The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Pastor William Hild

FirstSarasota, the Downtown Baptist Church
Sarasota, FL

Sponsor: Rep. Vern Buchanan, (R-FL)
Date of Prayer: 11/29/2018

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

Mr. BUCHANAN. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to welcome to the
United States Capitol my pastor, William Hild, who led us in the opening prayer today.

Pastor Hild is not only a tremendous community leader in my hometown
of Sarasota, Florida, but he has been a great friend to Sandy and me,
and a resource to me and my family, for nearly 18 years.

Since 1997, Pastor Hild has served as the pastor of FirstSarasota,the Downtown Baptist Church. Under his leadership, the church has grown. It is very dynamic. It makes a big difference in my community. Also under his leadership, we have seen the incredible outreach that he has done in terms of strengthening and encouraging people on our beautiful Gulf Coast.

My wife Sandy and I want to personally thank Pastor Hild for what he
has done for us in our life and what he continues to do in our
community to make it a better community. It is a privilege to have Pastor Hild and his family here today.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

Our Father and our God, we beseech You this morning to grant unto this House abundant wisdom, such as we read of in the epistle of James,
a wisdom that "is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity."
May such wisdom be the foundation upon which debate and decision is made.

We pray for the health, wholeness, and peace to be upon each and every esteemed Member, their spouses, their families, and the dedicated staffs who undergird them. May the great challenges that confront our land, debated in this Chamber, become opportunities for even greater blessing as, together, we seek Your will for this, our beloved Nation.

May we be reminded today that Your Word teaches us: "Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord." We thank You for Your incredible goodness, remembering all Your many blessings, both individually and as a Nation.

We earnestly pray for a deeper desire to make You the foundation and center of our life as we offer this humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory