‘Praying for America’s Leaders’: Orange County Mayors’ Breakfast to Be Held in Irvine Sept. 30

More than 400 dignitaries including civic leaders, clergy, and military personnel filled the ballroom of the Irvine Marriott near capacity for the 56th Annual Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast in Newport Beach, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2021. Lynn Hackman/The Epoch Times

Hosted by the nonprofit ministry Orange Coast Christian Outreach, the 57th Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast will be held in Irvine, California, at the Marriott Hotel from 7–9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 30.

Local government, religious, and civic leaders will gather with the purpose of “praying for America’s leaders,” according to the event organizer. The Epoch Times is honored to be the media sponsor for the event.

Guests include eight Orange County mayors, Congress Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Huntington Beach), State Sen. Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), Assemblyman Steve Choi (R-Irvine), along with the presidents of Vanguard and Concordia Universities.

Hosted by the nonprofit ministry Orange Coast Christian Outreach, the 57th Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Irvine, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2022.

The local Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast started in 1964—modeled after the annual National Prayer Breakfast first held by President Eisenhower in Washington in 1953—and has grown from including only the Mayor of Newport Beach to mayors of all of coastal Orange County, according to Dana Haynes, chairman of the Orange Coast Christian Outreach.

“The mission is to support and encourage our mayors through prayer,” Haynes told The Epoch Times.

The Christian outreach consists of volunteers dedicated to “changing lives one story at a time” through personal stories demonstrating unique or difficult circumstances overcome through Christian faith.

The 2022 keynote speaker is Michael Franzese, a former sworn member and underboss of the Colombo crime syndicate, with nearly 300 men under his command at one point.

A church steeple near the intersection of Hazard St. and Harbor Blvd., known to authorities as a hotspot for human trafficking in Orange County, in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 24, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

After a renewal of his Christian faith in the 1990s, Franzese left the mafia life and became a motivational speaker encouraging young people at prisons, schools, and churches that no one is beyond God’s redemption in this life.

The husband and father is the author of four books and hosts a YouTube channel where he shares the ins and outs of mafia activities in the United States with nearly 1 million followers.

After some of the Christian outreach committee members heard Franzese’s speech, they think his story carries a message of transformation showing “how God can work miracles in everyone’s lives,” Haynes said.

The annual event creates the opportunity for local mayors to discuss the importance of faith in Orange County with the community and to “restore and reaffirm the spiritual heritage of America,” according to the organizer.

Tickets for the event range from $65 for each person to $10,000 for a platinum sponsorship with options to donate a table to military personnel and first responders.