Reverend Pastor Ethan Magness
First Christian Church
Johnson City, TN
Sponsor: Rep. David P. Roe, (R-TN)
Date of Prayer: 03/04/2020
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to
recognize Ethan Magness, who delivered today's opening prayer.
Ethan is the senior pastor at First Christian Church in my hometown of Johnson City, Tennessee, where my wife, Clarinda, has attended for many
years.
We are pleased to welcome Pastor Magness here today.
Ethan is originally from Elizabethton, Tennessee, and graduated from
Swarthmore College. He received his master of divinity from Emmanuel
Christian Seminary and served for 10 years at the Mountain Christian
Church in Joppa, Maryland.
Ethan founded and still directs the Semester in Ministry program at
Milligan College. He has served as an adjunct professor there for 10
years.
I am proud to welcome Ethan; his wife, Betsy; and his son, Evan, to
our Nation's Capitol today. I am also pleased he could share the Word
of God with us today.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Gracious God, we come to You in need of Your sovereign love, for Your power exceeds all human power, Your authority exceeds all human authority, and Your government will stand when all human governments have passed into history.
We come to You in confession of our weakness and sin, for we have sought too often our own power. We have fought too selfishly for our own glory. We have clung too tightly to our desires and our factions and our plans.
We come to You seeking the strength to repent. Turn us to Your wisdom instead of our own. Turn us to honesty instead of falsehood. Turn us to
humility and service instead of pride and self–seeking.
We come to You for a blessing. Like Jacob, we cling to You and will not let go until You have blessed us, for You are good and gracious and
loving, and in You, we put our trust. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory