Reverend Dr. Woodrow Hudson
Georgia Department of Corrections
Atlanta, GA
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Mac Collins, (R-GA)
Date of Prayer: 04/21/2004
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the Reverend Woodrow Hudson , who gave this morning's opening prayer. Reverend Hudson is the Director of Chaplaincy Services for the Georgia Department of Corrections. He leads 118 field chaplains and approximately 4,000 certified prison volunteers in 39 of our State prisons, six transitional centers, six probation detention centers, and three private prisons in the State of Georgia.
In the Reverend's Chaplaincy Services section are the Prison Volunteers and the Reentry Aftercare Partnership. These volunteers offer and provide spiritual guidance to over 50,000 inmates in all of Georgia's correctional institutions. The Reentry Aftercare Partnership works with churches to provide guidance to inmates returning to their communities.
Before Reverend Hudson became Director of Chaplaincy Services in Georgia, he was a pastor for 32 years in churches in Mississippi and Georgia. He was active in many community organizations in each community where he served as pastor. Reverend Hudson resides in Carollton, Georgia, with his wife, Betty, and we welcome his wife in the gallery. They have been married for 45 years and have three children. And, Mr. Speaker, one of his daughters serves this Nation as an officer in the Secret Service.
Mr. Speaker, as a Member of Congress, I ask my colleagues to please join me in welcoming Reverend Woodrow Hudson , Jr., for his outstanding service to Georgia and for his outstanding opening prayer this morning.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
The Reverend Dr. Woodrow Hudson, Chaplain, Georgia Department of Corrections, Atlanta, Georgia, offered the following prayer:
Gracious and merciful God, as we gather in this hallowed hall with the Members of the House of Representatives, we thank You for the great heritage of this body. May our interactions with others bring hope and courage. May our times together teach us patience and perseverance. May our session together be a time of learning and growth with productive results.
O God, protect us from knowledge that has no benefit. Protect us from a heart that is not humble. Protect us from a soul that is never satisfied. And protect us from a prayer that is never answered.
Help us to remember You, to reverence You, to obey You, to humble ourselves before You, to turn toward You in repentance.
Bless, O Lord, these women and men who are defending our country and our freedoms in these days of war.
We ask these things in the name of our Saviour. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory