Reverend Tom Mullins
Christ Fellowship
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Mark Foley, (R-FL)
Date of Prayer: 05/08/2002
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to introduce and welcome Senior Pastor Tom Mullins to the United States House of Representatives this morning.
Senior Pastor Mullins is the founder of Christ Fellowship, an evangelical 14,000–member church in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This nondenominational evangelical Christian church has grown from about 140 people to 14,000 people under Pastor Mullins' guidance.
Pastor Mullins left a successful career as a football coach and athletic director to start the church. He was a well–respected coach at Palm Beach Gardens High School in the 1970s and at Georgetown College in Kentucky before becoming athletic director at Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth. He started the church in 1984 while still working at the college, and has been there ever since.
In addition, Pastor Mullins and his wife, Donna, who joins us today in the gallery with their daughter, Noelle, are the founders of the Place of Hope International, which sends food and clothing around the world, from Peru to India. They work locally in our County of Palm Beach distributing food baskets to the poor and sending thousands of gifts during the holiday season to people in need.
A well–respected member of our community, Pastor Mullins is an advocate for citizen involvement in the political process, for being good stewards of our Nation's heritage, and a strong supporter of President Bush's faith–based initiative.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Our Heavenly Father, it is our prayer that You will grant us wisdom today, and You will bless the Members of Congress as they lead our Nation during these challenging times. May we not forget our dependence upon You, O Mighty God. Your hand has been with us through the history of our great Nation.
As President Lincoln declared, "It is the duty of nations, as well as men, to owe their dependence upon the overwhelming power of God, and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
May You continue to bless us and guide us. Be with our President and Members of Congress, our military personnel fighting in the war on terrorism. We thank You for Your strength and for Your wisdom, and we recognize today that these blessings come from You.
In Your Holy Name. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory