Starting tomorrow through to next Thursday, the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast Committee will be staging a National Week of Prayer.

The eight-day prayer programme, 'Prayer Blitz 2007', will culminate with the leadership prayer breakfast on the January 18.

Peter Garth, vice-chairman of the committee, said the week-long prayer is in keeping with the call for heightened spiritual intervention in the nation's affairs.

"[It is] A call on citizens to lend concentrated prayer efforts to eight areas of national life," he said.

Mr. Garth noted that the Spiritual Warfare Attack Team (SWAT) has been put on alert to pray for critical areas such as peace and unity, health and education, leaders, security and justice and families.

The 27th National Leadership Prayer Breakfast is scheduled for next Thursday under the theme, 'Building on the Right Foundation', at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

The prayer breakfast committee will bring together about 450 leaders of the State, Church, diplomatic corps, academia, judiciary, business community and civic life to foster greater unity.

Reverend Stanley G. Clarke, secretary of the committee, said leaders who share a vision of purpose for the country were selected to attend the invitation-only prayer breakfast.

"Those who would have the strongest influence in their organisation and, if they in turn would lead by example, then that which we hope to happen to foster peace, unity and reconciliation among our citizenry (will happen)," said Rev. Clarke.

The National Leadership Prayer Breakfast, which was first held in January 1981, arose out of the Church's concern for peace and justice in the nation following the 1980 General Election.

The charity organisation slated to benefit this year from the prayer breakfast is the Build Jamaica Project, and major sponsor Victoria Mutual Building Society is still on board since 1985.