300 congregate for Nat'l Prayer Breakfast

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. Ray Bowden
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Nearly 300 Airmen and civilians congregated at Incirlik's Consolidated Club Wednesday morning to participate the wing's 2008 National Prayer Breakfast, a service featuring guest speaker Air Force Chief of Chaplains, Chap. (Maj. Gen.) Charles Baldwin.

The tradition that evolved into the National Prayer Breakfast, known as the Presidential Prayer Breakfast, began in 1942 when various members of Congress began meeting weekly to pray for U.S. leader's and servicemember's involvement in World War II.

Wednesday's event, organized by the 39th Air Base Wing Chapel staff, opened with a few words of welcome from Master of Ceremonies, Chap. (Capt.) Gerald Harvey, before Staff Sgt. Mechele Newell, 39th Medical Support Squadron, sang the Turkish National Anthem and nine year-old Adriana Rivera sang the US National Anthem.

Following an invocation by Vernon Reddick, ordained minister, attendants were given the opportunity to partake in a buffet-style breakfast, although many people were there to seek spiritual fulfillment.

"We came to hear Chaplain Baldwin's message," said Staff Sgt. James White, 728th Air Mobility Squadron, referring to himself and his wife, Nicole White. "We're here to express our faith."

Others expressed an appreciation for the diversity of the gathering.

"Every major religion is represented here," said Chief Master Sgt. Paul Maynard 728 AMS. "It's a very diverse group."

After a brief introduction by Col. Phil McDaniel, 39 ABW commander, Chaplain Baldwin took the stage and elaborated on the 2008 Prayer Breakfast theme of "i God meets i Needs through i Prayer" by stressing the importance of reserving time for religious devotion.

"Faith gets us through troubling times," he said. "It is important we set aside time every day to invigorate our faith."

Chaplain Baldwin referred to the biblical story of Jeremiah to illustrate the current NPB theme. According to the chaplain, Jeremiah challenged his people to hope for better times. Chaplain Baldwin encouraged the audience to follow Jeremiah's example by placing their trust in God and hoping for a positive resolution to today's problems.

After Chaplain Baldwin concluded, Colonel McDaniel took the stage and presented the chaplain with a 39 ABW coin.

The 90-minute event concluded with the Incirlik Community Choir leading the audience through "America the Beautiful" and a benediction by 39 ABW Chaplain (Maj.) James Tims, who prayed for the President, military advisors and all service members.

Later, Tech. Sgt. Angella Ramirez, 39th Mission Support Squadron, said the National Prayer Breakfast helped foster spiritual renewal among the attendees.

"I believe the prayer breakfast is very important. It's great for people to get together and celebrate religion. It's rejuvenating."

Both Chaplains Tims and Harvey appeared pleased with the turn-out.

"It was great to see Incirlik support this prayer breakfast. Chaplain Baldwin really 'rang the bell' with his lesson. His message was one of substance and timelessness, especially when considering the uncertain world we live in," he said.

Chaplain Harvey said he was ecstatic with the attendance and very happy that so many people of various religious beliefs felt comfortable to come together.

"One of our major goals is to promote unity," he said. "That's why we featured several different holy readings, among other things. I believe we achieved our goal of being all-inclusive today."
Senior Master Sgt. Pamela Jones, 39th Logistics Readiness Squadron, said accepting and appreciating the diverse array of religions and denominations is the first step toward making such an event successful.

"It doesn't matter what religion we adhere to; the fact that we all came together for a common cause is the key thing to remember. We should remember that this is the National Prayer Breakfast; a time when all citizens can come together and pray for peace.

Colonel McDaniel concurred, saying the NPB is a tremendously effective way of bringing Incirlik together as a family.

"The breakfast gives us an opportunity to attend to our spiritual needs. This is a side of us that is often overlooked while we accomplish our day-to-day responsibilities, but spiritual fitness is as important as physical fitness."