The 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference opened on Wednesday afternoon with its International Faith Summit, held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center in Grapevine.
At the opening session of the International Faith Summit, a panel featuring more than a dozen speakers explored themes such as spiritual revival, religious freedom and the persecution of Christians worldwide. The discussion was moderated by CPAC senior fellow Mercedes Schlapp.
Ché Ahn, senior pastor of Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, addressed concerns facing California voters by framing them through a spiritual lens, referencing biblical themes.
“The last time I checked, we're the body of Christ,” said Ahn. “The government’s on our shoulder. He's the head. We're the body, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, of his government and of His peace will have no end. … So at the end of the day, we win, but until then, we have to see revival and reclamation take place in California. That is the province of California and our nation.”
Ahn, who is campaigning as a Republican candidate for California governor in 2026, went on to describe his church’s legal conflict with state authorities during COVID-19 restrictions and voiced strong criticism of California’s political direction.
“I began to realize that we have come to a one-party communist Marxist atheistic state called California, and we have to break that ideology,” he said. “It's not flesh and blood, but against principalities.”
Schlapp responded by emphasizing a determination among participants to prevent a repeat of past restrictions, stating, “We're not going to allow that to happen again.”
Victor Marx, founder of All Things Possible Ministries, honored the late Charlie Kirk, recalling his influence and commitment to publicly living out his faith despite risks.
Schlapp noted that Kirk first delivered a national speech at CPAC in 2021 and said his influence continues to shape the organization’s mission and direction.
“His spirit is with us. We pray for his family, for Erica, the children, and for the great work that Turning Point is doing,” she said. “We miss Charlie. We miss Charlie, but his legacy lives on, and we obviously are inspired to keep doing the work of reaching out, continuing to reach out and building community that's so critical.”
The four-day event, scheduled from March 25 to 28, will continue through Saturday and feature appearances by figures such as Franklin Graham, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
