In 1984, representatives from the Saint Paul, Minnesota, business and religious communities formed a committee to plan a prayer breakfast similar to the National Prayer Breakfast held annually in Washington, D.C. The first Greater Saint Paul prayer breakfast was held in November of that year with about 400 attending. It consisted of Bible readings, a welcome from the mayor of Saint Paul, people of our community offering prayers and music, and a keynote speaker giving a message of his faith experience.
The prayer breakfast became an annual event held in November of each year. The first prayer breakfasts were called the Saint Paul Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. Later, the name was changed to the “Greater Saint Paul Prayer Breakfast” in order to better describe the reach and impact of the breakfast. The event has been held in the ballroom of a local hotel, and attendance has ranged from 600 to over 700.
Each prayer breakfast has been planned by a committee of volunteers made up of business people and members of the faith community. The musicians and main speakers have been selected with a perspective to encourage and build our trust in God for our cities’ needs.
Committee meetings have been held monthly at the Union Gospel Mission in Saint Paul to plan each year’s breakfast, with an ongoing desire to build relationships and teamwork within the committee.
Contributions to Greater Saint Paul Prayer Breakfast are deductible for U.S. income tax purposes. Greater Saint Paul Prayer Breakfast is also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts. If you are interested in contributing, please contact David McKnight at dfmcknight@gmail.com.
We also welcome new individuals to the planning committee. If you are interested, please contact David at the e-mail address above.