Reverend Tyrone Skinner
Metropolitan Baptist Church
Altadena, CA
Sponsor: Rep. Hon. Adam Schiff, (D-CA)
Date of Prayer: 02/28/2007
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
(Mr. SCHIFF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Reverend Tyrone Skinner of the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Altadena, California, as guest Chaplain of the House of Representatives.
Pastor Skinner embarked on his career as a preacher at a remarkably young age. He delivered his first public sermon at the age of 10. While at Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, in pursuit of his bachelor's degree, he joined the First Baptist Church of Hamilton Park. He earned his Master's of Divinity Degree from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in 1989. One year later, he became pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church.
Under Reverend Skinner's charismatic leadership, the Metropolitan Baptist Church has seen incredible transformations. Pastor Skinner has enriched the worship experience for 800 members and has overseen significant infrastructure improvements to the church facility. Pastor Skinner was instrumental in engaging church members in a Body and Soul program by serving as a judge at a men's cook–off and encouraging members to become more healthy physically as well as spiritually.
Pastor Skinner helped establish Praise Team, Praise Dancers, Soldiers for Christ Stomp Team, and several other ministries in the church. He also established a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Metropolitan Community Action Services Corporation, which has been a sponsor of the Young African American Male Conference.
The list of Reverend Skinner's accomplishments is long, his altruism is broad. Last year, Metropolitan celebrated its 100th anniversary, and today is a fitting capstone to his service to the church, the community and now to the country.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Dear gracious God our Savior,
We spend these moments reverencing you as we invoke your presence in this place so that sound judicious decisions will be made that will benefit our democracy. We admit our shortcomings and our need for your guidance in all that is done in this place. We seek your face to address racism, classism, sexism, and other discriminations that divide us and seek to devour the very core of our democracy. We lift especially the victims of Katrina and other natural disasters in our country that they may find peace and resolution to the quest for placement that should be theirs.
Finally, we pray for our troops who fight for the cause of democracy in Iraq. We know you will not allow their fighting to be in vain. Thank you for hearing our prayer, and we now listen for your voice to direct our paths.
In the name of him who has been given all power, Amen
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory