Reverend James R. Shaw
Agnus Dei Lutheran Church
Fredericksburg, VA
Sponsor: Rep. Dave Brat, (R-VA)
Date of Prayer: 07/06/2016
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. BRAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce to my colleagues our guest
chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives today, Reverend James R.
Shaw. Pastor Shaw serves the Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in
Fredericksburg, Virginia.
After working for a Fortune 500 company in the IT management
division, Reverend Shaw graduated summa cum laude from Concordia
University in Wisconsin and proceeded to obtain his Master of Divinity
from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Reverend Shaw accepted a call to Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Decatur,
Illinois, in February 2008. He is now serving as missionary at large on
behalf of the United Lutheran Mission Association at Agnus Dei in the
Spotsylvania/Fredericksburg area of Virginia.
He has gone on to serve congregations as a pastor, currently serving
a small startup, Agnus Dei Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
He also serves as VP of administration, CIO/CTO, and professor of
church history and ethics at Walther Theological Seminary, Decatur,
Illinois.
Mr. Speaker, Agnus Dei Lutheran Church is a church that is indeed
alive. Reverend Shaw and the entire church family minister each day
through worship services, daily prayer, and by serving those in need
through ministries that support families by providing grief and crisis
counseling.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to welcome Reverend Shaw, his
wife, Peggy, and the rest of his family who have joined him today. May
God bless his family and may God bless the church family at
Clearwater's Calvary Baptist Church as well as our country today.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Heavenly Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, grant unto those gathered,
representing all people of this great Nation:
Knowledge to pursue the good when the outlook seems dark;
Wisdom to vote for what is best for all;
Courage to choose the unpopular, but better;
Boldness to go where creativity has never gone;
Love to care for the poor and needy;
Faith to step forward and lead the misguided;
Understanding to provide for what is truly needed;
Mercy to forgive those who have transgressed;
Hope for a prosperous future as opportunities unfold;
The eyes of a child to approach life's work with diverse wonderment;
Ears to hear the still small voice of God;
Hands to set free the persecuted and the oppressed;
A sense for those things hidden which may prove dangerous;
And a vision of joy for all languages and cultures.
In Thanksgiving for Your providence, we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory