Dateline Irvine — Orange County’s 51st annual Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast will be Friday, March 13, at 7 a.m., the Irvine Hotel.
Sponsored by Vanguard University, this Southern California gathering is part of Orange Coast Christian Outreach’s Outreach Week.
Keynote speaker Brent Theobald is a graduate of Vanguard University, which is in Costa Mesa.
Mr. Theobald, U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and director of strategic operations at Far Reaching Ministries, will present the theme of honoring military and veterans. He will be recounting his story of serving in the military with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Horn of Africa, and the difficulties he faced in his transition out of the military.
“My story is not unique,” Mr. Theobald said. “Thousands of veterans have transitioned out of the military and faced various challenges.
“My hope is that one or two of them will benefit from hearing my story of healing, forgiveness, hope and purpose.”
As a member of the elite Marine Force Reconnaissance Company, Mr. Theobald’s were among the first American boots on the ground in November 2001, in search of Osama bin Laden. After his service, Mr. Theobald joined the staff at Vanguard University, taking the position of director of veterans affairs. Transitioning back into civilian life in Orange County was an identity check for this combat veteran. In the military he was responsible for millions of dollars of equipment, and ultimately, the lives of men.
Moving to Orange County, he found himself unemployed, without community, and without fitting in. After deciding to pursue his academic goals and eventually joining the staff at Vanguard, Mr. Theobald recognizes the Costa Mesa university’s leadership in helping veterans transition back into civilian life – going through just what Mr. Theobald went through.
“The moment you stand in Vanguard’s Veterans Courtyard of Honor, you realize how deeply this university cares about veteran success in transition,” Mr. Theobald said.
In his current role at Far Reaching Ministries, Mr. Theobald works closely assisting refugees fleeing the brutality inflicted by ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Traveling the globe, he works with internally displaced people in South Sudan, naming his purpose to serve the least of these and be a voice for the voiceless in the conflict zones.
Orange Coast Christian Outreach, host of the Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast, is a non-profit organization dedicated to evangelizing the Orange County area, unifying non-profits, churches, and groups who share the goal of seeing cities come to know Jesus Christ. One of the ways Christian Outreach attains this goal is with the Orange Coast Christian Outreach Week. The Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast will kick off the week, hosting mayors from Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, and more coastal cities.
To reserve seats, visit www.outreachweek.org.
About Vanguard University
Vanguard University (VU) is a regionally ranked, private, Christian university of liberal arts and professional studies. Located ten minutes from Newport Beach and an hour from Los Angeles, Vanguard equips students for a Spirit-empowered life of Christ-focused leadership and service. Vanguard is committed to academic excellence, boasting small class sizes that are designed to cultivate lasting professor-mentor relationships that enhance the learning process. The U.S. News & World Report ranked Vanguard a top 12 regional college in the west and a top veteran-friendly college for 2015, and The Princeton Review ranked Vanguard a 2014 “Best in the West” regional college. Accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Vanguard offers more than 30 degrees and certificates through its undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies programs. Please visit www.vanguard.edu
Ms. Hales may be contacted at erin.hales@vanguard.edu