On June 4th, ARPA Canada was present at the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event in Ottawa, and quite possibly the biggest Christian political event of the year. The keynote speaker was Eric Metaxas, and his speech is now available online here. We’d encourage you to be encouraged by it. Mr. Metaxas truly spoke truth to power!

Early that morning, after the singing of the national anthem and an opening prayer, breakfast was served. This was a time of fellowship amongst guests – truly an opportunity to share the joys of living ones faith in the workplace. Many MPs were present, and ARPA had two sit at our table with their wives.

All present were then led through a time of prayer and meditation. Lois Brown, MP read the Statement of Purpose, and Ben Heppner, the famous Canadian tenor, led several hymns. The Hon. Jason Kenny, Joe Comartin MP and the Hon. Justin Trudeau shared scripture. Dr. Andrew Bennett, Ambassador for the Office of Religious Freedoms, then prayed for Canada and Nations of the World.

Following the time of prayer, guests were addressed by bestselling author, Eric Metaxas. Told with self-effacing humour, Metaxas shared a portion of his conversion story. Through surrendering his life to Christ, he found freedom. Next, Metaxas shared about the lives of other men of influence, primarily English politician William Wilberforce. He challenged the leaders present, to allow their faith to make a difference in the world: to love others, to fight for human dignity and to share the Good News by being an example in how we live out our lives. His powerful address left many reinvigorated and impassioned to be witness of the Word. Watch his incredible, powerful, motivational speech online here.

The event concluded with a prayer read by Vice-Admiral Bruce Donaldson, Vice-Chief of Defence Staff, and remarks from Colin Mayes, MP, followed by a final hymn sung by Ben Heppner. It was incredibly encouraging to worship and pray together in a massive room filled with political and other civic leaders.