A Starkville couple is traveling across Mississippi, visiting every county seat to pray and lift banners, aiming to inspire hope and change perceptions about the state. Charlotte Jean Todd Leonard and her husband, Terry Leonard, launched the Mississippi Jesus Banner Project in April 2025 and have stopped in 58 of the state’s 92 counties. They plan to finish their journey this summer in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary, according to Charlotte.
At each stop, the couple raises one of Charlotte’s hand-painted banners outside the courthouse, prays, then moves on to the next location. Charlotte said the project was born out of frustration over negative perceptions of Mississippi. “People talk poorly about Mississippi, and we’re trying to flip the script,” she said. “I got to the place where I was like, ‘Terry, I’m sick of this. We’re going to have to do something about it.’”
The banners, which Charlotte has been creating for nearly two decades, are shipped worldwide, with recipients in countries including Singapore, Mexico, Germany, and China. “It’s amazing,” Terry Leonard said. “You can touch the world from right here, starting from Mississippi.”
Charlotte’s passion for banners started in 2006 when she hand-painted her first one and brought it to a conference in Jackson. After an attendee wanted to buy it, she realized there was interest in her work and launched Raised Praise Bannerflags in 2007. Today, she continues to hand-paint each silk banner in her studio, which is located behind their home.
The project is rooted in Isaiah 44, which Charlotte says she references at each courthouse stop. She explained the passage speaks of God pouring water on thirsty land and blessing future generations. The couple reports strong support for their efforts and says others in different states are starting similar journeys, including in California and Texas. Their goal is to complete their Mississippi tour by summer’s end and then help launch similar initiatives in Alabama.
Once finished, the Leonards plan to declare blessings over the entire state of Mississippi and, eventually, expand the project beyond. The effort is supported by the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at the University of Southern Mississippi, according to the report.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
