The third annual Lancaster Prayer Breakfast was held at Shady Maple on Nov. 1. As in the past, the event was organized to focus on prayer in several vital areas - business, government, arts/entertainment/media, education, nonprofit organizations, family, and the church.

Tracey Jones, president of Tremendous Leadership and T3 Solutions, welcomed the gathering and invited those present to join in worship led by Daniel Seiz, worship pastor with Worship Center, Lancaster. "Prayer is the power source for the body of Christ," Jones pointed out. "The Lancaster Prayer Breakfast endeavors to further the rich heritage and spiritual values handed down by the founding fathers." Seven community leaders were asked to speak and pray concerning a specific area with which they had experience.

Ed Herr, CEO of Herr Foods, offered the prayer for the business community. "We have an incredible opportunity to be humbled by God's greatness and to realize daily that He's in charge," said Herr. "That relieves all my stress to know that God's in charge." He went on to state, "It creates hope, purpose, and excitement."

Congressman Lloyd Smucker delved into the history of the 1787 Constitutional Congress in Philadelphia, where delegates worked on the Articles of Confederation, and he shared about Ben Franklin's call for daily prayer during that event. Smucker asked, "What are we called to do besides pray?" and he answered, "God calls us to be an influence in all areas of life. ... Our government, our society, and our community will be impacted by what we choose to do and what we choose not to do."

This year, Kim Miller of Sight & Sound Theatre was asked to pray for the arts/entertainment/media area. She began by acknowledging the power of media over all humans. "I believe the world is crying out for truth," she stated. "In a world that is so lost and hurting, we have the answers," she continued. "We have the life people are looking for."

Keith Garner, head of school at Lititz Area Mennonite School, led prayers in the area of education. Garner immediately noted that prayers would be offered for both private and public schools. "Education is at its heart a sacred task," Garner said. "I ask you to lift up every teacher, every student, every family, and every school (asking for) God's guidance, His protection, and His peace acknowledging He is present in every classroom."

Prayer for nonprofit organizations was an addition to this year's prayer breakfast. Peter Greer, CEO of HOPE International and author of "Lead With Prayer," took to the podium to pray for area ministries and other organizations. "In Lancaster County, let's not grow weary of doing good, both here and beyond," said Greer, who noted the challenges of helping others. "Pray for renewed strength for those who might be growing weary ... for renewed visions and integration of faith in action." He also asked for prayers for a spirit of unity. "We're on the same team ... and we serve a God of abundance, not scarcity," he stated. Greer also pointed out that Christ chose prayer as the most important thing to do the night before he went to the cross.

Bruce McCracken, founder of The Marriage Hub, prayed for the area of family. McCracken pointed out that God's role as Father is repeatedly under attack by the enemy. "God wants our Christian marriages to be a beacon of His sacrificial, unconditional, unbreakable, and saving love to a lost and dying world," he said. Pointing to the power of prayer to counter these attacks, he specifically asked for prayers for husbands and wives, children, single-parent families, and blended families.

Beau Eckert, senior pastor of Calvary Church, Lancaster, offered prayers for the church, saying "God sustains and continues to build His church in times of peace and persecution, and He isn't going to stop." Eckert asked attendees to pray that "pastors and churches would continue to preach the Gospel and equip their people to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this fallen and broken world."

As each speaker finished, attendees were asked to pray in groups at their individual tables. This year, prayers that could be used for each topic were printed in a booklet.

The 2024 prayer breakfast was attended by nearly 540 people - an increase of 100 over the 2023 attendance. Next year's breakfast will be held on Friday, Nov. 7. Readers who would like more information may visit http://www.lancasterprays.com.