Crescenta Valley Annual Community Prayer Breakfast committee members invite the public to the morning event. This is the fourth annual prayer breakfast. The keynote speaker is LASD Sheriff Jim McDonnell.
Crescenta Valley prepares for the annual prayer breakfast celebrating diversity and local youth.
By Jason KUROSU
The 4th Annual Crescenta Valley Prayer Breakfast will be held Tuesday, May 19 at Holy Redeemer Church, featuring leaders from a number of churches and participation from students in an event focused on youth.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell will be the keynote speaker, talking on the subject of “Speaking Life Into the Next Generation.”
Spiritual leaders from throughout the community will also be speaking at the breakfast, including Holy Redeemer’s Father Ed Dover, Bishop Steve Bush of the Church of Latter-day Saints, Pastor Andy Wilson from the La Crescenta Presbyterian Church, The Reverend Steve Poteete-Marshall from the Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church, Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian of the Armenian Western Diocese, Pastor Daniel Park of Joy Fellowship Church, Emanuel Davis and Bethany Encina from First Baptist Church and The Reverend Kirby Smith of St. Luke’s of the Mountains, among others.
Live music from local youth groups will include the Crescenta Valley High School’s Charismatics and Mixed Choral Ensemble.
Since its inception, the prayer breakfast has been held at a different church every year, most recently at First Baptist Church of La Crescenta. The first CV prayer breakfast was also held at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.
Although several community members sit on the prayer breakfast committee, the event origins can trace back to CV Town Councilmember Harry Leon and then-councilmember Danette Erickson.
Leon was inspired to begin the prayer breakfast for the CV area after attending the Glendale Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast years ago and seeing the various clergy and community members gathered.
The prayer breakfast represents what can happen when a community decides to come together, regardless of cultural or religious differences, Leon said.
The event is focused on the youth of the area. The committee had decided to do this to show the community’s support for the local youth and to pray for their future.
The choice of keynote speaker McDonnell was made after reading about the newly elected LASD sheriff hosting a prayer breakfast in Los Angeles. The committee felt it was a good way for McDonnell, who was elected as L.A. County Sheriff in November 2014, to meet the foothills community. Before becoming LASD sheriff, he served as the chief of police in Long Beach; prior to that he served with the L.A. Police Dept.
LASD out of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station is the law enforcement agency that is responsible for the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County/La Crescenta, the city of La Cañada and areas within the Angeles National Forest.
CV Sheriff’s Dept. personnel and volunteers support the community in a variety of ways including an annual holiday toy and food drive and its Haunted Jail and it also supports local organizations like Prom Plus.
The morning’s breakfast includes baked goods that are donated by various church members with fruit from Super King Markets and centerpieces from Forest Lawn.
According to Erickson, the proceeds from the event, along with donations, will go towards a number of different youth organizations and scholarship funds.
Those interested in attending the prayer breakfast may purchase tickets for $10 via the Crescenta Valley Town Council website or at the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce, Crescenta Valley Weekly and Holy Redeemer Church offices. Children’s attendance is free.
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