Lankford to serve as co-chair of prayer breakfast
U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, was recently named cochairman of the 2019 National Prayer Breakfast.
Lankford will serve as chairman, along with U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.
The announcement about the 2019 co-chairmen was made at the 66th annual prayer event held recently in Washington, D.C. Lankford and Coons both spoke at the gathering about their weekly Senate prayer gathering, and how faith is a common bond that unites them.
“Prayer is a unifying force in our country,” Lankford said. “When the pressures of life build and politics divide us, prayer refocuses and recommits us to our relationship with God and each other. One of America’s greatest freedoms is the right to live your faith, or have no faith at all. Freedom of religion has played such an important part in the creation of our country; it is only fitting that we continue to recognize prayer and its important role in the lives of so many Americans through the National Prayer Breakfast.”
Each year, more than 3,000 people attend the event, and every president since President Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 has participated.
The event is always chaired by a Republican and a Democrat, and the leadership switches back and forth between the House and the Senate every year. This year’s prayer breakfast was co-chaired by U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla.
Lankford said many people think of the prayer breakfast as one event, but it actually is made up of several activities that draw leaders and dignitaries from all over the world.