Prayer breakfast encourages unity
OTTAWA, ON—Political leaders from across party lines gathered together in early June to take part in the National Prayer Breakfast. The annual event is an extension of private weekly prayer breakfasts where Members of Parliament (MPs) gather to encourage each other and pray for our nation.
"Politics is all about building relationships, that's how things get done," says Jack Murta, who oversees the prayer breakfast activities. "When you build relationships with someone of faith, you may not agree with anything they say or how they vote, but there is a strong bond there. It builds respect and allows the political process to operate better."
The idea of a parliamentary prayer breakfast started in Oregon in 1952, when a group of Christian leaders decided to meet and pray in response to corruption in their city. The city began to change and one of the Christians was elected mayor. Around the same time, several Canadian MPs were meeting to pray and discuss their struggles. The prayer breakfast model quickly caught on.
"Canada picked up on the success of the American model and we had our first National Prayer Breakfast 48 years ago," Murta says. "Now, they are in pretty much every country in the world. I think it matters to people to know that their leaders have faith."
While the National Prayer Breakfast provides a public setting for delegates from each party to read Scripture and pray for the nation, the private weekly breakfasts allow MPs from opposing parties to openly discuss struggles, share ideas and pray together.
"They have a trust among each other, so they are able to do that," Murta explains. "There isn't any political posturing. I think we are fortunate that it has always been the case in Canada [that leaders gathered to pray]."
Murta says many MPs find it difficult going from the prayer breakfast in the morning to Question Period in the afternoon. He explains that while critical debate is an integral part of government, he sees a difference in the MPs who pray.
"When you pray with someone, it changes things. You and I can pray together, then go [to Question Period] and debate aggressively, but we can still go away and have coffee afterwards, and that's what you see happen. No matter what happens afterwards, it's always better when people [spend time] in a room praying."
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