Nancy Guthrie’s pastor shares message of hope on Today | National News

NEW YORK CITY, New York — Hoda Kotb sat down with Nancy Guthrie’s pastor on Tuesday morning for a conversation about Savannah Guthrie and her family are leaning on faith and the power of prayer. 

Michael Rudzena is the pastor of Good Shepherd New York, a Manhattan church that Savannah introduced her mother to when she started attending about 10 years ago.

While Nancy Guthrie regularly watches the church’s services online from Arizona, Rudzena has spoken with her in person on many occasions when she has attended services while visiting her daughter in New York.

“Nancy is a strong woman, and she is fiercely loving. Over the years, we’ve gotten to know what makes her tick, in some ways, from a faith perspective — the songs that mean something to her, the scriptures that are meaningful for her, which she shares through notes from time to time,” Rudzena told Hoda.

He continued, “Prayer opens up possibility in our own hearts and imaginations, and I think it also is in our story, in the Bible, in our faith tradition. Prayer is that dynamic connection with God that introduces new possibilities.”

Good Shepherd New York hosted a vigil last week to pray for Nancy Guthrie’s safe return.