Monthly Prayer Calls
The USNA ’78 Sons of the Most High God meet twice a month for a 30 minute prayer conference call via Zoom to pray for our Nation, our Classmates and one another. The calls are held:
- The first Friday of each month at 1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
- The third Thursday of every month at 3:30 pm ET (2:30 pm CT, 1:30 pm MT, 12:30 pm PT).
If you cannot join us and have a specific prayer concern for which you desire corporate prayer, please email them to Jim Fiorelli at or Fred Butterfield for consolidation and dissemination. They will be prayed over on the call and disseminated to the group for prayer.
These monthly calls are a great way to stay in touch with other classmates who believe. The calls are limited to about 20-25 minutes and you can count on the call being completed by the scheduled finish time. To receive the meeting request with the Zoom and phone dial in procedures, please reach out to Ray Milton.
Reunion Prayer Breakfasts
The USNA Class of 1978 Prayer Breakfasts started during our 20th Class Reunion in 1998. We met in the 1st Regimental side of Smoke Hall on Friday morning of our reunion, immediately prior to our Class Memorial Service. Our food was standard “CB” [continental breakfast] fare (along with coffee, tea, and juice), and was catered by the USNA Food Services Division — and we collected cash payment for that ($20) in a literal cigar box in the back of the room! Art Athens (18th Co.) was our first keynote speaker — and he gave a memorable talk in his own, typically-compelling style.
Hurricane Isabel in 2003 forced the 25th Reunion Prayer Breakfast out of the Naval Academy Yard into a hotel in downtown Annapolis where the majority of the Class of ’78 was staying. It was combined that year with the Memorial Service — a necessary action, but one that was felt detracted from the true prayer and evangelism aspect of the Prayer Breakfast.
In 2008, for our 30th Reunion, the Prayer Breakfast was back on the Academy grounds (in Alumni Hall) which was a welcome “reset” — although we quickly needed to progress from there to the Naval Academy Chapel for our Class Memorial Service. So beginning in 2013, with our 35th Class Reunion, the Prayer Breakfast shifted to a Saturday morning — thus “decoupling” it from the Friday-morning Memorial Service — and moved to the Westin Annapolis, where it has remained ever since.
In addition to Art Athens, our Prayer Breakfasts have featured a distinguished slate of keynote speakers from the Class of ’78: Mike Duncan (22nd Co.) in 2013; VADM (Ret.) Mark Fox (18th Co.) for our 40th Reunion in 2018; and most recently, for our 45th Reunion in 2023, ADM (Ret.) Cecil Haney (29th Co.)
An interesting side note to these Class Prayer Breakfasts is that, beginning in 2013, the planning leadership sensed the need to gather in prayer during the months leading up to our 35th Reunion, to bring our requests concerning this event to Almighty God and to seek His blessing on all that we were hoping to accomplish during and through the breakfast. And this resulted in what has become a standing “First Friday” (of the month) virtual prayer gathering — which has since expanded, in 2018, to include a “Third Thursday” afternoon prayer call (both of which take place via Zoom)!Soli Deo Gloria — to God alone be the Glory — and Godspeed USNA ’78!
35th Reunion Prayer Breakfast