The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Reverend Dr. Wade Stevenson

Gideon Missionary Baptist Church
Waukegan, IL

Sponsor: Rep. Robert Dold, (R-IL)
Date of Prayer: 04/27/2016

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome my good friend, Pastor Wade Stevenson from Waukegan, Illinois, in Illinois' 10th Congressional District.

For his entire life, Pastor Stevenson has been called to serve others. Pastor Stevenson is the head pastor at Gideon Baptist Church in Waukegan, and at Gideon, he helps to bring God's grace and the word of the Lord to our community.

Pastor Stevenson is the president of the North Shore Baptist Ministers' Alliance and the second vice president of the Lake County Chapter of the NAACP. His numerous public recognitions and appointments reveal a life of public service to the people of our community.

But Pastor Stevenson's role in our community can't be summed up by a list of titles or awards. Since he became pastor of Gideon Baptist Church more than 10 years ago, he has become a beacon of hope for countless people in our community. Pastor Stevenson is one of the first people in our community that people turn to when they are looking for guidance, both spiritual or otherwise.

I have been blessed to work side by side with him to distribute Thanksgiving turkeys to families in need. His dedication has brought joy to countless families around the holidays year in and year out.

It is a great honor to welcome my friend, Pastor Stevenson , to the House of Representatives today, and I am confident that the blessings he brings will serve us well.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

God of unity and of peace, we come to this opening session acknowledging that You are the source of life and that each person's life is subject to Your governance.

We bring to this session the diverse concerns of the districts we represent, and in bringing those concerns, we acknowledge that through You we can serve in unity.

As we come to this session and into these Halls, we also acknowledge that through You we can have peace. Let peace rest within these Halls, and let us rest in that peace through the demonstration of our patience and cooperation in serving.

Finally, we pray that our time spent here will be meaningful and that You will bless our service to produce fruit in the lives of those we represent.

We thank You for the opportunity to serve through Your unity as instruments of Your peace.

Amen.

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