Doctor Kenneth L. Samuel
Victory Baptist Church
Stone Mountain, GA
Sponsor: Rep. Cynthia McKinney, (D-GA)
Date of Prayer: 07/20/2005
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Ms. McKINNEY. Mr. Speaker, Kenneth Samuel is a Godly man, and I thank him for being here today.
He was born in Darlington, South Carolina, and received his B.A. from Wesleyan University, his Master's of Divinity from Emory University, and his Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Dr. Samuel was licensed as a minister and ordained at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, the church of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Reverend Samuel believes that the church must be all around us and is not just reflected in a building. Toward that end, he has taken his ministry of social justice to the community at large. Reverend Samuel currently serves as the President of the DeKalb County NAACP. He has also served as President of the DeKalb County Council on Adult Literacy and has volunteered as a chaplain at the DeKalb County jail. He serves on the Board of Leadership DeKalb and chaplained the southern region of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
In 1987 he organized the Victory for the World Church and Independent Baptist Church and United Church of Christ. Reverend Samuel's church serves the total person, providing spiritual development, educational enhancement, and physical fitness. The church school, Victory Christian Academy, Victory Annex, and the Kenneth L. Samuel Community Life Center define Victory as a church that serves its members and the larger community.
Reverend Samuel is a wonderful leader in our community, a strong man unafraid to take a stand, and I am proud to have him lead us in prayer today in our community, the United States Congress.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Gracious and most loving God:
Today, as in days gone by, we acknowledge You as sovereign God – God of all people, all cultures and all faith traditions. We pray that the differences which divide us will be mitigated and overcome by the common reverence that we share for You. Indeed, we pray that our communion with You will inspire and enable us to build a national and an international community where Your face is reflected and recognized in the faces of all Your children – regardless of race, gender, religion, class or sexual orientation. Let our communion with You enable us to build greater community with one another.
On this day, make us Your servants indeed, and please allow our service to You to find expression in the respect and reconciliation that we seek to establish among all people.
It is in Your manifold, marvelous, matchless name that we offer this prayer.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory