Reverend Les Burleson
Hockey Ministries International
Wake Forest, NC
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Brad Miller, (D-NC)
Date of Prayer: 06/16/2004
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. MILLER of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome our guest chaplain, Lester Burleson. I am proud to represent Reverend Burleson in this Chamber. Reverend Burleson is the youth minister at Wake Forest Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a very important congregation in my home county.
Before arriving at that position, he served 8 years as pastor of Wake Union Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he saw his ministry grow from a working congregation of about 38 to 150 folks regularly attending Sunday worship services.
Reverend Burleson's ministry has also taken him into the world of sport. As chapel coordinator for the Anshultz Entertainment Group in North America and Europe, he has helped many pro athletes grow in their faith. He also serves as the director of the chapel program for the Carolina Hurricanes, our local NHL team.
Just as Reverend Burleson has served his parish and his ministry with great distinction, he has also served our country with great distinction. As a 10–year Army reservist, Reverend Burleson served as commander of the 139th Tactical Operations Center. During Operation Desert Storm, he was elevated to company commander and served 10 months of active duty.
His wife, Pamela, and children, Mandy and Matthew, are watching today proudly.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Reverend Burleson for his distinguished service, and I am honored to welcome Reverend Burleson to the House floor today.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Heavenly Father,
The world is complex, thorny and often unrewarding to those that would step out and change things for the better. God if anyone here today has lost that sense of idealism that brought them here, or that sense of wonder associated with being part of the grand experiment of democracy, please renew their spirits this day. Give their hearts a new measure of hope, and give them a renewed vision of where their ideals can take a great nation. Give them a spirit of adventure to carry us through today, and into a new and broadening horizon. Though, "we, the people", can sometimes be fickle in our demands, please remind them that they are loved and respected for what they do and that we appreciate every day of their service. Whether through the mire of a war, the grief at the loss of a former president or the briars and brambles of daily decision making these men and women are yet the leaders of the greatest nation on earth. God bless them, and God bless America.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory