Kurt Warner to speak at Promise Keepers event in Cape Girardeau

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner will speak about his religious faith as part of the Heartland Promise Keepers event at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau on April 28.

Admission will be free, organizers said. The event for men and boys is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

"Our goal is to have 6,000 people in the Show Me Center," said Jackson businessman Jason Wray, a member of the Heartland Promise Keepers group.

The group has 15 to 20 members who meet weekly for prayer and fellowship.

Wray said the group has reached out to local businesses and churches in the region to help fund the event.

"We kind of just stepped out in faith that we would be able to make it happen," Wray said.

Warner, who formerly quarterbacked the St. Louis Rams and led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2000, will share his life story, Wray said.

Warner's life has been filled with failures and successes, suffering and triumph, Wray said. "It is just an incredible story."

Said Wray, "Most people in our area see Kurt Warner as the MVP of the Rams who helped win a Super Bowl, but they don't know the actual man."

The event also is expected to include two or three other speakers as well as music from area church praise bands.

"It is going to be the biggest blast of praise and inspirational music that this area has ever seen," Wray said.

Seating will be first come, first served.

Lamar Advertising has donated five billboards to help publicize the event, Wray said.

It will be the largest event ever hosted by the local Promise Keepers group, he said.

About 1,000 people turned out for a Heartland Promise Keepers rally last March at the Osage Community Centre. Professional wrestler Steve Borden, better known as "Sting," was the featured speaker.

The local group is affiliated with the national Promise Keepers organization. The national nondenominational group attempts to grow men's faith in God through various activities, including religious rallies in football stadiums.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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