The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Reverend Dr. Marilyn Monroe Harris

First Baptist Church of Teaneck
Teaneck, NJ

Sponsor: Rep. Josh Gottheimer, (D-NJ)
Date of Prayer: 10/22/2019

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome my dear friend and a true leader, Reverend Dr. Marilyn Monroe Harris, and thank her for delivering today's invocation.

Dr. Harris is the fifth pastor and the first female pastor of the
First Baptist Church of Teaneck, Teaneck, New Jersey, and she is a
beacon of leadership for north Jersey and our Nation.

She is joined today by her niece, Amma, and fellow pastors, colleagues, and friends from the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention.

Pastor Harris is a lifelong civil servant; the founder of the
Christian Women's Alliance, allowing clergywomen to grow together; a founder of the Foundation Building Christian Institute; and a recipient of New Jersey's NAACP Award for Pastoral Leadership and Excellence.

She has preached across the globe, from Spain to South Africa. Reverend Harris also supports our first responders back home, serving as the first female African American chaplain of the Teaneck Fire Department, and she currently serves as the first female president of the United Missionary Baptist Convention of New Jersey.

Dr. Harris brings integrity and excellence to everything she does.
With so much in our country dividing us, Reverend Harris' words can bring us together so that we can better serve our great country, the
greatest country in the world.

I thank Reverend Harris for praying with us today.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

O Lord, our God, how excellent is Your name in all the Earth. We thank You for this day, and we pray for those who gather in these hallowed Halls and serve the United States of America. We pray that You sustain their physical bodies and wrap Your arms around their loved ones.

On this day, we ask that Your holy presence become manifest. Guide all with wisdom and discernment to implement just and sound policy. Engulf all with compassion for humanity and creation. Infuse our hearts with Your love. For it is Your love, O Lord, that is transformational. It is Your love that seeks the greater good. It is Your love that heals.

Let us face this day knowing that You are with us, and may all that is done in this place on this day bring You, and You alone, glory and honor. Amen.

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