Santa Clarita Valley community leaders will join together Thursday, May 2, to share their faith during the 9th Annual SCV Mayors Prayer Breakfast, featuring keynote speaker Brad Dacus, one of the nation’s top experts on the defense of religious liberties and parents’ rights.

“We’re very excited about this year’s lineup, highlighted by Mr. Dacus, an inspiring advocate of our constitutionally protected religious freedoms,” said Joe Messina, president and chairman of the Dunamis Group, a local faith-based organization of business leaders who host the Mayors Prayer Breakfast each year.

Dacus, a former legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, currently serves as president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a nonprofit legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights and other civil liberties.

The breakfast is scheduled 7 to 8:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Valencia. Tickets cost $28.50 if purchased in advance or $32.50 at the door, and reservations can be made by visiting www.scvmpb.com or calling (661) 257-9250. More information on keynote speaker Brad Dacus is available at www.pacificjustice.org.

Also scheduled to speak will be elected leaders as well as pastors and ministers from various religious organizations, each of whom will lead the group in prayer tailored to a different community segment, such as youth, protective services, and elected officials.

“This breakfast event has grown into a much-anticipated pause, in which business and political leaders break from their daily routines and enjoy fellowship with each other,” Messina said. “We’re expecting our local elected officials from the City of Santa Clarita, school districts and town councils, as well as representatives of county government and nearby cities like Fillmore and Santa Paula.”

The SCV Mayors Prayer Breakfast coincides with the National Day of Prayer, held on the first Thursday of May each year to encourage personal and corporate prayer, defend religious freedoms and emphasize prayer for America’s leaders.

Messina added that the breakfast enables leaders from diverse political backgrounds to find common ground based on their shared faith. “Political affiliation doesn’t matter — we’ll all be there to share a common thread of good will.”