The community is invited to “sit around the campfire” for a conversation at this year’s Turlock Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast that will encourage living a true, authentic life.
National speaker and author John Lynch is the guest at the event that allows Turlock residents to come together and pray for the city’s wellbeing, but those who attended last year’s breakfast may be familiar with the name.
Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt shared his testimony at the 2017 prayer breakfast, mentioning a man that helped him “work through some difficult issues, mainly, being authentic…with myself, my wife, my fans and most importantly, with God.”
“Jeremy talked about a guy that changed his life and got him to see things from a different perspective, and the guy he referred to was John Lynch,” said prayer breakfast committee member Jim Madsen. “We felt he would be a good follow-up to Jeremy’s talk last year.”
Lynch has co-authored the books “The Cure” and “Behind the Mask,” and is the sole author of “On My Worst Day” – all of which share a message of getting to know God on a more personal level. At this year’s prayer breakfast, Lynch will share with those in attendance the importance of authenticity.
“His message is all about being authentic in who we are, and being the real us instead of putting on a show or putting on a different face,” Madsen said.
Since 1994, the Turlock Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast has served as a place where the community can pray for local government leaders, public safety officials, the city’s youth and both Turlock and the nation as a whole. Over the years, it has grown to mean something special to Turlock’s residents, Madsen said.
“I think it truly is a community event, and it’s something that is a chance for us to come together as not just a faith community, but as a geographical community to pray for our country and our leaders,” he said.
Dave Dravecky, will serve as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. Dravecky, a former Giants pitcher who lost his arm to cancer, served as a speaker for the Prayer Breakfast in 1998. Speakers at the prayer breakfast are often those who have relied on the power of prayer to overcome hurdles in their lives, like Dravecky, or the event’s speaker in 2016, Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who was the last person pulled alive from the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11 attack.
While annually, the speaker provides a source of inspiration during the prayer breakfast, Madsen hopes that those who attend the event walk away having remembered the power of prayer.
“The goal is to foster prayer in our lives throughout the year,” he said. “We really hope that people see prayer can be a part of their every day life and this is a chance to encourage that.”
Mayor Gary Soiseth will lead the 25th annual prayer breakfast, held from 6:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. May 11 at the Assyrian American Civic Club, 1618 N. Golden State Blvd.
Tickets can be purchased for $25 at any of the following locations: Geiger’s Fine Jewelers, Canal Veterinary Hospital, La Mo Coffee House and La Mo Restaurant, Majesty Bible & Gifts or online at www.turlockprayerbreakfast.com.
