On Tuesday 31 May, Excelsia College attended the annual Sydney Prayer Breakfast at the Grand Ballroom in the International Convention Centre. It was an unforgettable morning of spirituality and discussion as roughly 1,700 Christians across Sydney (and more online) came together to stop and pray for the city of Sydney and share stories of faith. These people came from a variety of industries such as Churches, financial and business institutions, and higher education providers. Attendees also enjoyed breakfast and worshipping with Emu Music, who filled the ballroom with beautiful Christian music.
Excelsia College is proud to be a major sponsor of Sydney Prayer Breakfast, which enabled us to focus on brand awareness and highlight our Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and Bachelor of Music (Worship) courses. The College had a stall that was well visited, and staff from the marketing team distributed College merchandise to prospective students at the breakfast. Our promotional advertising featuring a 30 per cent discount for Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and Bachelor of Music (Worship) courses had prime position on the large screen in the Grand Ballroom, as well as inside the official Prayer Breakfast booklet.
Peter Gibbs, a Gamillaroi man from the community of Weilmoringle in far West New South Wales was this year’s keynote speaker. Gibbs was responsible for helping to develop The Indigenous Police Recruitment Our Way Delivery Program (IPROWD), a training model to develop First Nations Australians for a career with the NSW Police Force. IPROWD is now one of the most high–profile programs in New South Wales (City Bible Forum, 2021). Peter shared his journey of faith and how coming to Christ led him from violence to faith and fromdespair to hope. Gibbs also shared a prayer for First Nations Australians and reflected on how far Australia has come for National Reconciliation Week; an important time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements (Reconciliation Australia, 2022).
The chosen Bible verse for the event was Ephesians 6:18 which says, ‘pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.’ This verse is so fitting as we remember to pray for the city of Sydney and our increasingly secular world.
Thank you to Neville Cox, an Excelsia College Board Member and Chairman of The Sydney Prayer Breakfast for his commitment to this crucial initiative. Excelsia looks forward to continuing its partnership as an ongoing sponsor for Sydney Prayer Breakfast!
Reference
City Bible Forum. (2021). Sydney Prayer Breakfast 2021 – Interview with Peter Gibbs. citybibleforum.org/city/episode/sydney-prayer-breakfast-2021-interview-peter-gibbs
Reconciliation Australia. (2022). National Reconciliation Week.
