Like many events over the past year, the upcoming 34th Annual Christian Prayer Breakfast, April 18-24, will look a little different. This year’s event offers the opportunity to bring the Prayer Breakfast experience into your own home. Former professional baseball pitcher, Cy Young award winner, two-time World Series champion, and country singer, Barry Zito will share his story of trying everything he could to find fulfillment in his life. Before accepting Jesus as his only Savior, Zito searched for identity and meaning by trying to control his own destiny through baseball.
In Curveball, Zito shares how as he achieved the highest levels of fame, success and money through his career that he “would have traded all the stuff for any form of peace and security.” In this free, virtual event, you can hear the inspiring story of a man who tried everything he could find to fill the emptiness that confronted him at seemingly every height that he achieved through his life.
A virtual event? What does that mean?
The 34th Annual Christian Prayer Breakfast will be a virtual event. That means that there will not be the normal, large in-person gathering to hear the keynote speaker. Instead, access to a video of keynote speaker Barry Zito sharing his story will be emailed out and available to watch from April 18-24. By signing up for access to the video, you’ll be able to watch the video on-demand when it is convenient for you.
How can I engage with the event?
This new Prayer Breakfast experience means that there are new ways to engage with the content of the event and share it with someone who may need to hear it.
1. Share the event on social media.
By sharing a link to the event page (https://fwcpborg.wpenginepowered.com/events/), you can help spread the word about the event and encourage others to sign up to get access to the video. Do you know a die-hard baseball fan? How about a county music lover? Barry Zito’s story of how baseball and music intersected with his path to find God might resonate with someone you know on social media.
On Facebook, you can click the share button on the event
You can copy and paste this message to post from your profile:
I can’t wait to hear the story of baseball legend and country singer, Barry Zito. He truly is a man who tried EVERYTHING to find fulfillment in his life. You can join me online for this free, virtual event! Learn more here: https://fwcpborg.wpenginepowered.com/events/
2. Host a watch party at your home.
The event video will be available to watch anytime, April 18-24. This means that you can invite others to your home to watch in a group. By watching together, this will present the opportunity to start meaningful conversations about life, Jesus, and what it means to find fulfillment outside of yourself. Consider inviting a close friend or family member who may be searching for answers to life or is struggling with their faith. You can also invite those in your circle who can support these conversations and share their own story of faith.
Make sure to send out some kind of invitation, which can be as informal as a text message or as formal as an Evite. Create a comfortable environment in your home. Consider having some light snacks and refreshments ready for your guests. The video will play from your phone or your computer, which means that can also stream the video to your smart TV. Use this guide streaming video to your TV from your phone, computer, or tablet.
To prepare for your watch party, you may want to watch the video in advance. You can watch the video and think about what questions might be good to ask your group when it is over to start the conversation. You can also have someone co-host the event with you to split up the duties.
3. Host a virtual watch party.
While life is beginning to regain a sense of normalcy, remember that everyone has a different approach to their own return to normal. Not everyone will feel comfortable with an in-person watch party in a home. Or you may just not be able to coordinate an in-person watch party at your home.
An alternative is to host a virtual watch party. You can do this by using platforms like Zoom or Discord. Both of these platforms allow you to share your screen. You can play the video from your computer and share your screen so that others that join you can watch at the same time. While watching the video, use the chat feature to start the conversation, share thoughts, and ask questions.
Just like an in-person watch party, set the date and time for your virtual watch party. Invite others to join you at a certain time to watch together. Encourage everyone to make it an event by setting aside the time and a designated quiet place to join the virtual watch party. Note that with a free Zoom account that there is a 40-minute limit for meetings with more than two people. Before you hit your time limit, pause the video or conversation and remind all your participants to leave the meeting and return by clicking the same link. This will restart your time.
4. Watch the video now, and start a discussion later.
Life is busy. You may not be able to coordinate an in-person or virtual watch party. Don’t worry! There are other opportunities to watch the video and engage with others. You could watch the video on your own, and then discuss the ideas of the video with someone you think could benefit from Barry Zito’s story. Alternatively, you could invite friends and family to watch the video on their own during the week, and then host a discussion at your home, virtually, or even perhaps at a park or on a patio.
5. Make prayer a priority.
No matter what you choose to do to engage with this year’s event, we encourage you to ask those that you’re with (physically or virtually) how you can pray for them, and then pray together. Please also pray for our local, state, and national leaders.
In Matthew 18:20 (NIV), Jesus tells his disciples, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Though this year’s Christian Prayer Breakfast may look different. We know that Jesus is with us even as we meet in smaller groups. No action is insignificant. No group is too small. No prayer request submitted with a humble heart is too trivial. The impact of this year’s event is just as significant as past year’s events, and the opportunity to share the gospel has never been greater.
We look forward to seeing the ways you take advantage of this unique opportunity. Let us know how you engage with the 34th Annual Christian Prayer Breakfast by posting on social media and including the hashtag #FWCPB2021. Your stories and photos may be shared on the Christian Prayer Breakfast’s social media channels.
