2:15pm | Robert Lupton, keynote speaker at the 29th Annual Greater Long Beach Leadership Prayer Breakfast, concluded his presentation Thursday morning at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency Hotel and received a standing ovation. Over 300 business, government, church, education, community, nonprofit, public safety, and neighborhood leaders attended.
“He was fantastic. I’ve never seen a guy get a standing ovation for speaking on housing,” said Gretchen Goldsmith, president of Rose Publishing. Lupton spoke on his experience, with a focus on combining business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit and the convictions of his faith with community needs and development. Lupton has successfully developed two mixed-income subdivisions, organized a multi-racial congregation, started a number of businesses, created housing for hundreds of families and initiated a wide range of human services in his community in Atlanta.
A number of local leaders took part in the program, including Long Beach City Auditor Laura Doud, Long Beach Police Deputy Chief Robert Luna, President of Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education, Dr. Felton Williams, and president and CEO of Long Beach Chamber Randy Gordon. Maurice Love, Instructor of Commercial Music at Long Beach City College, enlivened the program with two songs he arranged for the event.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, a regular participant, led the group in prayer for community leaders and offered words of appreciation for their dedication to the responsibilities they face in this tough economic environment. He also helped present the Community Leadership Award to Brad Fieldhouse for his work with Kingdom Causes, and presented the Emerging Leadership Award to Anna Kaczmarek for her dedicated, life-affirming service to Long Beach residents.
A gathering of over 60 guests participated in the Community Development Forum following the Leadership Prayer Breakfast. Robert Lupton, along with five other panelists representing a broad range of community interests, answered questions from moderators Jim Lewis of Long Beach Rescue Mission and Eric Marsh from Hope for Long Beach.
“This (Community Development Forum) was an opportunity for those that care about Long Beach to have a respectful dialogue on a challenging and sometimes emotional topic. I think we achieved that during the Forum and Robert Lupton’s presentation during the breakfast helped set the tone,” said Jim Lewis, president and CEO of Long Beach Rescue Mission.