engraved with his name.
Over 30 local businesses also participated in Blakely Police Appreciation Day, sending merchandise and gift certificates as well as donating to the police equipment fund.
Peckville Alliance did not know how many officers to expect on the day of the service and were delighted when the mayor, the chief, and five officers arrived with their families.
Rev. Nestor Soto, pastor of Peckville Alliance Church, preached on the role of authority in God’s design.
“I wanted to share that God Himself is a protector, so, like our police, He cares for people who are weak,” he said. “He knows our officers’ sacrifice and the risks they take. God honors them, and we wanted them to know that we honor them too.”
During the ceremony, officers and their wives nodded when Nestor mentioned the dangers of their work and the challenges at home. The elders laid hands on their guests and prayed for them and their families.
The officers thanked the church for the prayers, and the Blakely Police Department posted about the event on Facebook the following day: “We are grateful and very appreciative for the gifts.”
“Each officer was so humble. I don’t think they’re accustomed to being appreciated in that kind of way,” Nestor said.