Dear Friends,
As America approaches its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, we have an opportunity to reflect on the profound role faith has played in our nation’s founding and continued blessing. Our Founding Fathers drew wisdom from Scripture, acknowledging God as the source of our liberties and calling on divine providence. America’s 250th birthday provides us with a unique opportunity to celebrate the foundation of faith in our nation’s founding while rededicating ourselves to the enduring ideal of one nation under God.
In the months leading up to this historic anniversary, The FAMiLY Leader is leading and partnering with several significant national gatherings That will lift up this spiritual heritage and invite Americans to reflect, pray, and give thanks for the blessings that have marked our nation’s history.
America Reads the Bible – Washington, D.C. | April 19 – April 25, 2026
The FAMiLY Leader is partnering with America Reads the Bible for this historic event. Just as Ezra read the Word aloud to the people of Israel (Nehemiah 8:1–3)—awakening revival and repentance, inspiring them to rebuild the temple, and working with Nehemiah to mobilize the people to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls—America Reads the Bible is a sacred opportunity to call our nation back to its spiritual foundations. Through a public, continuous reading of the entire Bible in our nation’s capital by national leaders from all spheres of influence, the event seeks to spark renewal in individual hearts and inspire Americans to carry the Word forward into the next 250 years of our national story.
Approximately 500 participants from across the United States will take part in reading Scripture, including prominent faith leaders such as Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Dr. Alveda King, Dallas Jenkins, James Ward, and many more.
Iowa delegation on April 21 at 11 am (reading from 1 Kings): U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, Bob Vander Plaats and Greg Baker.
National Jubilee of Prayer – Washington, D.C. | May 17, 2026
The FAMiLY leader is joining the National Jubilee of Prayer. Pastors, ministry leaders, and citizens will unite on the National Mall for a National Jubilee of Prayer. This solemn assembly will be a time of thanksgiving for God’s providence over the past two and a half centuries and a moment of humble petition for the future of the republic. As President Donald J. Trump has invited the nation, “May 17, 2026, we’re inviting Americans from all across the country to come together on our National Mall to pray, to give thanks. We’re going to rededicate America as one nation under God.” Participants will gather in gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, in repentance where we have strayed from our founding ideals, and in prayer that God would once again guide and bless the United States.
The FAMiLY Leadership Summit – Des Moines, Iowa | July 17, 2026
The FAMiLY is hosting our annual Leadership Summit, hosted by The FAMiLY Leader, is an annual gathering designed to inspire Christians to return to the timeless principles and precepts of God as they lead in their families, churches, communities, and government. Held in Des Moines, the Summit brings together pastors, civic leaders, and citizens who share a commitment to faithful leadership and the stewardship of liberty.
The 2026 Summit will feature Pastor Lucas Miles and historian David Barton, along with leading government officials from across Iowa and the nation, for a day of reflection and encouragement as America marks 250 years since its founding.
Together, these gatherings form a meaningful arc of remembrance, prayer, and celebration—opportunities for Americans to acknowledge the spiritual foundations that helped shape our nation and to seek God’s guidance for the years ahead.
Bob Vander Plaats
President and CEO
The FAMiLY Leader
