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Government officials and Hoover residents were treated to a morning of food, fellowship and prayer during the 41st annual Hoover Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on May 7. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

HOOVER – Government officials and Hoover residents were treated to a morning of food, fellowship and prayer during the 41st annual Hoover Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast.

The prayer breakfast took place this year at 7:30 a.m. on May 7 at the Hyatt Regency-Wynfrey Hotel. The event was sponsored by the Hoover Beautification Board and brought city officials, elected officials, religious leaders, business leaders and the community together for a faith-based gathering.

The breakfast began with an opening prayer by Pastor Buddy Gray of Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover. Before delivering a prayer focused on representatives and expressing gratitude, Gray read 1 Timothy 2:1 to those in attendance encouraging everyone to pray for all men.

“We are so thankful today, that we can come to you,” he said in his prayer. “We pray for our country, we pray for our leaders as your word says. We pray for President (Joe) Biden and Vice President (Kamala) Harris. We pray for the leaders in the House of Representatives, in the Senate, for the justices in the Supreme Court. Closer to home, we pray for Kay Ivey, we pray for the mayors, especially those gathered in this room. We pray for our own Mayor Frank Brocato. We pray for other city leaders.”

After the Presentation of the Colors and the National Anthem, those in attendance were treated to dishes that were hand-delivered to the tables as part of the breakfast.

After taking time to fellowship with one another and to enjoy the food that was prepared, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato expressed his gratitude to those in attendance and for those who made the event possible before introducing the event’s guest speaker.

“It’s very comforting to come together as a community and pray together,” Brocato said. “I hope that we will all continue to pray for our community each and every day.”

The guest speaker for this year’s edition of the Hoover Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast was none other than Auburn University’s head football coach Hugh Freeze.

Freeze was named the 31st head football coach on Nov. 28, 2022. An experienced head coach at the collegiate level for 12 years, Freeze also coached at Ole Miss and Liberty University before coming to Auburn. Freeze has nearly three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching experience that has led to conference titles, nationally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his career.

Despite all of the accolades and accomplishments, the title Freeze was glad to be introduced by was that of a sinner saved by grace.

“I’m not really big on introductions (but) that is my favorite one—I’m a sinner saved by grace,” Freeze said.

Throughout his address, Freeze honed in on the uncertainty that people often face and the good that comes through accompanying that uncertainty with faith in God.

Freeze discussed Acts 27 and the situation the apostle Paul found himself in during his journey by ship to Caesar. Freeze connected Paul’s journey to his own and warned against the dangers of making rash decisions without seeking clarity.

“God gives enough clarity to take the next step but not enough certainty to eliminate faith,” Freeze said. “If you don’t hear anything I say today, please hear this because I’m living testimony of this truth. The reason why you and I don’t have clarity when we face this next step with uncertainty is because the noise in my life is drowning out the presence of God.”

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