YMCA annual prayer breakfast draws a crowd with keynote speaker Courtney B. Vance
Religion and the role of spirituality in helping humans rise up to meet God’s calling took center stage Thursday at the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA, where hundreds attended an annual community prayer breakfast featuring keynote speaker actor Courtney B. Vance.
A La Cañada resident known most recently for his award-winning portrayal of attorney Johnnie Cochran in FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” Vance delivered an address on “The Content of Our Character” that punctuated a morning filled with prayer, song and fellowship.
Leaders from area churches of many denominations offered prayers of thanksgiving and to the world, nation, state and city of La Cañada Flintridge. YMCA Chaplain Pastor Mark Yeager emceed the event, while soloist Kesha Shantrell filled the packed gymnasium with soulful song.
Chaplain Lucinda Guarino acquainted the audience with YMCA of the Foothills’ Chaplain Services program, which sends more than 100 trained chaplains to community members in need of encouragement, compassion and support.
Guarino shared the story of a Y member who entered the program to lose weight and began a journey that addressed his mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellness in the wake of losing his mother.
“I’m happy to say that through all of these trials, this member has lost over 100 pounds,” Guarino told the audience. “He is very active and stable, and doing great things. He has renewed his relationship with the lord.”
Yeager offered another story of hope from the Y’s chaplain program with the tale of “Joseph,” a man incarcerated at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station who sought spiritual guidance through troubled times. Yeager came to know him and was able to show him a pathway to the kind of life he wanted for himself after prison.
“He’s grabbing hold and he’s moving forward, and I’m so proud to call him my friend,” Yeager said, addressing Joseph, in attendance at Thursday’s prayer breakfast.
Vance continued the theme of overcoming personal obstacles on the pathway to fulfilling God’s purpose, recounting the life and personal struggles of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
As a young man, King had to emerge of the shadow of his larger-than-life father to discover his own calling which, at some points in his life, pulled him in directions he’d not planned to go. Ultimately, he had to make sacrifices to realize his destiny, Vance said.
“God always asks more of us,” he told the hushed crowd. “The question is, will we say, ‘Here I am Lord, send me?’ Are we willing to overcome the fears we each have to give of our time, our love, our energy, our passions and our service for the glory of almighty God?”
Twitter: @SaraCardine
