Reverence, music, humor infuse annual Marco prayer breakfast

Photo by QUENTIN ROUX, Staff

Keynote speaker and pastor, Ken Smith, makes a point during his inspirational and often amusing address.

Photo by QUENTIN ROUX, Staff

Mega Ministries choir singer Alma Pagan holds a note during one of the group's song renditions.

Photo by QUENTIN ROUX, Staff

Etoila Bristow is wrapped in enthrallment as the choir performs during the prayer breakfast.

Inspirational music and a serious message flecked with humor were the highlights of the annual Marco Island Prayer Breakfast held early today, Wednesday, Feb. 3 at the Marco Island Marriott Resort.

Motivational speaker, pastor and former university chaplain Ken Smith chose “making a difference in things that matter” as his focus for the 7:30 a.m. breakfast.

He led in with an analogy about little Johnny, who — along with other classmates — had been told to count stars from their backyards by their teacher.

Little Johnny came up with 47 stars against the more than 2,000 and 3,000 by “Susie” and “Ellie” respectively, and justified the teacher’s incredulous response with: “Well, teacher, some folks’ backyards are bigger than others.”

That lead Smith to lament the materialism that pervades America, and to plead with people not to build their lives on acquiring things.

“Of all the funerals I’ve done, I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul,” Smith quipped.

“I’ve watched people build their lives on everything that really doesn’t matter,” he said, using another analogy of a young Monopoly player telling her victorious grandmother that at the end of the game “everything goes back in the box.”

The pastor also touched on the disintegration of the American family, quoting an observation by former NFL coach Tony Dungy that 67 percent of young football draftees for the coming season don’t have a father in their lives.

Smith’s other message to the multi-denominational gathering was exhorting each individual to leave the breakfast a different person in regard to what he had spoken about earlier.

The 15-strong Mega Ministries Mega Praise Team gave rousing renditions of He Is Worthy, I Will Sing, Amazing Grace, The Prayer and Let the Worshippers Arise, while Pastor Thomas McCulley, of New Life Community Church of God, gave the invocation.

Original Island architect Herb Savage offered the prayer for the community and Lisa Lefkow, executive vice president of Habitat for Humanity Collier County, gave the benediction.

Event committee chairman Don Kolowsky said the event was a great success.