President Speaks At National Prayer Breakfast

Last Thursday, President Bush attended the 56th annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton Hotel. In his remarks (full text) he said:

Every President since Dwight Eisenhower has attended the National Prayer Breakfast -- and I am really proud to carry on that tradition. It's an important tradition, and I'm confident Presidents who follow me will do the same. The people in this room come from many different walks of faith. Yet we share one clear conviction: We believe that the Almighty hears our prayers -- and answers those who seek Him. That's what we believe; otherwise, why come? Through the miracle of prayer, we believe he listens -- if we listen to his voice and seek our presence -- his presence in our lives, our hearts will change. And in so doing, in seeking God, we grow in ways that we could never imagine.

Voice of America reported that the keynote speaker at the breakfast was Ward Brehm, head of the U.S. African Development Foundation, a federal agency that assists small businesses in Africa. The National Prayer Breakfast is advertised as non-denominational, though it is sponsored each year by The Fellowship Foundation, a Christian outreach group.