FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — More than 400 community members from various faiths gathered to pray at the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 13 in Nutter Field House.
The breakfast, which was organized by the 1st Engineer Brigade and included music from the 399th Army Band, began with chaplains from various units across the installation who took turns praying for the nation, community, service members and military families.
Chaplain (Maj.) Michael O’Rourke, U.S. Army Engineer School Regimental chaplain and ethics instructor, led the prayer for military families.
“I lift up our military families in prayer. Families of origin, families we create and all of those we choose to call family,” O’Rourke said. “I pray that you would grant resolve and courage to our families in times of being tested and challenged. I pray that we would prioritize our families and ensure we are doing all we can to foster healthy and flourishing relationships.”
Serving as this year’s guest speaker, Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) William Green, U.S. Army chief of chaplains, said he was honored to be at Fort Leonard Wood to participate in the National Prayer Breakfast.
“What a great way to start the day,” Green said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to be here with you to pray.”
He said he has a lot of respect for the Fort Leonard Wood community because so many men and women begin their military careers here.
“I call this a gateway for a lot of individuals. What you do here on a daily basis is extremely important. I am so thankful for what you do,” Green said.
Green talked about technology and how it relates to humans needing to be plugged in to a power source.
“Even our basic appliances can speak to us today. Our refrigerators can tell us when we need to buy more eggs. But these advanced appliances can’t even do the basics if they are not plugged in to a power source,” Green said. “We all have to be connected to our power source. We have to be connected to the source that gives us strength and power to face our challenges.”
He said the power of prayer is in, “the one who hears it and not in the one who says it.”
According to the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation’s website, the breakfast was founded in 1953, when President Dwight Eisenhower accepted an invitation to join members of Congress to break bread together and pray for the nation, the president and other national and international leaders. The annual event is usually held the first Thursday in February.
More photos from the event are available to view and download on the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr page.
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