ASHLAND — The Ashland County Ministerial Association is gearing up to host its 41st annual Ashland Community Prayer Breakfast, which will feature guest speaker Alan Robertson, member of the Louisiana family behind Duck Dynasty.
The prayer breakfast, set for 6:30 to 8 a.m. on May 5 at the Ashland University Convocation Center, is held each year to “exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and pray for our national, state and local elected officials.”
This year’s prayer breakfast will focus on a theme based on the phrase “Exalt the Lord who has established us,” according to a press release issued by ACMA.
ACMA invited the county’s 235 elected civic leaders, from village trustees to judges to law directors, for free admission.
Unelected attendees can purchase tickets to the event for $25 online. Day-of ticket sales will not occur.
“We have a Christian duty to pray for those who have been appointed by Divine assignment to lead us,” reads the press release. “We may or may not agree with them, but they are now responsible before God to make decisions which effect all of us.
“Our responsibility is to pray for them and for each of them to listen to divine truth for our good.”
John Bouquet, ACMA’s prayer breakfast chair, said this year’s breakfast will be capped at 725 attendees because of a shortage of servers at AU’s convocation center.
It will be the largest prayer breakfast since 2020, when the ministerial association held its prayer breakfast in the convocation center’s parking lot because of COVID-19. In 2021, the university capped the event at 300 because of pandemic-related restrictions.
The buffet breakfast will feature Alan Robertson as its keynote address.
Robertson, 57, is the eldest son of Phil and Kay Robertson, who own Duck Commander, a company that sells calls for ducks and other waterfowl, along with hunting apparel and gear.
He left the family business to become a preacher and rejoined the business working in public relations. He appeared on the reality television series’ fourth season as the only adult male in the family without a beard. (He has since grown a short beard.) The series aired on A&E from 2012 to 2017.
Robertson was slated to speak in 2020 but the plans fell through because of COVID-19. Bouquet said the Duck Dynasty star was unable to attend last year’s event.
The event will also involve worship music led by Steventhen Holland and pastors leading prayer for officials in law enforcement, education, mental health and social services, civic clubs, military, national, state, county and city/village elected officials.
John Pofi, a former Nigerian government official, will pray for spiritual leaders. Bouquet said Pofi fled his home country following a successful rescue of a pastor who was kidnapped by a terrorist.
“Well, the terrorist turned on him,” Bouquet said of Pofi. “So he (moved) his family out of the country. He’s been here since last October. He has a real burden, a heart for people in ministry.”
ACMA’s prayer breakfast falls on National Day of Prayer, held on the first Thursday of May each year since 1952.
The day was designated by the United States Congress and the president is required by law to sign a proclamation each year, encouraging all Americans to pray that day, according to the National Day of Prayer Task Force’s website.
