Reverend William Rice
Calvary Baptist Church
Clearwater, FL
Sponsor: Rep. David Jolly, (R-FL)
Date of Prayer: 06/03/2015
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce to my colleagues our guest chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives today, Pastor Willy Rice of Clearwater, Florida's Calvary Baptist Church.
Pastor Willy is a Florida native, attending Calvary as a young man and returning to the church years later in 2004 to become the church pastor. Pastor Willy is joined in ministry by his wife, Cheryl, and together they have three children.
Mr. Speaker, Calvary Baptist Church is a church that is indeed alive. Pastor Willy and the entire church family minister each day through worship services, through Calvary Christian School, by serving those in need through Calvary Cares, and through ministries that support families, the elderly, supporting foster care and adoption services, providing grief counseling and ministry, and ministries to the deaf community.
In each of these ministries, Pastor Willy and the Calvary family remain focused on sharing the saving grace and the love of the Christ in Whom we put our faith, living out this faith each day with a spirit of evangelism, a humble compassion, and a heart of Christian ministry.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to welcome Pastor Willy and his wife Cheryl. May God bless the Rice family, and may God bless the church family at Clearwater's Calvary Baptist Church.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Father, we praise You as the author of life and affirm with our Founders that You are the giver of liberty.
We ask that You would direct these who gather as Members of Congress to help govern our land. Grant them wisdom beyond themselves. Grant them the humility to remember Whom they serve and to Whom they must give an ultimate account. Grant them a deep burden for righteousness and a burning passion for justice.
Forgive us, Lord, as a people, for walking in pride and imagining that we can long stand without Your blessing. Awaken us to a reverence for Who You are as the living God and for Your eternal truths.
You, O Lord, are a great and mighty God, yet You are also compassionate and gracious. Be gracious to us still, and grant us a spiritual awakening that will renew our Nation from within.
In Jesus' Name.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory