Reverend Dr. Silvester S. Beaman
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Wilmington, DE
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Castle, (R-DE)
Date of Prayer: 01/14/2009
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Delaware, Congressman Castle, is recognized for 1 minute.
There was no objection.
Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize and to thank Rev. Silvester Beaman , pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in my hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, for leading the House in prayer this morning.
Pastor Beaman's prayer, asking this body to be a voice for the voiceless, to help the hurting and to inspire the weary is a message for all of us which we should carry forward each and every day.
Pastor Beaman is widely known for his passionate and uplifting sermons. When I visit his congregation, I am welcomed with open arms by an enthusiastic group of individuals. He has worked to grow his church to more than 2,000 members, and he oversees a youth mentoring program, a senior citizens ministry and an AIDS task force. His compassion has no limits, and his enthusiasm cannot be contained. It is for these reasons that I have asked him to come before us today and to lead us in prayer.
I would be remiss if I did not recognize Pastor Beaman's wife and childhood sweetheart, Renee, and daughter, Asaiah, who are also with us today.
Pastor Beaman , thank you for being here and for sharing your blessing with the U.S. House of Representatives.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Almighty God, the focus of our adoration, the hope of our salvation and the source of our strength.
In this immense Hall for which the reverberating echoes of great men and women have raised their voices for the cause of justice, liberty and equality, we pause to surrender to Your sovereign authority.
We invoke Your presence. We petition You for wisdom. We await Your effectual power.
A Nation and world look to this deliberative body to be a voice for the voiceless, help for the hurting, and inspiration for the weary. Give us courage for our times. In the season of celebration, help us to see the transformative light of faith that inspired Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, that transcends the things that divide and help us to hold fast to those universal principles that unite.
God, may our motives, words, actions, and love define us in these, our defining moments, by Your grace and according to Your will.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory