Church group preps for expanded prayer gathering
Event moving to Washington County Fairgrounds
Men of Honor Ministries staff are readying for a dramatically expanded Washington County Prayer Gathering next month, which could see up to ten times the attendance of the previous iteration of the event – the Washington County Prayer Breakfast.
The expanded event will offer free music, food and Christian worship opportunities at the Washington County Fairgrounds & Expo Center from 1 to 6 p.m. Sept. 13.
According to Men of Honor Ministries President Pat O’Brien, who organized the gathering, the nonprofit Christian organization is hoping to build on the legacy of event and organization founder Paul Powers, who died in 2024.
Powers started the prayer breakfast in the late 1990s as a tight-knit annual event at the DoubleTree on Racetrack Road, which regularly drew between 400 and 500 people, O’Brien said.
The revamped event, which brings together regional churches, congregants and the Christianity-curious for a family-friendly afternoon of Christian worship and music, is anticipated to bring up to 5,000 attendees.
According to O’Brien, Powers’ initial vision was “very well done,” saying that “we’re looking to walk in the same shoes as his, but just expand the scope.
“This year, our vision was broader and wider than what we had traditionally done … which necessitated the new name,” O’Brien said.
This increase in scope left the DoubleTree unsuitable for such a gathering, so O’Brien moved the event to the Washington County Fairgrounds & Expo Center – which will be temporarily renamed as the Washington County Prayer Grounds for the duration of the event.
“We’re looking forward to a big event,” O’Brien said. “Our hope is that there will be a unity in the church, in the Body of Christ and there will be a revival in Washington County.”
O’Brien said that partners Men of Honor Ministries, Neighbor 2 Neighbor, the City Mission, Word FM and Washington County Tourism have been working for over two years to deliver this year’s gathering.
From 1 to 3 p.m., attendees will be able to enjoy a free barbecue meal prepared by Chef Victor Najor of Fire of Coals Ministries before the keynote address is delivered by U.S. Prayer Force Founder Mike MacIntosh.
Christian musician Jonathan Traylor will perform starting at 4:30 p.m. ahead of a testimony of faith from Penn State All-American wrestler Rocco Welsh at 5 p.m.
Musician Jordan St. Cyr will close the program with a performance starting at 5:15 p.m., according to the event’s itinerary.
Proceeds will support the nonprofit Washington City Mission, O’Brien said.
“All of these challenges in our country and in our own families, we are prayerful and hopeful that the Lord can change these things … we’re praying for that healing, ” he said.
Additional information is available online at https://www.prayergathering.com/.