The new US President Donald Trump has invited BNP Acting Chairman Tarek Rahman, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury to the 'National Prayer Breakfast' to be held in the month of February.
But what is this National Prayer Breakfast? Is it the beginning or where and is it related to the assumption of power of the President of the United States – or how much? Let's find out.
In April 1935, 19 businessmen gathered in Seattle, Washington to deal with a critical situation. To find a way out of the tensions and divisions of social life, they turn to a story almost two thousand years old. The story is about Jesus Christ and it started at a dinner table.
According to the account in John chapter 21 of the Bible, Jesus invited some of his friends to breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. At that breakfast he caught plenty of fish by divine power; God's love is demonstrated by forgiving Peter, who denied Him. He reminded people of the importance of coming together, eating together, making friends and praying.
These Seattle businessmen began meeting regularly and a new outlook on life was born. They resolve to be ambassadors of reconciliation in their personal and professional lives. At the same time they become responsible towards the poverty stricken and downtrodden people of their city and beyond.
As they spread the word about the importance of these small groups in the months and years that followed, many more breakfast groups were formed. Beginning in Washington state, the initiative spread to San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and in 1942, Washington DC. Such breakfast groups are also formed in the Senate and House of Representatives of the US Congress.
In today's world, this simple idea—people coming together for mutual encouragement and friendship and striving to find a better way—has spread to more than 180 countries around the world. This ancient concept centered on the teachings, principles and personality of Jesus Christ has met the long-standing needs of people at every level of modern society.
Dwight D. as the first US president in 1953. Eisenhower attended a breakfast meeting. At the invitation of Christian preacher Billy Graham, he agreed to join it. Although not openly religious, Eisenhower said during his presidency that the United States needed a spiritual revival.
It was under Eisenhower's leadership that the addition of 'In God, We Trust' to US currency and the words 'Under God' to the national oath were added. The aim of these initiatives was to prevent 'Red Scare' or communism in the Soviet Union after the Second World War.
Every US president since then has regularly attended this breakfast meeting. Evangelist Billy Graham and his son Franklin Graham have maintained close ties to presidents for decades and their influence in Washington has grown. Similarly, a group known as 'The Family' also played a role in this influence.
Currently, the US National Prayer Breakfast is organized by the White House and the National Prayer Breakfast Committee.
