Reverend Dr. John W. Coker, Jr.
First Presbyterian Church
Fayatteville, NC
Sponsor: Rep. Hon. Mike McIntyre, (D-NC)
Date of Prayer: 03/29/2006
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
(Mr. McINTYRE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. McINTYRE. Mr. Speaker, I am very honored today to introduce to you the gentleman who just gave our opening prayer, our guest pastor, John Wright Coker , Jr., from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Jay, as he is known to all of us as his friends, is a native of Leland, North Carolina, in southeastern North Carolina, which I have the great opportunity to represent.
His commitment to spreading the word of God both here in the United States and abroad is unparalleled. Currently serving in his 12th year as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville, Jay has also led churches in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi.
Active in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Dr. Coker serves on the Presbytery Council, the Committee on Budget and Finance, and the Outreach Foundation. In addition, he has traveled the world with passion and purpose to spread God's word. From Mexico to the Middle East to Cuba, he has worked to build brighter and stronger communities while opening hearts and minds to the power and promise of God's unconditional love.
Mr. Speaker, Jay is blessed with a strong family, who are here with him today, including his wife, Sharon, and children John , Joseph, and Margaret Ann, and other friends and his mother.
Our State of North Carolina and Nation are blessed to have him as an ambassador of the Holy Scriptures and an ambassador of the promise we have for tomorrow.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and may God's blessings be upon Dr. Coker and his family and, indeed, upon our Nation.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
O God, in your sight, nations rise and fall and pass through times of peril. In your name, our forbearers won liberty for us all, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn.
Give constant and wise counsel to this Congress, to the President, and to the judiciary of this land. Make these servants equal to our trust, reverent in the use of freedom, just in the exercise of power, generous in the protection of weakness. Be present with our armed forces throughout the world, and with their families.
Keep us mindful of how small the earth is, how interrelated our lives have become, and how fragile security and peace can be. Hold us together as one people. Guard us from prejudice against neighbors, who having come from many lands, now pledge allegiance to one flag.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, and grant us your peace. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory