Foundation Prayer Breakfast Continues to Inspire Positive Community Change

Nationally Recognized Pastor Frederick Haynes III of Dallas to Deliver Keynote Address

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's (CBCF) Prayer Breakfast, which will be held on September 24, from 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m., will feature  Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III, senior pastor of the Friends-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, "Gospel for Teens" and the Howard University Gospel Choir.   The annual Prayer Breakfast is a staple of the CBCF Annual Legislative Conference (ALC).

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"The goal of the Prayer Breakfast is provide a strong spiritual foundation to improve communities across this nation," said Rep. Donald M. Payne, of New Jersey and chairman of CBCF. "Our beginning and end primarily lies in the church – many of us were raised in the church – we must hold on to our spiritual grounding in order to transform communities across this nation," he said.

Rev. Haynes is nationally well known and respected for empowering the disenfranchised and inspiring people to improve communities. He has a stellar reputation for ministering across generational, ethnic and socioeconomic lines. Pastor Haynes champions racial, economic and social justices, using his books Soul Fitness, a daily devotional and Healing Our Broken Village.   He also  has a popular weekly radio show entitled, "Freddy Haynes Unscripted" that he uses  to communicate his message of hope, redemption, healing and moving forward.

"Reverend Haynes' messages directly correlate with our theme, iLead|iServe, as we encourage this year's attendees to reconnect to their communities by leading the charge to better serve those in need.  This can be accomplished through community-based programs and policy development," said Keith Wright, executive vice president of CBCF.

"Gospel for Teens" is a program of "The Mama Foundation for the Arts" and "Vy Higginsen's School of Gospel, Jazz and R&B Arts." The choir was created to pass the music from this generation to the next. The choir members who range in age from 13 – 19, were recently featured on CBS's 60 Minutes and serve as ambassadors of gospel music, bringing together people of different races, nationalities, religions, or spiritual backgrounds with the message that we are more alike than we are different. CBCF will have a mobile giving campaign to support "Gospel for Teens." Attendees may use their cellular telephones to text donations of $10 to "Gospel for Teens" by entering the numbers 20222, keyword TEEN.

For the past four decades, Howard University's Gospel Choir has maintained the reputation as a premier performing arts ensemble. The choir has toured extensively here and abroad and is a favorite voice of inspiration to Prayer Breakfast attendees.

The Prayer Breakfast comes on the closing day of the ALC – a four day policy and educational event that is held from September 21-24.  ALC  highlights the mission of CBCF – to develop leaders, to inform policy and to educate the public. It also provides almost 80 forums to address the critical challenges facing the African-American community. The Foundation will offer numerous session tracks to present high level, thought-provoking, engaging and useful information. Also offered during the four-day event are free health screenings, an authors pavilion, networking opportunities and cultural activities. ALC is recognized as one of the most important gatherings of African Americans in the nation.

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The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc., was established in 1976 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit, public policy, research and education institute to help improve the socioeconomic circumstances of African Americans and other underserved communities.

Contact: Muriel Cooper (202) 263-2829; after 9/22
(202) 249-4014/15     [email protected] or
Priscilla Clarke at (240)476-9643 [email protected]

SOURCE Congressional Black Caucus Foundation