About EVMPB

The East Valley Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast (EVMPB) began in 2012 with a spontaneous challenge by Tempe’s Mayor Hugh Hallman to the newly elected Gilbert Mayor John Lewis at a Prayer event initiated by Jonathan McHatton, the Founder of CARE INC / For Our Cities & Towns. The challenge was to create an annual regional event, hosted on a rotating basis by a Mayor, where other East Valley mayors and community leaders could gather in gratitude, prayer, conversation, and shared commitment to serving people well.

Since then, the EVMPB has been hosted by the Mayors of Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale, Queen Creek, and Tempe, as well as the President of the Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. 

Today, the EVMPB serves as the regional expression of For Our Cities & Towns and other community service movements. While each city and town retains its identity and priorities, the Prayer Breakfast provides a space for civic, faith, business, education, and nonprofit leaders to step beyond municipal boundaries and affirm a shared responsibility to the region and its people.

Throughout the year, For Our Cities & Towns tables convene and collaborate locally to build trust, align leaders across sectors, and move from conversation to action. The East Valley Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast honors local work by bringing regional leaders together to reflect, align, and recommit to shared values of service and responsibility. It does not replace local collaboration; it celebrates, strengthens, and elevates it.

Prayer at the EVMPB is not about politics or agendas. It is a posture of humility, recognizing that leadership carries weight and that serving communities well requires wisdom beyond any single individual or institution. This focus has ensured the Prayer Breakfast remains neutral, inclusive, and trusted across sectors and traditions.

The East Valley Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast is stewarded by CARE INC, whose mission, "People Helping People," guides both the Prayer Breakfast and the broader For Our Cities & Towns framework. CARE INC’s role is not to own the table but to hold it well, ensuring continuity, neutrality, and alignment.

As the East Valley continues to grow, the East Valley Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast remains a reminder that communities are strongest when leaders stand together in faith, guided by compassion and committed to the people they serve.