The South Pasadena Prayer Breakfast committee invites all in the community to attend its ninth annual event, to be held May 2 at ReNew United Methodist Church.
This year’s theme, “Sowing Peace: In our Hearts, Homes and Community,” reflects the committee’s belief that “peace in these troubled times grows from how we treat one another, how we honor each other,” said Nancy Norris, chair of the ecumenical planning committee.
Mark Roberts, a senior strategist for Fuller Seminary’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, will be the keynote speaker. The South Pasadena Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Children’s Choir and ReNew’s Rev. Sam Park will sing at the event, which is funded by private donations. This year’s sponsors include Michele Downing, Steve Norris, Moms in Prayer of South Pasadena, Oneonta Congregational Church, ReNew Church and Meg Middleman.
The Prayer Breakfast is free. The program starts at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 2, at ReNew United Methodist Church, 699 Monterey Road, South Pasadena. A continental breakfast will be served starting at 7:30 a.m.
“Come join us for pastries from Union Bakery while enjoying a spectacular view of South Pasadena from the church’s enormous courtyard,” breakfast committee member Karen Kano said. ReNew Church is at the top of the hill off Monterey Road on the same property as the Bilicke Mansion, which the church has been renovating into meeting spaces for community groups with funds raised by its congregation.
The mansion was once the home of hotelier and real estate magnate Albert Clay Bilicke, after whom Bilicke Tower, the South Pasadena water tank, is named.
“It’s exciting to see the work ReNew has done to create multi-use gathering spaces in the mansion and also to imagine the nature refuge they are creating in the wooded hills,” Kano said.
Posters for the event include the image of a clump of wheat, which is a symbol of charity, Kano said.
Each year, the breakfast committee awards grants to community groups who promote prayer and service.
“The green shoots offer hope as we sow seeds of peace, and the entanglement of roots represents the strength of community. As the plants grow, those roots become increasingly complex and deep,” she said.
The committee selected Roberts because he specializes in peacemaking through community building and spiritual direction. The writer of eight books, dozens of articles and more than 3,000 devotions that help readers connect faith to their daily life and leadership, Roberts was formerly the executive director of the De Pree Center, the lead pastor of a church in Southern California, and the senior director of Laity Lodge in Texas. Roberts most recently taught at Fuller Seminary on “Faith, Work, Economics and Vocation.”
This is the first time ReNew will be hosting the prayer breakfast. Previous events were held at Oneonta Church and Holy Family Church, and, in 2023, at Mosaic Church at the Rialto.
South Pasadena Prayer Breakfast is a nonprofit organization founded by local citizens and funded entirely by private donations. Since 2016, the group has raised more than $32,000 for local charities and programs that actively support prayer and service to the South Pasadena community.
“Any nonprofit can apply for a grant, especially if it serves South Pasadena and our surrounding community,” Norris said. “Not all may be granted, but we will do our best to honor specific requests for financial support.”
Grant applications for interested organizations will be available through the organization’s website, sopasprayerbreakfast.org. Visit the website or email southpasadenaprayer@gmail.com to learn about applying for a grant, become a sponsor and to register for the event.
First published in the April 19 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
