Owatonna Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast theme is love
Exchange Club members Katie Smith, left, and Sandra McConn Halla lead a chorus of “God Bless America” during last week’s Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast at the Owatonna Country Club. The Exchange Club hosts the annual event. Staff photo by Joni Hubred
Rev. Mike Walerius shared a message during the Nov. 17 Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast that can be summed up in one word: love.
Serving as pastor at First Lutheran Church in Blooming Prairie, Walerius grew up in Owatonna, as did his wife, Tiffany, who is an Owatonna Public Schools teacher. His presentation was based on a reading from John 15:1-17, where Jesus talked about being the “true vine” and said, “my Father is the gardener.”
When the Walerius’ bought their second house in Owatonna, he said, they looked for something to fill in a spot at the front of the house. At the farmers market, he found a dwarf lilac tree that had been grafted.
“Jesus was talking about grafting, with us being the branch,” he said. “I am the vine, you are the branches… If we don’t have that base, we won’t bear that fruit.”
Walerius also broke down the meaning of the word “abide,” which can mean “to live in.”
“When we live in Jesus, and Jesus lives in us,” he said, “we can start to do what God calls us to do. What he directs us to live into is love.”
That includes not only those close to us, but also “the person that annoys you,” he added. “It’s love without limitations; it’s not based on whether the recipient is worthy or not.”
Walerius said people need love more than ever today, after going through pandemic fears and loss of life, war, struggles with inflation, and the divide among people who are no longer sure who to trust.
“We need to move back to love,” he said. “God loves you. God put you here on purpose so you can serve God’s world.”
Event chair and Exchange Club member Sandra McConn Halla said the annual event is important because “a community thrives when there’s a base of people that are praying.”
“It changes hearts and moves people in the right direction,” she said. “It gives hope and inspires… I believe people don’t know how many people are praying for them.”
Held for more than 25 years, the event at Owatonna Country Club is hosted annually in November by the Exchange Club of Owatonna. Mayor Thomas Kuntz, who has presided over the event for 18 years, said he hopes that it unites the community. People are often distracted, he said, and “don’t pay attention to what the Lord told us to do, love each other.”
“I believe prayer is important to our community and to me personally,” he said. “I believe Owatonna is a great Christian community.”
“One of the things I really appreciate accomplishing is starting our council meetings with prayer, with help from our ministerial association,” he added. “Hopefully, it unites us.”
The Exchange Club took over the prayer breakfast from the Owatonna Jaycees after that group disbanded. It is combined with the National Exchange Club’s “One Nation Under God” breakfasts, typically held the Thursday before Thanksgiving to highlight the roles of religious faith and freedom in U.S. history.