As 2026 ramps up, members of the Rotary Club and Kiwanis Club of Covington spent last Friday morning together for a time of prayer and reflection.

For the past two decades, the clubs have gathered just before sunrise for the annual Community Prayer Breakfast. It’s a unique event that is seldom done in other communities.

“To my knowledge, this is the only community in Georgia that has an annual prayer breakfast,” said longtime Kiwanis member Samuel Ozburn. “It’s an opportunity to gather together, to lift each other up in prayer. It’s a chance to focus on lifting our churches, our government, our civic organizations and our professions—not possessions, but professions.”

Following introductions from Rotary President Brad Stewart and Kiwanis President Jimmy Tanner, the floor was handed over to this year’s keynote speaker, Judge Ken Wynne.

Wynne themed this message around two impactful concepts: Love and truth.

“For the past 37 years I’ve worked in the judicial system,” Wynne said.  “As a prosecutor and as a judge, I’ve had a front row seat to some of the worst things that people can do to one another in our community. I have seen evil, but still, because I know that God has made us in his image, I’m convinced that there’s something within each one of us that seeks truth and desires love, both to receive and to give it.”

The longtime Newton County judge broached a number of topics throughout his 30-minute speech. This included the political division that has infiltrated all levels of government.

Wynne said that society seemed to have broken into tribes characterized by ethnicity, political party, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, oppressed groups and oppressor groups.

“The tribal mindset seems to be prevalent today,” Wynne said. “With this mindset, we see those who disagree with us as the enemy, instead of the image bearers of God. Worthy of dignity and respect for that region alone. We stand our ground and refuse to listen, preferring instead to cover our ears, shout them down, call them names, question motives, or if we have the power, to silence them altogether.”

As a solution to this, Wynne feels that the world needs more open discussion and honest dialogue to return to God’s truth.

“We need to return to honest inquiry and civil discourse that is necessary to help all of us get closer to the truth,” Wynne said. “Not my truth, but the truth that transcends our own ideas of good, evil and right and wrong.”

Later in his speech, Wynne addressed what civil discourse looks like. He explained this as not resorting to name-calling, but remaining respectful and empathetic.

“When we do that [name-calling], we have nothing left to argue, and we’ve lost the debate,” Wynne said. “There are no losers in debate. There are only winners in honest debate, among people honestly seeking the truth. Because debate is the process of stating a claim, asking and responding to questions about that claim that help all of us get closer to the truth and that’s a win. But that requires humility. It requires a genuine willingness to surrender perceived notions, preferences and ideologies in favor of honestly knowing the truth.”

Another firm talking point Wynne addressed is the foundational building block that is the American family. He pointed out that the crack in this foundation has resulted in children losing their way.

Wynne challenged lawmakers to review policies that may not fit the family model.

“When it comes to the family, the education system can’t do anything about that,” Wynne said. “But the church can. But the government and church can work together in that regard. If the government is promoting policies, passing laws that undermine the stability of the family, those policies need to be reexamined and they need to promote policies on laws which promote the stability of the family.”

Wynne concluded by posing four questions that were rooted in the spirit of love and truth.

“What's good that we can preserve and promote? What is evil that we must resist? What is missing that we can creatively contribute? What is broken that we can restore?” Wynne asked. “In all of our institutions, education, the business community, our policy makers, the government, the church, the family can deal with those four questions. I think we can move closer to a more just society.

“By God's grace, we can achieve a more just society here and now in our community.”

A final parting message was given to the Rotarians, Kiwanians and officials in attendance by Ozburn, reminding everyone what the community should strive for.

“In conclusion, what do we want Covington and Newton County to be known for?” Ozburn said. “It’s going to be known for something. And I hope and pray that this community will be known as a community of respect for each other as God’s image bearers and a widespread love based on the truth.”