Cashier Told to Stop Praying for Customers; Nearly 100 Show Up to Defend Her

Nearly 100 people showed up to a vigil Wednesday night in support of “Ms. Barbara,” an Ingles cashier who was told to stop praying for customers.

According to WSB-TV, supporters at the vigil in Cartersville, Georgia, say management told Ms. Barbara to stop praying because it was creating long lines.

But Ms. Barbara “is very discreet. She doesn’t take a long time,” says supporter Sherry Rogers. “I told them I thought it was a sad day that we could not have Ms. Barbara pray for us again. … There’s people who come in here who don’t buy a thing. They just go through Ms. Barbara’s line hoping she’ll pray for them.”

Supporters created an event called “Prayer for Ms. Barbara at Ingles” on Facebook for Wednesday’s vigil. According to the event description, Ms. Barbara “says a quick prayer over those who give her permission when checking out.”

The event’s plans included saying a prayer over Ms. Barbara in the Ingles parking lot when she got off work at 5 p.m.

“We have a local minister, Pastor Hight of Remnant will lead us in prayer over Ms. Barbara. … This sweet woman has been such a blessing to so many of us. Let’s show her how much we appreciate her and stand behind her.”

But Ms. Barbara isn’t the only Christian who incorporates prayer into her job. Last month, a Chick-fil-A worker also took a short break from his work to pray over a customer.

Photographer Brittany Calden captured the moment in a photo she shared on Facebook.

Calden says that the worker, known as “Mr. Steve,” felt the Holy Spirit tell him to pray for the woman. Mr. Steve, Calden says, “never fails to walk up to your table and ask how your day is going and always tried to make your day better than it was before you saw him.”