BV Prayer Breakfast to be ‘served’ virtually this year

If there was ever a year in need of prayer, 2020 is the year.

As families and the Brandon Valley community prepares for the start of the school year amid the pandemic, one of the usual beginning-of-the-year events – the BV Prayer Breakfast – will go on.

But not as typically staged. This year, the Prayer Breakfast will be held virtually. 

Scheduled to air at 7 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, committee member Paul VanDeBerg said that while the group would prefer to be planning an in-person event, they want to do what’s in the best interest of all involved. 

“We’d prefer to have it in person because we feel there’s more connection and more impact, but we definitely want to support what they’re (the school district) is doing to keep it safer for the kids so they can go back to school. We do not want to be in the way of those kinds of things, and we all know this year has been kind of different,” VanDeBerg said.

VanDeBerg said the recorded program will air at 7 a.m. on YouTube, Alliance Communications’ local channel, 226, and possibly on some church channels/websites.

Estimated to last no longer than 45 minutes, VanDeBerg said the committee invites local churches to host their own “viewing party” that morning.

“They’re welcome to it, they don’t have to, but it would be a place where someone says, ‘I want to go in person and take this in where it’s more meaningful,’” he said.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem will deliver the address. VanDeBerg said Gov. Noem will share about a 10-minute recorded message.

“We just asked her in general to speak on how has her faith helped her through this, how prayer been important to her, what has helped her sustain and keep her calm and cool in her leadership as we go through these times,” VanDeBerg said. 

Along with Gov. Noem’s address, lay people from the community will lead a variety of prayers. Prayers will be shared by BV Area Chamber of Commerce president/CEO Rachael Nieman, Anytime Fitness owner Jayme Smid, First Priority leader Kim Erkonen, Spirit of Truth Lutheran Pastor Jim Steen, and from the military, Stacy Kooistra.

VanDeBerg said there’s never been a shortage of people willing to lead prayers for our community, our school, government, and the like.

“They’ve all been very supportive and know it’s going to be very different this year, but they all still very much believe in it,” he said. “There has never been an issue in finding people (to lead these prayers) and we generally have more people than prayers, so the community has been very responsive. Most of the time it’s lay people from the community that are tied in somehow with the topic that they’re praying for, so they have an influence, they have an impact and they believe in it, and it’s been really good.”

Once again, Nik Aamlid will serve as the emcee.

Unlike some school districts, VanDeBerg emphasized how the BVSD has fully embraced the yearly Prayer Breakfast by allowing it to happen inside their doors.

“The school has been an unbelievable, amazing partner and they said they want to continue to be,” VanDeBerg said. “They see the need of this event is probably stronger than ever this year but they have to do what they have to do. So, we will be praying for the school, for our state, for our leadership and the safety and comfort level of all.”

Although the breakfast will be held virtually, committee members are soliciting for sponsorships, VanDeBerg said. Proceeds collected, minus related event expenses, are divvied between local youth faith-based groups such as First Priority, Collision and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the BV Ministerial Association, which shares funds with those in need of gas and food.

Donations to the cause may be mailed to BV Ministerial Association, P.O. Box 80, Brandon, SD 57005.

The Prayer Breakfast was inspired by the Mayor’s Breakfast staged each year in conjunction with the annual Loyalty Day celebration. VanDeBerg said interest in the event had faded to the point it was not held at all.

“Twelve years ago, I was talking with Bob Young and Barb Fish was on (the committee) at the time, ‘You know, maybe we should do a prayer breakfast like Sioux Falls does.’ Theirs had been going on for a long time and obviously it draws a bigger crowd, but it seems like it had the ‘right’ things in it. So, we did a lot of duplicating what they do, prayers and a speaker of some sort. That first year, I know we were thinking, ‘Will we get 50 people? One-hundred people? And we had 175 people show up and we were just blown away, the community wants this.”

The event has continued to increase in number of attendees every year, including last year’s record-breaking crowd of 620.

VanDeBerg said the Breakfast committee discussed having the event at another location. 

“We debated on other locations, but there is no location that would be large enough to accommodate the crowd, especially if you’re going to practice any social distancing,” he said. “We just figured this year we’re going to go with the flow virtually this year and keep it going, and next year we want to be back in person in the school. Hopefully the Prayer Breakfast helps bring our priorities back, so as a community we can come together.”

Prayer Breakfast committee members include Bob Young, Laura Kuehl, Carla Gross, Nik Aamlid, Jeff Thue, Alice Jacobson, Pastor Tony Toth, Pastor Jason Martens and VanDeBerg.