ST. CLOUD -- A group of concerned community members and faith leaders gathered outside the Stearns County Courthouse Friday morning to stand together to support faith and not fear.

Event Organizer Justin Michael says the purpose of the gathering is to bring central Minnesota together to focus on putting values of love at the forefront of political conversations going into the election season.

Several community leaders spoke to the crowd. One of those leaders, Reverend John Fiscus. Fiscus is a pastor at Peace United Church of Christ in St. Cloud.

Fiscus says he hopes this event will spark up more conversations about standing together with your neighbors.

"What we are hoping is that we can unite people to have more conversations around why there is a need to embrace each other to move the map around care, and care for each other."

Fiscus says pinning one person against another is not going to solve differences, instead people must put their differences aside, listen to each other and work together to achieve goals.

"I feel that the heart of central Minnesota is St. Cloud and I love to see people coming together to help us claim and reunite that heart around love and faith."

About 40 people came out to gather on the steps of the courthouse.

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