The Prayer Breakfast Group
In 1970, a small group of senators and congressmen began meeting weekly in a Capitol Hill townhouse to pray. They called themselves simply "the prayer breakfast group."
One of them was Mark Hatfield, the Senator from Oregon. Hatfield had been a rising political star—former governor, young, ambitious. But something had changed him.
"I realized I was serving my career, not my calling," Hatfield recalled. "Politics had become my god. I needed to make Jesus Lord—even of my political life."
No Lobbying, Just Prayer
The prayer group had a simple rule: no lobbying, no politics, just prayer. Democrats and Republicans knelt together, asking God for wisdom.
That group eventually birthed the National Prayer Breakfast—now an annual tradition where the President, world leaders, and thousands gather to pray.
Faithfulness Over Power
But for Hatfield, the real transformation was personal. He became known as the senator who voted his conscience, not his party. He opposed the Vietnam War when it was politically costly. He championed the poor and marginalized.
"My political career suffered," Hatfield admitted. "But my soul flourished. I learned that faithfulness matters more than power."
Mark Hatfield proved that Jesus can be Lord—even in the halls of government.
