Gov. Beshear To Host 58th Annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast

Event will feature Pastor Stephen Boyken of The Hope Initiative

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 11, 2026) - Gov. Andy Beshear will host the 58th annual Governor's Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, March 12, at the William Exum Center at Kentucky State University in Frankfort. The theme for this year's Prayer Breakfast is "Fostering Unity and Love." The event begins at 7:30 a.m. EDT (doors open at 7 a.m.), and Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman will serve as emcee.

"We will join together once again in fellowship to renew our bonds with each other as Kentuckians and to celebrate our relationship with God," said Gov. Beshear. "This year, we're focusing on how we can come together to use faith as a force of good."

Pastor Stephen Boyken, lead pastor of His House Ministries and president and CEO of The Hope Initiative, will be the keynote speaker at the breakfast.

A feature of the event is the annual William Cooper Faith and Community in Action Award. Established in 2009, the award is named for Rev. William Jefferson Cooper Sr. of West Port, Kentucky, who founded the Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Kentucky after attending the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.

The recipient of the 2026 Cooper Award is The Hope Initiative, a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to long-term disaster recovery throughout Kentucky and across the Southeast. To date, The Hope Initiative has completed 60 homes in Kentucky and is currently engaged in construction projects in multiple communities throughout the commonwealth and beyond.

Faith leaders participating in tomorrow's event include Reuben Watson, director of Unity in Action at the Lexington Leadership Foundation, and Aiyub Palmer, associate professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Kentucky. Senior advisor to the Governor Rocky Adkins will also play a part, reading from both the Old Testament and New Testament.

State leaders will play a role, providing "Prayers for Our Leaders." Rep. J.T. Payne will represent the legislative branch; Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Susanne M. Cetrulo will represent the judicial branch; and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman will represent the executive branch.

Miss Kentucky 2019, Alex Francke Sohn, will provide musical entertainment at the Prayer Breakfast along with Lexington-based violin ensemble Solstice Strings.

Kentuckians can watch the event live via Facebook.com/GovAndyBeshear or YouTube.com/GovAndyBeshear.

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