HPU’s 54th Annual Prayer Breakfast Brings Joy of Christmas Holiday
High Point University rang in the holiday season today by hosting community members at HPU’s 54th Annual Christmas Prayer Breakfast in the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center. HPU President Nido Qubein opened the program by welcoming the community members seated in the arena and those joining online.
Click here to watch the full program.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 5, 2025 – High Point University rang in the holiday season today by hosting nearly 1,000 community members who came together to enjoy HPU’s 54th Annual Christmas Prayer Breakfast despite winter weather.
This annual holiday tradition brought Christmas music and inspirational messages to the large crowd inside the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center, as well as the thousands of viewers who watched the event on livestream.
HPU President Nido Qubein opened the program by welcoming the community members seated in the arena and those joining online. The Christmas Prayer Breakfast has become a staple of the holiday season on HPU’s campus and aligns with its commitment to being a God, family and country school.
“In this room we have people who love God and love Jesus and love this festive time of the year,” Qubein said. “This is an institution that welcomes every year thousands of students who come from all 50 states and 50 countries. On this campus, we give God all the glory and we know for sure that God’s hand is on this work.”
Rev. Dr. Tom Tewell, preacher in residence at the San Marino Community Church in Los Angeles and founder of the Macedonian Ministry, delivered an inspiring message to the audience. He shared several experiences about God showing up in difficult circumstances, including when he was pastor at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.
During his time in New York, Tewell said his midtown Manhattan church joined efforts with a Black church in Harlem and his members learned how to minister to the homeless individuals who slept on the church’s steps. As a result, he said 72 homeless people every year found their faith, became confident in eternal life and were able to make a new start in their lives.
“If you believe that God made Himself flesh in the person of Jesus, in that baby born in a manger, and you believe you’ve got a purpose for being on the face of the earth to make God flesh for other people, then you’re not afraid of dying,” Tewell said. “What I saw from these homeless people we ministered to was they weren’t afraid to die because God came right to their human predicament and made God’s love flesh to them. They believed in pardon for the past, power for the present and promise for the future. That is what Christmas is all about. I wonder where God will show up through you today?”
The audience also enjoyed holiday-themed music provided by world-renowned vocal artist Wintley Phipps, the founder and president of the U.S. Dream Academy, Inc., a national after-school program that aims to break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration by giving children the skills and vision to explore their potential to lead productive lives.
Phipps sang the Christmas carol “O Holy Night” and a medley of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” with “It Is Well with My Soul” and “Amazing Grace.” He closed the breakfast with the traditional gospel hymn “Amen.”
HPU’s Christmas Prayer Breakfast is supported by the Haggai Prayer Breakfast Fund, Fence Builders Inc., Johnson’s Modern Electric, River Landing at Sandy Ridge and Smith & Jennings, Inc.