Reverend Johann Arnold
Church Communities International
Rifton, NY
Sponsor: Rep. Maurice Hinchey, (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 03/14/2007
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
(Mr. HINCHEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. HINCHEY. Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure and honor to introduce a dear friend of mine and a very respected member of our community, Johann Christoph Arnold , for his opening prayer as the guest chaplain of the House of Representatives today.
Pastor Johann Christoph Arnold and his wife, Verena, are senior pastors of Church Communities International, an international movement that is dedicated to peace around the world. They work very diligently and very effectively with families, with individuals, with veterans, and a host of other people to bring them the kind of counseling and conciliation they need in many communities.
Pastor Arnold and his wife, Verena, are the parents of eight children and 34 grandchildren. For over 35 years as family counselors, they have advised thousands of couples in our community and in many other places here in the United States and around the world. People have come to expect sound advice from this award–winning author, whose books have sold over 350,000 copies in English and have been translated into 19 other languages.
It is a great pleasure and an honor to have Johann Christoph Arnold , his wife, Verena, and other members of their community here with us this morning; and I thank him very much for his opening prayer.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Lord, we thank Thee for another day, and for another chance to serve Thee and our nation. Before Thee we are like little children who do not know how to carry out our duties. Therefore we ask, like King Solomon, not for a long life, not for wealth for ourselves, not for the death of our enemies, but for discernment to administer justice and to distinguish between right and wrong. Let us heed the words of the Apostle John: "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us." Let us hope that this spirit will becomes the order of the day right here in Washington. We pray for our President, our Madam Speaker, all our brothers and sisters in the House and Senate, and for our servicemen and women and their families. We pray for our beloved nation. May it always be under the rulership of God.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory