Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The 37th annual Suffolk Leadership Prayer Breakfast will be held at 7 a.m. May 6, the committee announced recently. Tickets will go on sale April 1 at the Suffolk Visitor Center, 524 N. Main St.

This event is normally held concurrently with the National Day of Prayer on the first Thursday in May and will be held again this year with all Centers for Disease Control and Virginia guidelines observed, including appropriate distancing when entering, exiting and while seated, as well as all safety precautions taken throughout the event, the press release from the event’s organizers stated.

The Leadership Prayer Breakfast is a sellout each year. Though originally held in October during Peanut Fest, the event was moved to the first Thursday in May to coincide with the National Day of Prayer.

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Breakfast Group inaugurated the National Prayer Breakfast 68 years ago to seek God’s guidance as well as to reaffirm their faith in God, His plan and purposes. It continues to be held annually in Washington, D.C., hosted by members of Congress and each year is attended by the President of the United States, who is always a participant on the program. Every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has participated in the annual event.

Also, Virginia leaders have for many years met in Richmond for the annual Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast with the Governor of Virginia held on the morning of the opening day of the Virginia General Assembly. These events as well as the Suffolk Leadership Prayer Breakfast are part of the National Prayer Breakfast movement, and its format is typically identical to that of the National Prayer Breakfast.

The speaker and music for the Suffolk Leadership Prayer Breakfast are usually not announced ahead. Last year’s speaker was former KGB spy Jack Barsky. Other past speakers have included such notables as Virginia governors, lieutenant governors and attorneys general, as well as Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity; Steve Saint of the movie “End of the Spear”; Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, undersecretary of defense for intelligence; Holly McClure, film producer; Maurice Watkins, U.S. Olympic boxing coach; heroes from the war in Iraq; New York City firefighters involved in the response on Sept. 11, 2001; Lt. j.g. Jeffrey R. Vignery, the co-pilot of EP-3 plane downed in China, and numerous others.

Musicians who have participated have included Sandye Whitfield, the extraordinary blind singer-songwriter Marlana VanHoose, former Miss Americas and Miss Virginias, multi-time Grammy winners and more.

Tickets for the Suffolk Leadership Prayer Breakfast will go on sale April 1 at the Suffolk Visitor Center, 524 N. Main St. The Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be contacted by phone at 757-514-4130 or by email at visitsuffolk@suffolkva.us.

Businesses and leaders may purchase tables of six seats for $120. Individual tickets are available for $20 per person. This breakfast frequently sells out quickly, and it is recommended that tickets be purchased early to assure availability. Exact change is required if paying by cash due to COVID-19 restrictions. Tickets are not available at the door.