Nellis hosts National Prayer breakfast Published Feb. 20, 2013 By Chaplain (Capt.) Aaron Thorne 99th Air Base Wing Chapel NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- This year's National Prayer Breakfast observance is scheduled for 8 a.m. March 1 at the Club. The featured speaker is Chaplain (Maj.) Kenneth Beale, a 99th Air Base Wing chaplain. The focus of this year's breakfast is "God and Country" based on the lessons learned during Beale's deployment experiences. The National Prayer Breakfast is an opportunity for Americans of all faiths to gather together, break bread in fellowship, and pray for our nation, our leaders, and also ourselves. The National Prayer Breakfast is a tradition that dates back to the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. President Eisenhower would join with members of his cabinet and the legislature, as well as his friends, to pray for the nation. Since then, it has been customary for the sitting president to do likewise each year. The various departments within the executive branch of the federal government eventually began holding their own prayer breakfasts or luncheons. Within the Department of Defense, it is common to see observances of the National Prayer Breakfast held on most military facilities. While many of us attend regular worship services within our own faith traditions, the National Prayer Breakfast is unique. The National Prayer Breakfast provides an opportunity to share breakfast and pray alongside a wider circle of military and civic leaders who reflect a greater cross-section of society. At the National Prayer Breakfast, we strive to find a common attitude of prayer that allows us to pray among and for Americans of all faiths. This does not negate regular holy days of worship; rather, it gives us an opportunity to celebrate a very special military community experience. Tickets to the National Prayer Breakfast are $5 for officers, civilians and family members; enlisted service members can attend for free. Tickets can be purchased at the chapel or from your unit chaplain. For more information, call the chapel at 652-2950.
