By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

The National Day of Prayer on May 4 will be observed in Geneseo at the Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast.

The event, with the serving line opening at 6:30 a.m., and the program from 7 to 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 4, at St. Malachy Church, 595 East Ogden Ave., Geneseo, is sponsored by the Geneseo Ministerial Association and is open to all area residents. The Ministerial Association serves the entire Geneseo School District, including Atkinson. Breakfast will be served beginning at 6:30 a.m.

The Rev. Laura Kamprath, pastor at First Lutheran Church in Geneseo, is president of the Geneseo Ministerial Association.

Honorary host is Geneseo Mayor Sean Johnson. Laity from area churches will lead prayers for the nation, state, community and world. Featured speaker is Mike Sigwalt, director of the Geneseo/Atkinson Food Pantry.

Tickets, at $16 each, can be purchased in advance online. Tickets are electronic and no printed copy is necessary, those ordering tickets will receive an email confirmation of their ticket purchase. Their names will be added to the list of paid attendees along with the number of tickets purchased. To purchase advance tickets, visit https://www.peopleneedjesus.org/prayerbreakfast.

Tickets for tables of eight people also are available at a discounted price of $125. Tables cannot be purchased online, but may be reserved by emailing info@peopleneedjesus.org. Names of those people will be placed on the table reservation list “pay the day of the breakfast” at the door on May 4. . The group’s name will be displayed on a placard on the table.

The idea for the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast originated with the Rev. Dr. Chris Ritter, directing pastor at First United Methodist Church, Geneseo.

Ten years ago on the National Day of Prayer, he and two others gathered outside Geneseo City Hall to pray for their community, state and nation.

“I decided then that Geneseo could do a better job of commemorating this important event,” Rev. Ritter said. “Since our U.S. presidents convene a Presidential Prayer Breakfast with the help of religious leaders throughout the country, I saw no reason why the Geneseo Ministerial Association could not help our Mayor to hold an event on the community level.”