Living Reconciled

EP. 91: Inside the Mississippi Legislative Prayer Breakfast

• Mission Mississippi • Season 2 • Episode 46

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Polarization is exhausting, but prayer changes the tone. In this episode, we share the story behind the 10th Mississippi Legislative Prayer Breakfast and why, for a decade, gathering to pray with legislators, not posture or persuade, has created space for unity across race, denomination, and party.

Neddie Winters and the Mission Mississippi team reflect on how shared prayer builds trust, softens division, and opens the door to real relationships. We also preview this year’s step of faith: gathering at First Baptist Church in Jackson and walking to the Capitol to pray together on the South Lawn.

Special thanks to our sponsors: 

Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Mississippi College, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State University, Real Christian Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters.

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SPEAKER_00

This is Living Reconciled, a podcast dedicated to giving our communities practical evidence of the gospel message by helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured for us by living with grace across racial lines. Hey, thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Living Reconciled. I am your host, Brian Crawford, and I am with my good friend, Nettie Winters. Nettie, how are you doing today, sir?

SPEAKER_01

I'm wonderful. I'm wonderful, man. I'm I'm excited about a new year, and uh it's all good. The best is yet to come in 26, all the things that uh you didn't do in 25. Now you had a privilege and opportunity to make it happen in 26.

Announcing The 10th Prayer Breakfast

SPEAKER_00

That's right, that's right, man. New year, new new mercies. And so uh so it's a it's great to be on the other side, man, and and and see 26 and everything that the Lord has in store. Um, I want to give a quick shout out to the sponsors that's been around in 25 and continue in 26, folks like Nissan and St. Dominic's uh Hospital, Atmos Energy and Regions Foundation, Mississippi College, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State, Real Christian Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, uh good friends like Doris Powell, Robert Ward, and Winners. Thanks so much for what you do. Uh, it's because of what you do that we're able to do what we do. If you want to join uh this incredible, incredible list of sponsors, reconcilers, uh peacemakers, you can do so by visiting missionmississippi.org. Click on the donate button at the top, and um YouTube can join this illustrious group of uh sponsors and supporters of the work of Mission Mississippi and this podcast, Living Reconciled. Today, Nettie, I want to talk a little bit about an event that we have coming up um January the 14th of this year, 2026. I'm incredibly excited about it, and that's the 10th annual Mississippi legislative prayer breakfast.

SPEAKER_01

10th? 10th, 10th anniversary. That means we started this in 2016.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, sir, man. Yes, sir. It seems like we've hit a milestone year.

SPEAKER_01

Man, that long, man.

Why The Breakfast Began

SPEAKER_00

I'm talking, man, time moves on. We've hit a milestone year, man, and and I'm excited about this prayer breakfast. I feel like it's urgent. Um I feel like we need it now more than we ever have. Uh, and and it seems it's funny because you know, 10 years ago, 2016, up to this point, I feel like the trajectory of urgency and need on this prayer breakfast has just slowly inclined. It just continues to go up and higher. Uh, we need more uh people around this state gathered to pray uh for the legislative uh process, the legislative officials, and to see um the body of Christ come together to pray for the flourishing of its state um manifesting itself through its leadership. I just feel like it's growing more and more important and more and more urgent. But but I want to I want to take a look back first, Nettie, and and kind of talk to you a little bit about the origin story uh behind um this breakfast, and and then maybe we can uh kind of close our time out by talking a little bit about a little bit in terms of why we think it's so important today. But but take us back a little bit, Nettie. You you were you're the predecessor uh of the uh of Mitch, Mississippi, the the former president that I'm standing on the shoulders of. Um what was happening in Mississippi? What was happening in your heart that led to the first um of what would become 10 legislative Mississippi legislative prayer practices?

SPEAKER_01

Man, it's many factors uh and considerations that enter into that decision to move forward with that. You know, I guess at foremost in my mind, from 2011 to 2016, that was um well, in 2011, that was a major shift in politics in Mississippi. The House and Senate became uh majority Republican. And then during that transitional period between 11 and 16 and continued, uh that but it it seemed like it it reached a pinnacle point of division. And and you know, it was it was it was it was really bad in in my estimation of how partisan politics was dictating the the theme of the day. And how uh, you know, it was just it was it was so divided. And and and I was thinking in my heart, what can we do? How can we pray for this? What can we do with this? You know, I had this vision originally I had this vision, Brian, of a group of pastors and and and leaders across the state coming to the Senate and House, coming to the Capitol, and getting them in the same room and and praying for them and walking the grounds around the Capitol. I saw you know uh a big picture that, if I remember correctly, I think uh one of the grams, Franklin or one of them, was doing this tour of the United States, uh uh uh praying at the Capitals around the United States. And so I said, how can the body of Christ number one come together and demonstrate how we can allow our Christianity to overshadow, overpower, or lay out distinctives and declinations and uh uh denominations and political affiliations and all these things aside is just say, we're one. We're gonna demonstrate how we can do this for the betterment of this state and for the betterness of this nation. Let us come together and demonstrate to the to the House and Senate how that can be done. Uh and to do that. And so, and I say, you know, one of the things we'd like to do, Mr. Governor, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Lieutenant Governor, is that we would love to pray for you. So I think it's an illustration of God's uh intervention into our lives to show that we can rise above the fray. We can rise above the disagreements and uh uh and and and still not lose who we are. We don't have to become black if we're white, we don't have to become white if we're black, we don't have to become Methodists if we're Baptist. We can keep our distinction in a way that it doesn't divide us when we sit at the table together, share a meal together, and pray for our leaders together.

Praying With Leaders Vs. For Leaders

SPEAKER_00

I um why do you feel like it was important to pray with leaders and not just for leaders? Why do you feel like it's important to bring those leaders in the room and pray with them? And how does that, how do you feel, how do you feel like that shapes the tone um of a legislative session or creates opportunity to shape a tone of a legislative session and the way those leaders lead the state?

SPEAKER_01

You know, um uh uh you know, one year, I don't know whether it was um one of our governors, I I don't want to go into persona, but during that during this 10-year period, we've had several governors and and speakers to turn and pray for us during those legislative prayer breakfast. Uh I think it's good to do what we're doing, number one, because it's a commandment from God. I'm trying to just that's simple.

SPEAKER_00

But also it helps us Why do you feel like it's good to pray specifically with them?

SPEAKER_01

Because, you know, uh the the the monument from from Paul was uh men everywhere. I want their hands raised. And so when we pray for leaders, that's one thing, but when we pray with leaders, that means that we're not only uh lifting them up, but they're praying for themselves as well as us praying with them. And you know, to me it's like it's an agreement on earth. And when we agree on earth, uh according to the Bible, when two or three are gathered together in my name and agree, uh, that brings heaven down to us. And so sometimes we we we think that that this is impossible in practical, but the matter of praying with someone, in my opinion, is greater than praying for them. And I can disagree with you. I can be a Democrat and you can be a Republican, and we have our platforms and and and distinctives and all what we stand for. But one of the things that I found in happening with praying with them is that, oh, you know, this guy really is is a Christian and and and and he is uh allowing his Christianity to inform his politics. So maybe I should be listening more before I decided to just write them off or just vote down the party line. So the the thing that I think praying with them and for them is that they get to pray for each other. They get to look at each other, they get to understand that maybe I don't agree with this guy's politics, but I gotta respect him as a Christian. I gotta respect him as a human being. I gotta respect him as a male or female, whatever the case might be. And I gotta respect the fact that he believes in the same God that I believe in. And we're praying to the same God. So it's not like it's not impactful on the individual itself, but collectively, uh, the atmosphere uh has changed tremendously, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_00

Why do you feel like it was important specifically for this gathering to not be partisan and to not be laced with uh with extended speeches and things of that nature? Why do you feel like that was important from the beginning?

SPEAKER_01

Oh man, uh I'm glad you asked that question, man. You must have been looking in my mind. You know, you know, earlier I talked about what was happening. Well, everything that was happening at the time was built around partisanship. You know, you had these eyes that was whining and dying the the Republicans and was ignoring the Democrats. You had the Democrats being whining and dying, ignoring the Republicans. So, you know, to me, it's like, okay, are you cutting your nose off to spite your face here? You know, both of these guys got a vote on whatever issue you have. And I don't think there's ever been, even though there's a supermajority or majority of Republicans, uh, it was not a given that everybody that has an R behind their name is gonna vote down the line. And so it was important to be nonpartisan because that's what everything was centered around. That was the whole reason for me, and in many instances, it was the whole reason that this thing began to burn in my heart and my spirit, and with others is how this look of partisanship was so divisive. But again, Brian, I felt like all the whining and dining and lobbying and all that other stuff was political enough. All the stuff that was taking place on the floor, on debates, discussions, the legislation being presented, the whole deal was around, you know, the platform of the various parties, and and they were going after it. And and and so uh Michigan Mississippi's always been atypical, apolitical, or whatever you want to call it, in terms of uh we're not taking sides. We're just working with the sides that's out there. You know, we inherit, uh I dolphin to say we inherit whatever situation we find Republicans and Democrats in, conservatives, liberals, blacks, and whites, that's the landscape. You know, what can you do with that? And and so uh we made an intentional effort to show that the people that's doing the praying, we had uh, I don't want to use the word control, but we had the the the wherewithal to invite various denominations, various uh races, and others to pray. We could not control this who the governor was, who the uh speaker of the house is, or the lieutenant governor, or who's in those chambers. Uh you know, that that's the popular vote decided that.

SPEAKER_00

But you can set you can set a temperature of of of unity, uh, oneness in the choices that you make, diversity uh in denomination, political persuasion. You can make you can set the temperature and the choices that you make in terms of who is standing before the people and praying for those leaders.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, we get the we get this often. I know you've gotten it, but we get this often where all those pop all those people are are white or black or whatever else. Well, we can control who we who the people are that we pray for. Right. As it relates to whatever uh declination or distinctive they have, but certainly the paper praying for them can. And so we made an intentional effort to demonstrate again how we can work across our demarcations and our distinctives to illustrate that uh we don't have to allow our conservatism or our liberalism, if I can call it that, or our Democrat, our Republican, or the nominational uh designation on our uh of who we affiliate with to override our Christianity.

Stories Of Softened Hearts

SPEAKER_00

Have you seen relationships form uh hearts soften uh across the across these political aisles in ways that you think couldn't have happened without, like you said, without these folks having this forcing function of a prayer gathering and then praying alongside one another over these last 10 years? Do you have some examples where you've seen, you don't have to you don't have to share names. I will protect, we'll obviously we'll protect the innocent, but but do you have some examples where walls have come down because God has brought these different groups together?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, absolutely. I've had an opportunity to co-lead uh Bible studies as relates to prison reform, as it relates to um uh sharing with the the legislature uh in terms of that. I have uh experienced first-hand knowledge of people coming to me and say, you know, I've been to a lot of prayer breath because it's the first time that I had this kind of diversity in the room praying for me. It's been like, well, this is a Baptist deal. Well, you sure for a baptist or you sure for the Methodists or the Episcopal or others, I remember the Episcopal, the uh Methodists, and and uh another denomination of the Methodists, and the Catholics used to have some kind of uh uh audience to pray for them and sponsor things. And and they had a legislative agenda. And, you know, Brian, the the the legislature has said to me, members of the House of Senate both have said to me, I come to this, they said like this. I come to this Mission, Mississippi thing, Neddy, because I don't feel like feel threatened that somebody's gonna corner me. Somebody's gonna jack me up on what I voted for, uh how I voted. I feel um okay because I don't have to come into the room and make a decision to be equally, here's going to terminology, to be equally enthusiastic about issues that I may not even care about. You know, because these people are hosted me, I gotta at least listen to them. I gotta at least, you know, pay some uh uh attention to what they're saying to me, and my God is up, uh uh, et cetera. But I can come into a Mission Mississippi-led prayer breakfast, whether it's at the state legislature office or whether it's uh a local prayer breakfast in my community, I know when I walk into the room that I can just be who I am and not have to uh, how do you put it, uh perform. But I can relax and let people pray for me and even participate in the prayer because mission has promised us and and and their reputation have uh shown us that they're not about partisan politics or denominationalism. They're about the body of Christ praying for each other as the Bible commands us and instructs us to do, that we can have the opportunity to lead the kind of lives that God wants us to lead.

Why Showing Up Still Matters

SPEAKER_00

I feel like what you're talking about right now is not just something that was important, you know, 10 years ago, even five years ago. I think it's critically important now. I mean, we we are in a deeply, deeply divided political and cultural moment right now, and and that that division uh oftentimes is characterized by what you described with a in the in your example about a family trying to choose between Disney World and Disneyland, where you have people that are either all in or or not or or not in at all. They say we want it all or we want none of it. Right. And and they're and and so I think that I think that kind of uh resistance to negotiation and resistance to compromise characterizes this current this current moment. And and that I think that makes this prayer breakfast uh all the more important to bring these different people in the in the room to pray with and for one another, to be reminded uh that we both share the image of God, that we both are part of the family of God, and that we both deserve uh an opportunity to have our voices heard and to and to and to and to seek to understand the the different perspectives of one another. And I think prayer is the is the launching point um on that. Um what encouragement, Nettie, would you give to pastors, lay leaders, uh everyday believers who uh who wonder who wonder if showing up actually matters? What encouragement would you give those that say, man, this ain't doing no good? Or this isn't doing any good.

SPEAKER_01

I would say to them, I wanted to be candid and say, well, you don't need to show up on Sunday morning if this doesn't do any good. Your Sunday morning praying will work either. So uh but but you know, so I don't man not win anybody by saying that, but but here's the challenge is that God honors us. When we show up, irrespective of what we see, what we feel, what people say, God honors us in a way that we may not see it, we may not feel it, we may not even know it. But God is in in in in the mood in the in the essence of the detail. We talk about the devil. Now God is in the essence of the detail. And what what I want what I want people to understand is that this is something you can do. You can criticize what they do, uh, whether you show up or don't show up. But if you show up and pray, when your criticism comes, you're really not directed toward them, it's directed toward God. And so the challenge I have, if you if you can uh what the old Deacon used to say, obligate God. If you show up and pray, you've obligated God to answer your prayer. Now if He answers it, when He answers it, it's not Hell, when He answers it, it may not be exactly the way you want it, but He's answering prayer. And if God is answering me, whatever way He answers, whether I like it or whether it's the way I wanted it, uh, you know, because you know, Brian, when I pray, I expect God to move the way God moves, not the way I want Him to move. Because He's already declared to me, Nettie, my thoughts are not yours. My ways are not yours. It's higher than, and so when I pray to God, He'd already told me, I don't think like you, Nettie, and you don't think like me. So don't be expecting this is what I feel. Don't be expecting me to do what you have decided. You know, sometimes I hear people pray and say, God, go do this, and and and we tell them how to do it. So if you're gonna come into a room and tell God how to do it, uh, it may not work.

SPEAKER_00

But we don't just give them the request, but we we give them the plans as well.

Event Details And Prayer Walk

SPEAKER_01

We give the instructions. But you know what God does doesn't make sense to us, so we have to keep that in mind. But I would challenge that for the good of the congregation that you stand before every Sunday morning, Pastor, encourage them to pray for their leaders every day. But more importantly, there's a public setting that has no political overtones to it, that you can actually go into the room as a Christian and not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, not as an independent, not as a conservative, not as a liberal, but you can go into the room as a Christian and pray to your God and ask God to direct their affairs of what's gonna take place in that statehouse over the next 90 days. And I think that for every lay person, every uh pastor, every person that identifies themselves and said they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is their Lord and Savior, Jesus is gonna show up. Will you show up with it?

Neutral Venue And Broad Participation

SPEAKER_00

Amen. Amen. Um, Dr. Winters, man, I appreciate it. Uh, this has been good. This has been good. And uh as we've been as we've been leading up to this, I've been saying this often in in different spaces uh around the state. Um as I've been as I've been calling people to to attend this event, I've been saying that this really is a challenge to the saints. You know, I heard it in one of our planning meetings, and it really stuck out to me uh that one of one of the members of that planning committee said that that Christians need to be challenged sometimes. You know, that that that the invitation is good, but sometimes the challenge is necessary. We are supposed to do this. We are supposed to convene. We are supposed to assemble, we are supposed to lift up holy hands to the heavens and to pray and appeal to our God on behalf of the leaders of our community. That's one of the ways that Christians bring flourishing to a community. And it's not, it's not, it's not our last charge. It's our first charge to appeal to the heavens. It's not when after we've tried everything else, then we pray. It's the first thing we do before we try anything else. And so um, I've been saying often, Nettie, uh, leading up to this um this gathering, that we can certainly do a lot of other things to bring flourishing to our community. We can take on a lot of other actions, we can do more, but we must and we can never do less than pray. It is our first and fundamental tool of action uh to see flourishing in the in the state that we call home. And so, and so our challenge is is to encourage you to join us, as Nettie said, to pray every day for your leaders. But to join us on January the 14th as we gather at First Baptist Church, Jackson, um, and we pray specifically uh for God uh to lead this state and for him to uh administer grace and power in our leadership to lead this state uh towards a flourishing uh that reflects him and that gives glory and honor back to him. Um on that day, be sure to bring uh some walking shoes with you because we're gonna do something different this year, and we're gonna, towards the conclusion of our time this year, we're gonna take a prayer walk journey across the street from uh from First Baptist to the Mississippi Capitol, which is which is literally right across the street from First Baptist. And we're going to spend a few moments praying a blessing over our state and praying a blessing over uh um the Capitol and all of its inhabitants uh during uh during uh during the closing time uh of our prayer gathering on the South Lawn. And so please uh bring some bring some walking shoes uh or some comfortable shoes that allow you to walk uh a few steps over to the South Lawn on um at the Mississippi Capitol.

Closing, Invitations, And Contacts

SPEAKER_01

You you you know, Brian, I know that we need got to put a butt on this, but I failed to say earlier about you know my vision of going to the state house and feeling the ground, that the the legislature was not, the members in the leadership was not real comfortable with that, turning people eloose. I can understand that. But what they did want is a close place together and a neutral place. And I know some denominations say, well, we're going to First Baptist. Well, you know, we've had functions at First Baptist, Galloway, Christ United Methodist Church, New Horizon International Church, and some other places in Jackson, just to name a few, that we've had gatherings there that they become like a uh a neutral ground of sorts, you know, because uh they have accommodated different, not only different denominations, but different organizations and others. And so First Baptist became a place that we could gather, that was close to the Capitol, and that people were not intimidated that it'd be a Baptist thing. And so you you know, you got you got that on one side, and you got the political aspect on the other side. So First Baptist has been a gathering place for uh diversity of groups, organizations, and and and people, and it's not just restricted to uh the denomination itself as it relates to uh First Baptist Jackson. And the same thing as I named them other churches as well. You know, New Horizon and and Christ United was a little far off, and Galloway was going through some construction and some other things. So First Baptist became the ideal location and it's working, and there's no reason to change it because people now, across whatever uh spectrum you have, they feel comfortable uh going into First Baptist and being part of that. It's a building that God has laid his hand up on as other buildings in Jackson the same way. So we're excited about this. I wanted to make sure that I didn't leave that hanging out there for folks to say, you know, this is First Baptist. No, this is a denominational body of Christ, non-denominational body of Christ, across denominational line, inter-denomination, however you want to put that, the number of denominations in Mississippi willingly and and and and freely come into the world to pray for their leaders and pray for one another and build authentic relationships that have really been forged over the last 10 years, both inside of the statehouse and across the denominational line. There are people now in various denominations. They're not gonna miss this, they're gonna be there. And and you know what? One of the exciting things for me is being to watch the legislative choir sing. And that is made up of various uh people, uh, gender, denomination, uh politically and otherwise. And so, man, come and hear the voices of the legislative prayer breakfast and and and have a great time of celebrating the oneness we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00

Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_01

Non-Christians are invited, and non-Christians show up.

SPEAKER_00

Amen. Amen. Nettie, thanks, brother. I appreciate the uh the opportunity to walk through, walk through time and and and to just see um how God has been blessing this event uh now for 10 years, and we pray that he would bless it uh for for a few more uh should he tarry. And so that's our prayer and that's our hope. Um, if you're listening to this podcast, feel free to share with others. Uh you can do so uh by just pointing them to um any podcast app and telling them to search on Living Reconciled, Mission, Mississippi, and they should find us. Uh, you can feel free also to visit our social media pages. We got Facebook and Instagram, and um you can go out, search on Mission Mississippi. You'll get to uh some details about us and about our work. Or you can visit our website, missionmississippi.org. Again, missionmississippi.org, call the office 601-353-6477, 601-353-6477. It's been an incredible blessing to be with you. This is Brian Crawford, on behalf of my good friend, Nettie Winter, signing off saying, God bless. God bless. Thanks for joining Living Reconciled. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the ongoing work of helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured, please visit us online at missemissis.org or call us at 601-353-6477. Thanks again for listening.

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Brian Crawford

Host
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Austin Hoyle

Co-host
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Neddie Winters

Co-host