City Council Invocation Sign Up
The prayer or invocation during a Temple City Council Meeting shall be voluntarily delivered by a minister of an established congregation located within the City of Temple or a layperson who resides within the City of Temple (“speaker”). This opportunity is voluntary, and speakers are free to offer the invocation according to the dictates of his or her own conscience. To maintain a spirit of respect, the City Council requests only that the prayer or invocation opportunity not be exploited as an effort to convert others to the particular faith or belief of the speaker, nor to disparage any faith or belief different from that of the speaker. Speakers are asked to limit their prayers or invocations to two (2) minutes.
No speaker shall receive compensation for his or her service. Neither the City Council, nor any staff member, may engage in any prior inquiry, review of, or involvement in the content of any prayer or invocation to be offered by any speaker. This policy is not intended and shall not be implemented or construed in any way, to affiliate the City Council with, nor express the City Council’s preference for, any faith, belief, or religious denomination. Rather, this policy is intended to acknowledge and express the City Council’s respect for the diversity of denominations, faiths, and beliefs represented and practiced among the citizens of Temple. No member of the City Council, city employee, or any other person in attendance at a meeting shall be required to participate in any prayer or invocation that is offered. Everyone will be treated equally in all respects whether they choose to participate, or not participate, in the prayer or invocation.