The National Leadership Prayer Breakfast Committee plans to re-engage and reassure Jamaicans through messages of faith, hope and love at the hybrid staging of its 42nd Annual National Leadership Prayer Breakfast (NLPB) next Thursday, January 20. 

The breakfast will be the commemorating event for the NLPB’s Prayer Week, which runs from January 13 – 20.

Making the official disclosure at the virtual press briefing and launch of the 2022 NLPB yesterday (January 13), chairman of the NLPB Committee Rev. Sam McCook noted that the team aims to affirm the relevance of the initiative. 

He emphasised that the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast remains relevant as it continues to promote unity and peace, especially in present times when there seems to be much turmoil in various spheres of society.  

“The NLPB Committee is hoping that this year’s theme of ‘Pressing Forward in Faith, Hope and Love’ will inspire Jamaica’s leaders in all sectors and at all levels to re-discover and reinforce these essential characteristics as they confront challenges in 2022,” Rev. McCook stated.

“The church, through the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast and its related activities, is seeking to support our leaders with an opportunity for prayerful reflection and spiritual guidance at the start of what promises to be another challenging year. Our message is a positive one, anchored in our shared experiences of God’s blessing in our lives and in our nation. Despite the many challenges and negative situations that we have experienced and expect to face, it is empowering to know that Faith, Hope and Love remain,” McCook added.

For the second consecutive year, the NLPB will also feature youth speaker, Jhenelle Small, valedictorian of the University of the West Indies (The UWI) graduating class of 2021.

This decision is part of the plan by the committee to widen the reach of the annual initiative and forge a deeper engagement with the youth whom they wish to see becoming more actively engaged in righteous, productive and positive matters. 

The event will return to its original venue at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel after being held virtually last year due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The hybrid approach to this year’s NLPB will allow for a limited number of invited guests including government officials, members of the clergy and journalists to be at the physical location.  This is in keeping with current COVID-19 protocols. 

Sponsors of the NLPB, the VM Group, will be streaming the event live via their Facebook and YouTube pages. A streaming code will also be shared with media partners and churches ahead of time so they can carry the event on their various social media platforms.

The public will also be able to catch live and delayed broadcasts on several local media. The Prayer Breakfast will commence at 7:30 am.

Also speaking at Thursday’s media briefing and launch of the NLPB, Courtney Campbell, President and CEO of the VM Group, stated that his team is again pleased to support the cause of the Prayer Breakfast.  

“The VM Group has proudly supported the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast for 37 years because we know first-hand, the value and potency of faith and prayer. We are in the business of transforming lives, but we cannot do it alone. We have seen the intervening hand of God throughout our history, and this is part of what is fueling us to unprecedented growth and expansion,” Campbell explained.

He further stated that the Prayer Breakfast has been a beacon to the community for 42 years, having remained steadfast in seeking spiritual protection, strength and inspiration for leaders of the country and in making a meaningful impact in communities through charitable contributions. 

“I am pleased that the Clifton Boys’ Home will benefit from this year’s National Leadership Prayer Breakfast staging and that the boys will receive useful transformative skills. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on many of our nation’s students – but particularly on those already burdened by social and financial challenges. We are happy to support this effort to intervene and effect meaningful change,” he disclosed. 

Proceeds from each year’s Prayer Breakfast are donated to a local charity or charitable cause. The Clifton Boys’ Home in Darliston, Westmoreland will get a boost to its Education Intervention Project as this year’s beneficiary.

The project aims to fill the educational gap among some of the boys whose academic performance has been affected, especially in recent times due to challenges posed by COVID-19 restrictions in the education system.

Last year’s proceeds from the NLPB were used to procure laptops and tablets for students in rural Jamaica who needed the devices to access online classes.