Volusia County (FL) City Council Meeting
3 April 2018
Ed Sullivan (292 words - 1:45)

The sixth invocation at the Volusia County Council. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations

I’m Ed Sullivan. I’m a resident of Enterprise and a Volusia County resident. I want to thank you for inviting us here.

Our sincerest gratitude for inviting us here today, and thank you for the work you do every day on behalf of our communities. We believe that there is goodness and wisdom in humanity; that our compassion and our morality grow from our common interest and from the empathy we develop for our fellow human beings; that we are at our best when we act as a community united by our shared values and not divided by those things which set us apart.

Today, let us invoke our intellect; that it help us to arrive at answers to our most pressing questions and to help build a stronger and more resilient society, capable of meeting all future challenges with confidence and optimism. Let us invoke our sense of community; that it guide us in helping to make everyone feel welcome, and remind us that there are many more things that unite us than divide us.

Volusia County is home to nearly half a million people, with tremendous diversity, and this council has welcomed all without judgement. You understand the value in our diversity, and know that we are better when we act as one community, indivisible.

Finally, let us invoke the spirit of freedom envisioned by our founders; that our government be free from undue influence of religious institutions, that our personal lives and our religious institutions be free from government interference, and that we may each fully realize our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

On behalf of all your constituents, we wish you the best as you work in our public interest here today.

Thank you.