JEFFERSON CITY – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson and Billy Russell, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bolivar, will be the featured speakers at the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast Jan. 10, 7 a.m., at the Capitol Plaza Hotel.
Carson, a neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate, was appointed to his position in 2017 by President Donald Trump.
Russell also preached at the inauguration of Gov. Mike Parson earlier this year. Parson and his wife, Theresa, have been long-time members of First Baptist, Bolivar.
The Missouri Governor’s Prayer Breakfast is an annual observance welcoming participants from around Missouri. It is an interfaith event. Its purpose is to seek God’s guidance for the state’s political leaders as they begin a new legislative session.
The event was established in the 1950s as an extension of the National Prayer Breakfast, which was first held in 1953.