2026 Invocations
In 2026, the Central Florida Freethought Community offered secular invocations at civic meetings across our region. Each reflection centers on shared human values—compassion, reason, integrity, and service—while respecting freedom of conscience and the separation of religion and government. Below are the invocations from this year.
2026 July 6 - Angelo Parra, Deland, FL
2026 June 9 - Jocelyn Williamson, Clermont, FL
2026 May 5 - Teresa Wright, Ocoee, FL
2026 May 5 - Angelo Parra, Volusia County, FL
2026 April 27 - Jocelyn Williamson, Sanford, FL
2026 April 2 - David Williamson, Eustis, FL
2026 March 19 - Melanie Chen, Tavares, FL
2026 March 9 - David Williamson, Winter Springs, FL
2026 February 10 - Melanie Chen, Seminole County, FL
Deland, FL, Council Meeting
6 July 2026
Angelo Parra (265 words)
Good evening. As a citizen of DeLand and representative of the Central Florida Freethought Community, I’m honored to have the opportunity to open this meeting.
We’ve just come off a weekend celebrating the 250th anniversary of a bold experiment in self-governance ... shaped by imperfect people striving toward enduring ideals:
• liberty, justice,
• and the belief that power derives from the consent of the governed.
250 years ago, these were startling and dangerous notions ... which, had things gone differently, would have cost the Founding Fathers their lives.
Today, this continuing experiment in liberty, justice, and self-governance rests, in part, in your hands.
You have been entrusted by our community not simply to lead, but to listen; not merely to decide, but to deliberate with care and integrity. The responsibilities you carry are not abstract ... they affect lives, shape futures, and define the character of our diverse community. Therefore ...
• May you be guided by a clarity of purpose – the best interests our community – even in moments of complexity and distraction.
• May you opt not for what is expedient, but what is right.
• May disagreement sharpen your thinking, without dulling your respect for those who see things differently.
• May you remember that public service, at its best, is an act of stewardship ... a stewardship of our democratic principles and of the well-being of our remarkable community.
Lastly, we should remember that the measure of our strength is not to be found in the past alone, but in the wisdom, creativity, and concern for our friends and neighbors ... demonstrated in this room.
Thank you.
9 June 2026 - City of Clermont City Council
Jocelyn Williamson - 238 words
Good afternoon, Mayor, Council Members, city staff, and neighbors.
As we gather today, let us recognize the responsibility of public service and the trust placed in this room.
June gives us much to reflect on. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom, though promised, has too often been delayed, denied, or unevenly protected.
This month also asks us to consider dignity, safety, mental health, and the burdens many people carry quietly.
Pride Month reminds us that people should be able to live honestly, safely, and without fear.
PTSD Awareness Month, National Safety Month, and Men’s Health Month remind us that strong communities are built not only through laws and budgets, but through care, awareness, and a willingness to look out for one another.
James Baldwin once wrote, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
That is a worthwhile consideration for public service.
A community grows stronger when it makes room for every resident to be seen, heard, and considered.
Today, as this Council considers budgets, services, public resources, and the practical needs of a growing city, let its work be guided by facts, fairness, and care for the people of Clermont.
Let public dollars be handled with wisdom, disagreement met with patience, and public concerns heard with respect.
And may all of us remember that self-government asks something of everyone: honesty, humility, participation, and concern for one another.
Thank you.
5 May 2026 - City of Ocoee City Council
Teresa Wright - 199 words
Mayor Johnson, commissioners, city staff, and members of the community … thank you for the opportunity to offer a few words to open tonight's meeting.
We are gathered here in early May, a moment that has long been associated with workers, with labor, and with the question at the heart of civic life: what do we owe one another?
It's a good question to carry into a commission meeting. Because the work done in this room …. on budgets, on zoning, on public safety, on infrastructure …. is ultimately an answer to that question, made concrete. It is democracy not as a grand abstraction, but as a Tuesday night.
The people of Ocoee are counting on that work to be done well. They are families and workers and neighbors with real needs and real stakes in these decisions.
May tonight's discussions be grounded in the facts before you, and guided by fairness.
May disagreement, when it comes, be treated as information rather than opposition.
May every voice in this room, and every resident not in it, be given genuine consideration.
And may the work done here tonight be something, years from now, this city looks back on with quiet pride.
Thank you.
5 May 2026 - County of Volusia, Council Meeting
Angelo Para - 242 words
Good morning. As we gather today in this chamber of public trust, we pause a moment in reflection.
Two and a half centuries ago, a bold experiment in self-governance began ... shaped by imperfect people striving toward enduring ideals:
• liberty, justice,
• and the belief that power derives from the consent of the governed.
These were startling notions to much of the world.
This experiment in liberty, justice, and self-governance now rests, in part, in your hands.
You have been entrusted by your communities not simply to lead, but to listen; not merely to decide, but to deliberate with care and integrity. The responsibilities you carry are not abstract ... they affect lives, shape futures, and define the character of our shared civic life. Therefore ...
May you be guided by a clarity of purpose – the best interests our communities – even in moments of complexity and distraction.
May you opt not for what is expedient, but what is right.
May disagreement sharpen your thinking, without dulling your respect for those who see things differently.
May you remember that public service, at its best, is an act of stewardship ... a stewardship of our democratic principles, of our communities, and of the well-being of our diverse citizenry.
Lastly, as this nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the measure of our strength will not be found in its past alone, but in the wisdom, creativity restraint, and resolve demonstrated in rooms like this one.
Thank you.