Prayer Breakfast 2010

For the fifth time, on the first Friday of November, a Prayer Breakfast was held in Riga, attended by around three hundred people. This tradition, begun in the United States in 1952, has already been adopted by more than 40 countries. As always, national leaders were invited to the Prayer Breakfast, and President Valdis Zatlers also took part. Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis was on a working visit to Estonia that day. Participants included members of the Saeima, municipal leaders, representatives of culture, science, the arts, sport and education, and leaders of Latvia's religious denominations.

Inese Slesere, head of the executive committee of the Prayer Breakfast society, noted: "Previously we have emphasized the immeasurable importance of God's blessing for the life of a person and of a country. This year special attention will be given to hope. At a time when Latvia and the whole world have been touched by crisis, hope is of enormous importance."

One of the main speakers at the event was the evangelist from the United States, Franklin Graham.

The Honorary Committee of the Prayer Breakfast included: Archbishop Janis Vanags of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, Cardinal Emeritus Janis Pujats of the Roman Catholic Church in Latvia, Bishop Peteris Sprogis of the Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia, Orthodox Metropolitan Alexander of Riga and All Latvia, former President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis, and Archbishop-Metropolitan Zbignevs Stankevics of the Roman Catholic Church in Latvia.

Participation in the breakfast included a voluntary contribution of 25 lats and, as before, part of this money will be donated to soup kitchens for the poor in Riga.