'God is with us': Tauren Wells delivers message of hope, faith during community prayer breakfast

BATTLE CREEK — Tauren Wells asked a simple request of the Kellogg Arena crowd Tuesday morning.

Wherever you go, whatever you do today, smile.

The moment capped off a joyful morning inside the arena Tuesday as the platinum-selling Contemporary Christian music artist delivered a message of hope and brighter days ahead during the 41st annual Community Prayer Breakfast.

"I think it’s timely, I think it’s important that we remind ourselves that there is indeed a horizon," Wells told the crowd of more than 1,400 Tuesday morning. "In midst of all of our trouble and all of our pain, God is with us."

Wells graduated from Battle Creek Central in 2004 and has since earned 10 Grammy nominations and won six Gospel Music Association Dove Awards as a Contemporary Christian recording artist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. His most recent hit "Joy in the Morning" served as the theme of Tuesday's prayer Breakfast.

Throughout the morning, Wells encouraged those in his hometown to remain hopeful, performing his popular Christian hits "Known," "Hills and Valleys" and "Joy in the Morning." The Battle Creek native also acknowledged the difficulties many have experienced in recent years amid the pandemic, but encouraged those gathered inside the arena to lean on their faith.

Modeled after the National Prayer Breakfast — with a local focus — the Battle Creek Community Prayer Breakfast has consistently drawn nearly 1,000 people.

Tuesday's event featured more than 1,400 participants, marking one of the largest prayer breakfasts since the event began in 1982. More than 300 of those in attendance Tuesday were students, who attended for free thanks to donors.

"I think the most inspirational thing for me is to see the youth here," Calhoun County Sheriff Steve Hinkley, who co-chaired Tuesday's event with his wife Kimberly, said. "Our youth is what this is about."

The community breakfast began with an opening prayer by Octavia Crawford Turner and a "Prayer for Community" by Dominic Oo.

The first message of the morning was delivered by Trevor Young, a teacher at Marshall High School, who spoke about how faith helped him battle — and ultimately overcome — a rare form of kidney cancer. Pastor Tia Hirakis delivered the closing prayer.

"It’s overwhelming and it’s heartwarming to see the volunteers (that make this possible)," Kimberly Hinkley said. "For God to just show up like he did today through Tauren ... and (Tauren) is so gracious, he is so kind and you can tell he has a heart for what he’s doing. It's just been ... Joy is just the only word (to describe it)."

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek native Tauren Wells brings 'Joy' to annual prayer breakfast