On Jan. 22, 2025, about 80 people from diverse faith traditions gathered for the sixth Religious Freedom Prayer Breakfast hosted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD) and organized by its Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) department. The event recognized Jan. 16 as National Religious Freedom Day in the U.S., and included prayer for religious freedom, elected officials, the community, the nation, peace, and for unity of spirit. 

Representatives of several religious groups enjoyed a catered breakfast and prayed on these topics, including participants from Adventist, Sikh, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Lutheran, and non-denominational Christian faith traditions. Several NAD leaders and local church leaders participated through prayer and music. Representatives from Maryland state and local county governments, as well as Washington Adventist University students, including PARL interns, also took part.

After Orlan Johnson, NAD PARL director, welcomed attendees to the event, Audrey  Andersson offered the first scheduled prayer, invoking God in a prayer for religious freedom. Prayer for the community was offered next by Gregory Yancy, chief of staff, Maryland Governors’ Office of Community Initiatives. A musical selection from sisters “The Foster Triplets” followed, who shared their talent through song twice during the event.

Richard “Chappy” Bower, chief chaplain, Maryland Fire Chiefs Association, blessed the food, followed by Denny Rengifo, chaplain, Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center, praying for the nation; Naunihal “Nick” Singh Gumer, director, Regulatory Finance Office of the People’s Council praying for peace.

Special remarks for the event were given by Reverend Gwendolyn Boyd, minister from the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington, Maryland. 

Safeguarding Religious Freedom

Boyd emphasized the importance of religious freedom through sharing her personal experiences as an engineer and highlighting the need for respect and unity across faiths. Boyd called for education, speaking out against injustice, and interfaith dialogue to safeguard religious freedom.

In her career as an engineer working on nuclear submarines, Boyd recalled her experience as one of the few civilians and often the only woman in such settings. One day, a young sailor questioned her presence. "Excuse me, ma’am, are you lost?" he asked. 

Her response was firm: "It took four clearances just to get on this base, three clearances to get on this submarine, and two more for my specialty. Do you really think I don’t belong here?"

Using this story as a metaphor, Boyd emphasized that religious freedom is ultimately about belonging. “Whatever religion you represent, wherever you are, we all belong,” she said. “Religious freedom is not just words on paper — it is a living, breathing right that allows us to worship, reflect, and practice our faith without fear.”

Boyd warned against complacency, noting that religious freedom remains under threat, both globally and in the U.S. She pointed to acts of vandalism against places of worship, discrimination against individuals for wearing religious symbols, and policies that quietly erode religious rights. “Silence is not neutrality. It’s complicity,” she declared.

She urged the audience to take three practical steps to safeguard religious freedom:

• Educate ourselves and others. “Ignorance is the breeding ground of intolerance,” she said, emphasizing the importance of learning about different faiths.
• Speak out against injustice. Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., she reminded the audience, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
• Build bridges through interfaith dialogue. “When we come together, not to debate, but to listen, we discover that we are more alike than different,” she added.

Boyd concluded with a call to action, urging everyone to not just defend their own beliefs but to protect the rights of others as well. “Be the kind of person who doesn’t just tolerate difference, but celebrates it,” she said. “Religious freedom is more than a right — it’s a reflection of our commitment to dignity and justice.” She concluded by urging attendees to defend the freedoms of others to strengthen societal bonds.

The prayer breakfast continued with Eric Randolph, pastor, Peace Lutheran Church, praying for elected officials; and G. Alexander Bryant, president, North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, offering the final prayer of the morning through asking God for unity of spirit.

Andersson expressed her appreciation for being invited to participate in the event, saying “It was a real delight and it was so interesting to meet people.”

Guest Abigail Moats described the event as “phenomenal, uplifting, and encouraging.” 

Summaries from a few of the special prayers are below.

Prayer Highlights

“We thank you, God, for our nation — A nation that stands for religious freedom, where men and women are free to worship according to their conscience, without fear of persecution. We are grateful for this land of opportunity. We lift it up to Your throne of grace, oh, God of heaven,” said Rengifo in his prayer for the nation. “God bless our leaders with strength, wisdom and discernment. Grant us, the people of this land, a sense of peace, God, a thirst for unity, a hunger for righteousness, a deep, deep love for our neighbors. Almighty God, we pray that You shed your grace upon our nation, uniting us in brotherhood and sisterhood. From sea to shining sea, may Your light guide our hearts, and may Your presence be felt throughout this land,” he concluded.

Randolph prayed for elected officials, saying, “Thank You for the privilege of democracy that offers the chance to serve our communities and nation in humility. Understanding the significant responsibilities that lie ahead for our newly elected officials, we seek guidance to grant them Your wisdom in their commitment to serve everyone, may they strive to find Your inspiration in their choices they face, ensuring that their actions embody the highest good for all.” Randolph also asked for God to bestow wisdom to “recognize the ways of justice and the courage to stand firm in integrity,” continuing to ask for officials’ hearts to be filled with compassion, “guided by Your wisdom and grace, so they may always recognize the humanity in every person. Encourage them to lead with compassion, understanding the struggles encountered by those who are overlooked and unheard. … May the work of each person bear fruit. May their spirits be revitalized and their commitment be unwavering for betterment of all humanity.”

“In this room there's the power to change the world, if we can come together in oneness of Spirit,” said Bryant in his prayer for unity of spirit. “Let us be unified in purpose and let this change start with me. May our faith in You see ourselves as one humanity. May our faith in You help us to see past the artificial distinctions of language and color, ethnicity, culture and religion. May our faith in You see in every human being the heartbeat of God.”

Bryant continued, “May our faith in You be more than living out the politics of today, may our faith in You be a real light of unity in the darkness of our political divide amidst growing cynicism and despair, may our faith in You lift us higher. … May our faith in You compel our voices to speak peace and unity from our churches, our synagogues, our mosques, and from all our places of religious gatherings. But may we not only speak in our places of worship; let our voices be heard in our communities. … May we be Your hands and Your feet and Your voice that would create a shelter and a haven of peace, [showing] love and mercy to those You have called us to serve, and may that service lift men and women out of their despondency and despair to new heights of joy and tranquility.”

At end of the breakfast, Johnson thanked his team, including the students from WAU, and special guests. He added, “Last but not least, I would like to thank all of you for the work that you do. The idea that this is easy work is a fallacy. As people of faith, we want to make sure that we're doing what God has asked for us to do. As we leave here today, my only question and my only prayer is: Are [we] willing to change, are we willing to be advocates? Or are [we] simply just choosing to be?”