Prayer Events Planned Ahead of Missouri Legislative Session
The new Missouri Legislative session is quickly approaching, and several events are planned to pray for the state, the governor and legislators.
The Missouri Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission and Concord Baptist Church will hold its annual Prayer Service for Missouri Government Leaders at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Organizers say the event is based on 1 Timothy 2:1-3, which commands that “entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority.”
Numerous statewide officeholders, lawmakers, legislative staff and leaders of Missouri’s judiciary are expected to attend the event. Wesley Vance, president of the Missouri Baptist Convention and executive pastor of Crossway Baptist Church in Springfield, will be the featured speaker. The prayer service is free and open to the public.
Over the last few years, prayer has become an increasingly important component of those working legislation and policies that positively impact children and families.
“Every year we start off the session with prayer because we know that everything depends on Him,” Bev Ehlen, founder and president of Liberty Link Missouri, told Metro Voice. The organization holds educational events across the state during the year and advocates for public policy that protects life and liberty and strengthens families.
Gov. Mike Kehoe and First Lady Claudia Kehoe invite Missourians to attend the 2026 Governor’s Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on January 14 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Jefferson City. The prayer breakfast is an annual faith-based event for all state leaders and citizens from across Missouri, with the purpose of seeking God’s guidance for state government leaders at the beginning of the 2026 legislative session.
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This year’s theme, One Nation Under God, will highlight the shared values of faith and service that guide the state and nation. It is meant to stress the importance of faith and service in leading both state and national governments. Organizers said the program will focus on togetherness, contemplation and responsibility, giving people an opportunity to think about the values that guide public life in Missouri.
The Missouri Governor’s Prayer Breakfast has been held annually for years. Its goal is to provide people a place to pray and think about what they should do next, as state leaders get ready to make decisions that will effect communities throughout Missouri. The event is all about faith, but it also is meant to be open and accepting to those from all walks of life who want to take part.
States Ehlen, “Why wouldn’t we go to the Lord? We need to act on the belief that prayer works. God changes hearts and minds.”
–Dwight Widaman
