Can’t make the trip to Jerusalem? Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas now has its own 'Western Wall'
A facsimile of the “Western Wall” in Jerusalem was unveiled Oct. 6 at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, by longtime pastor Jack Graham.
“It is a very special day here in Prestonwood because we are launching a month of prayer in the month of October, and with that this beautiful wall that is a like facsimile, really of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. People can come here and pray, leave prayer notes and scriptures, and we're opening this up to everyone,” said Graham in a video posted on X/Twitter.
Graham was joined by Mike Huckabee, former Southern Baptist pastor, governor, and U.S. presidential candidate, for the announcement. Huckabee spoke earlier at the church.
“I’ve been there many, many times, and it's always an incredible place. A very reverent place. But it’s a place where one can place a prayer that you write and put it into the crevice, and we can do the same thing here. A lot of people will never be able to go to Jerusalem, but to be able to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to do it right here in Prestonwood Church, it is just a brilliant idea and I thank God for it,” said Huckabee.
Graham added, “It’s a great idea because it gives us an opportunity to connect with the people of Israel, and since October 7th of last year, our church has been engaged in terms of giving and support of Israel and to pray.”
The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, is a 187-foot-high section of the ancient wall that was built by Herod the Great as the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex. Situated on the western side of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the oldest layers of the wall were constructed by Herod the Great between 20 BC and 19 BC during the remodeling of the second Jewish temple, according to gotquestions.org.
The Western Wall extends for 1,600 feet, most of its length is obscured by houses built against it. Jews generally prefer the term “Western Wall” or “Ha-Kotel” ("the Wall") instead of the “Wailing Wall.”