The 2013 Governor’s Prayer Breakfast will feature an all-star lineup of speakers including Jolinda Wade, mother of NBA star Dwyane Wade, as well as Marquette University basketball coach Buzz Williams, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Chris Narveson and Gov. Scott Walker.
The breakfast, set for Thursday, May 2, honors the National Day of Prayer, held on the first Thursday of May each year.
Originally organized more than 40 years ago by the Milwaukee Jaycees, an affiliate of a national service group, the annual breakfast brings together members of all faiths and denominations for a morning of prayer and reflection.
“We like people to be at ease as to what they want to pray for,” said John Fisco, Jr., publisher of the Christian Courier newspaper, which organizes the breakfast.
The Milwaukee-based newspaper began spearheading the event about 25 years ago when the Milwaukee Jaycees had to downsize and could no longer afford to manage it. Prayer breakfasts like Milwaukee’s are held all across the country.
“(The breakfast) has a great impact on a lot of people,” Fisco said. “Many people don’t always publicly talk about prayer in their life or their faith, and they like to come to this. They like to hear others talk about it. It’s an inspiration to them. So we find that the results are very, very promising for the individuals.”
While the breakfast invites attendees to pray in their own way, part of the program is devoted to praying for leaders in office.
“There’s always an emphasis on prayer for our nation, prayer for our governmental leaders from the national level right on down to the local level,” said Bob Conklin, president of Milwaukee-based Conklin Real Estate Services which serves as a sponsor of the breakfast.
Keynote speaker Jolinda Wade, now a pastor in Chicago, will also address personal prayer as she shares how her faith turned her life around when it propelled her to overcome drug abuse.
“It’s a story you’ll never forget,” Fisco said.
This year’s prayer breakfast will run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Italian Conference Center, 631 E. Chicago St. in Milwaukee. Tickets cost $30 per person. Sponsorship tables are also available.
The prayer breakfast can hold about 800 people, and 700 spots are already reserved, according to Fisco. Once all breakfast tickets have been sold, individuals interested in attending will still be welcome to sit in on the program.
“We won’t turn anybody away,” Fisco said.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.wisconsingovernorsprayerbreakfast.com.
