The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Reverend Matthew Schramm

Westminster Presbyterian Church
Bay City, MI

Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Kildee, (D-MI)
Date of Prayer: 07/23/2014

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Reverend Matthew Schramm, Pastor of Bay City's Westminster Presbyterian Church in my district, who delivered this morning's opening and very inspiring prayer .

I am pleased to welcome Pastor Schramm and his family to the U.S. Capitol, and to thank him for his continued service to our community. Westminster Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest churches in Bay City, helping to share love, faith, and hope with its congregants and others across Michigan.

In addition to serving his congregation, Reverend Schramm served as the youngest–ever chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, the ministry agency and the board of trustees for the Nation's largest body of Presbyterians.

Reverend Schramm not only serves at the church altar, but also in the community as well. He serves on Bay County's Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Board, the Do–Care Family Enrichment Center advisory board, and the McLaren Bay medical region's Medical Ethics Advisory Board.

Pastor Schramm, on behalf of the U.S. Congress, thank you for being here today. I hope that your uplifting words that you shared with us will give us the courage to work together in pursuit of the common good for all Americans.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

Holy and merciful God, maker of Heaven and Earth, we come before You in thanksgiving for Your many blessings.

For the liberty to worship freely and live securely, for the freedom to pursue Your will for our lives, and for the honor of service to the peoples and nations of the Earth, we give You thanks.

We thank You that we live in a land of opportunity, and we pray that You would help us to be mindful of opportunities to help, to share, to protect, to welcome, and to proclaim what is just and what is good.

We ask Your blessing on this House, this government, and all those who serve the common good. By Your Holy Spirit, grant that they might have the courage to do just that; and may all that we do or say give honor and glory to You, Almighty Father, now and forever.

Amen.

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