Community celebrates 'power of prayer' at annual breakfast

May 2—Hundreds of community members came together Thursday at the Civic Arena for the Mayor's National Day of Prayer Breakfast.

Guests showed out from many different organizations including the St. Joseph Pregnancy Resource Clinic, the Chamber of Commerce and the St. Joseph Board of Education. Several high school students were also at the event, hailing from Bishop LeBlond, St. Paul Lutheran School and St. Joseph Christian.

The annual breakfast aims to unite people of all religious backgrounds to talk and reflect with one another.

Mayor, John Josendale said in his past three years of hosting the breakfast, he always looks forward to the "dynamic speaker who comes in and gives us a reflection on how we can impact others," he said.

"And this gives us an opportunity to do it in a setting that is comfortable and relaxing," Josendale said.

This year's keynote speaker, Geony Rucker, is originally from Arizona but married a man from St. Joseph. She is the president and founder of Value Unconditional, a nonprofit helping adults from all religious backgrounds conquer trauma.

Rucker said it was an incredible honor to be selected as the speaker and she enjoyed meeting all of the area residents in attendance.

"There are so many people with beautiful testimonies who could speak to the power of prayer in their life," Rucker said. "So for me to be able to come and share what prayer has meant to me and how Jesus has impacted me, my testimony was everything. I live for this to be able to share about him."

Rucker shared her story about being a rape survivor and how she found healing through God. However, healing wasn't always easy, she said. She used to question God and ask, "How could he be there for me during these dark, dark moments?"

"It wasn't until I began processing some of these dark things ... but once I was able to keep pushing forward you'll look back and realize, 'Wow, he was really pursuing me this entire time,'" Rucker said.

For any sexual violence survivors who attended the breakfast, she wants them to know that there is someone who believes in them despite what the world may think.

"They feel like people are going to question what they could have done wrong. All the victim-blaming that comes with this type of victimization," she said. "My hope is that they'd be encouraged knowing that there is someone who would believe them."

She encouraged others to not give up on healing and to never let past trauma limit them.

"Your experiences do not determine your value, your worth as a human being. Jesus died for you. That's much more priceless," she said. "How much more beautiful could your worth and value be than that?"

Josendale said her story was relatable for many who were listening.

"It's not an easy topic to talk about," he said. "But it's one that can touch anybody and everybody ... both male and female."

Josendale said his biggest takeaway from the breakfast is that there's always someone willing to listen.

"If you take the time to listen or if you take the time to talk, I mean, each of us can help somebody else or some and or each of us can be healed or heal someone," he said.

The National Day of Prayer is on the first Thursday of May each year. For more information, visit https://stjoendp.com/.