[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 137 (Wednesday, September 6, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1710-E1713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


A SPECIAL MEMBERS' PRAYER SERVICE ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, 313 2ND 
      STREET, SOUTHEAST ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1995 AT 9:00 A.M.

                                 ______


                           HON. BILL EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 1995
  Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, the opening day of this Congress began, at 
the request of then Speaker-elect Gingrich, with a Members' Prayer 
Service which was held at St. Peter's Church on Capitol Hill. It was a 
significant event in the history of this Congress and the House of 
Representatives. The many Members, Members-elect, and their families 
who attended, and the many Americans who viewed this Service on C-Span, 
found it inspiring and poignant.
  As we return from our prolonged August recess it seems altogether 
appropriate that we pause and reflect again on the importance of 
keeping all our endeavors in perspective through our faith. It is in 
this spirit that I submit for the record the following transcript of 
this Members' Prayer Service.
          Processional Hymn--``Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah''

            He will be our guide even to the end. Ps. 48:14

     Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren 
           land;
     I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy pow'rful 
           hand;
     Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no 
           more, feed till I want no more.

     Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth 
           flow; let the fire 

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           and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through; strong Deliv'rer, 
           strong Deliv'rer, be thou still my strength and shield, 
           be thou still my strength and shield.

     When I thread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears 
           subside; Death of death and hell's Destruction, land me 
           safe on Canaan's side; songs of praises, songs of 
           praises.
     I will ever give to thee, I will ever give to thee.

                            Call To Worship

                (The Honorable G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery)

       In the Call to Worship, I would like to read one verse from 
     the Book of Psalms 95:6 followed with a brief prayer.
       The Psalm, ``O Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us 
     kneel before the Lord, Our Maker! For He is our God, and we 
     are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of His hand.''
       Now let us pray.
       Our Father, You have given us this good land for our 
     benefit and have blessed us with every good thing. We offer 
     this Prayer of Thanksgiving for all Your good works to us and 
     to all people.
       We ask this day that You would bless our government with 
     wisdom and that Your teachings be done with kindness and in 
     the spirit of understanding and peace.
       This is our prayer. Amen. Amen.

                          Introductory Remarks

                      (The Honorable Bill Emerson)

       Welcome!
       This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and 
     rejoice in it.
       The Speaker-elect of the House of Representatives requested 
     that the events of this historic day, the convening of the 
     104th Congress, commence with a service of prayer for all 
     Members and Members-elect. We are bi-partisan and ecumenical, 
     gathering in body and spirit to invoke the blessings of 
     Divine Providence upon our assemblage--upon our labors and 
     the fruits of our labors.
       It is appropriate that we do this.
       Toward the close of the Constitutional Convention that 
     created the body into which we will today be sworn as 
     Members, Benjamin Franklin rose, addressed the chair, the 
     illustrious father of our country, and to his colleagues 
     said:
       ``I have lived . . . a long time, and the longer I live the 
     more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that God governs 
     in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the 
     ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can 
     arise without His aid?''
       At the time of our greatest national strife Abraham Lincoln 
     said this:
       ``Being a humble instrument in the hands of our heavenly 
     Father, I desire that all my words and acts may be according 
     to His will; and that it may be so, I give thanks to the 
     Almighty, and seek His aid.''
       It is with these attitudes we gather today, and pray this 
     service may be a blessing to all participants and to our 
     labors that lie ahead.
          Prayer for the People and All of Those in Authority

                       (The Honorable Jim Hansen)

       Our Father in Heaven, we are assembled here prior to the 
     beginning of the 104th session of the United States Congress. 
     Father, we are thankful to Thee to live in this great land of 
     bounty.
       We realize the great significance of this day, and pray for 
     Thy blessings and guidance. As we take this sacred oath of 
     office, and agree to uphold this inspired Constitution and 
     the sacred freedoms which have been secured through the blood 
     and sacrifices of valiant men and women who have gone before 
     us, may we realize that we are servants of the people and 
     sent to this cradle of Democracy to do their bidding.
       May we always remember that we are here to serve, and that 
     we serve all the people, regardless of political affiliation, 
     race, religion, or philosophy. Help us to work in harmony, 
     with understanding, with patience, and with an eye single to 
     honest values, correct principles, to upholding the 
     Constitution.
       We pray for our President, William Jefferson Clinton, and 
     his family, that he may be blessed as he carries out his 
     awesome responsibility. We pray for unity as we work together 
     for the betterment of the United States of America. Bless us 
     with a spirit of cooperation, that we may deal justly and 
     fairly with one another regardless of our philosophical 
     differences. Help us to treat each other as the brothers and 
     sisters which we truly are.
       We also ask that Thy spirit may be poured out upon the 
     leaders of the world, that peace and tranquility will 
     prevail. We ask a special blessing for those in war torn 
     areas of the world, that peace may come to their lands and 
     that people can live together without hate and strife.
       We are very aware of the less fortunate among us, the poor, 
     the sick, and the needy. We pray that, during our 
     deliberations, we can provide for opportunities for people to 
     progress and to better their station in life. Help us all to 
     have compassion for the truly needy, and to remember that the 
     worth of each soul is great in Thy sight.
       We pray for the families of our nation and of the world. We 
     recognize that families are the bedrock upon which our 
     civilization is built, and that no earthly success or fame 
     can compensate for failure in our homes or in raising our 
     children to be moral and just. Help us, in all that we do, to 
     strengthen the sacred institution of the family.
       Now Father, we pray for our leadership in the Congress of 
     both political parties, that we may be successful, that we 
     may work together diligently for the benefit of all our 
     citizens and for all people where ever they may be.
       And this we ask in the worthy name of Thy Son, Jesus 
     Christ, Amen.

                     Reading From the Old Testament

                   (The Honorable Benjamin A. Gilman)

       ``Zen haYom asah Adonai, Na-geelah v'Nees-m'cha Vo.''
       As David said in Psalm 118. ``This is the day that the Lord 
     has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.''
       Mr. Speaker-elect, My Dear Colleagues, Father O'Sullivan, 
     and Friends: What a wonderful day this is! Permit me to 
     recite two passages from Hebrew scriptures. One recalls that 
     leadership in this world comes with very special obligation 
     to our Creator. The other sets out a prophetic teaching we 
     should always bear in mind, even in the hour of our greatest 
     triumph. In the first passage, as the Israelites prepare to 
     cross the Jordan, God admonishes Joshua in these words from 
     the First Chapter of the Book of Joshua:
       ``Be strong and resolute, for you shall apportion to this 
     people the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
       ``But you must be very strong and resolute to observe 
     faithfully all the Teaching that My servant Moses enjoined 
     upon you. Do not deviate from it to the left or to the right, 
     that you may be successful wherever you go.
       ``Let not this Book of the Teaching cease from your lips, 
     but recite it day and night, so that you may observe 
     faithfully all that is written in it. Only then will you 
     prosper in your undertakings and only then will you be 
     successful.
       ``I charge you: Be strong and resolute; do not be terrified 
     or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you 
     go.''
       And in the Sixth Chapter of the Book of Micah, the Prophet 
     taught:
       ``Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
       With myriads of streams of oil? . . .
       ``He has told you, O man, what is good,
       And what the Lord requires of you:
       Only to do justice,
       And to love mercy,
       And to walk humbly with your God.''


                                 tanakh

       A New Translation of The Holy Scriptures, According to the 
     Traditional Hebrew Text, The Jewish Publication Society 1985.
                        Hymm--How Great Thou Art

         Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise Ps. 48:1

                        Patricia Barnes, Soloist

     First Verse
     O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the 
           worlds thy hands have made,
     I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, they pow'r 
           thro'-out the universe displayed.

     Refrain
     Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee: how great thou 
           art, how great thou art!
     Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee: how great thou 
           art, how great thou art!

     Fourth Verse
     When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me 
           home, what joy shall fill my heart!
     Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim, my 
           God, how great thou art.

                     Reading From the New Testament

                       (The Honorable Sue Myrick)


                             Matthew 5:2-16

     Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
     ``Blessed are the poor in spirit,
       For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
     Blessed are those who mourn,
       For they shall be comforted.
     Blessed are the meek,
       For they shall inherit the earth.
     Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
       For they shall be filled.
     Blessed are the merciful,
       For they shall obtain mercy.
     Blessed are the pure in heart,
       For they shall see God.
     Blessed are the peacemakers,
       For they shall be called sons of God.
     Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
       For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
     Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say 
           all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
     Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in 
           heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were 
           before you.
     You are the sale of the earth; but if the salt loses its 
           flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for 
           nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by 
           men.
     You are the light of the world, A city that is set on a hill 
           cannot be hidden under a basket, but on a lampstand, 
           and it gives light to all who are in the house.
     Let your light so shine before men that they may see your 
           good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
                     Prayer for Peace in the World

                      (The Honorable Tony P. Hall)

       When Bill Emerson asked me to pray for world peace I went 
     to my scriptures and looked up all the passages on world 
     peace--

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     or at least peace--and there were hundreds of scriptures in both the 
     Old and New Testaments. I thought about it for a while and I 
     thought that a lot of people have prayed for peace--for world 
     peace--for a number of years and often times it eludes us.
       And in light of what is going on in the world today, as a 
     matter of fact, I have been told that there are over 100 
     conflicts going on in the world right now, twenty-three or 
     twenty-four major humanitarian crises, and I felt it may be 
     better to pray for peace in the hearts of us, in the hearts 
     of elected officials. Because, if we don't have peace, how 
     are we going to have peace in the country and peace in the 
     world?
       A lot of verses deal with that. There are many verses 
     mentioning peace. And the one verse I really like, that I 
     think addresses the issues is in Philippians. ``Be anxious 
     for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, 
     with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 
     and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will 
     guard your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus.
       Paul wrote this while he was in jail, in prison, and he 
     wrote under great manipulation and pressure and stress. Paul 
     was a wonderful man, and he didn't know from day to day of 
     things and pressures that were going to happen to him. But he 
     had a world view, and his world view was the view of the 
     power of God in prayer, the peace of God in people's hearts. 
     And that is briefly what I want to pray about this morning.
       We'll bow our heads.
       Thank you Father for the passage and for the privilege of 
     coming together today to ask for peace in the hearts of the 
     Members of Congress, not only those taking office for the 
     first time, but for the other Members and for the leadership 
     especially. We pray for them and we just ask you to be with 
     them, and most especially their spouses and children and 
     families, for whatever is going on in their family, let there 
     be comfort and love and peace. And, then peace among us as 
     politicians and elected officials of this country. We pray 
     that there be peace among the parties, O Lord, that as we go 
     through the days and weeks that are coming, that we walk in a 
     manner that is worthy of You, that we please You, that we 
     increase in knowledge of You and Your will. We just thank You 
     for all the things You do. We ask O God, as we deliberate and 
     as we go through this year, that we ask the question of 
     ourselves individually, ``God, what is it You ask of us to do 
     God? What is it You want us to do? Have we been those kind of 
     servants?'' If we can, and if we do that O Lord, I believe we 
     can have peace in our hearts and peace in our country and 
     will be helping with the peace in the world.

                           Responsive Reading

                    (The Honorable Blanche Lambert)


                         Psalm 18:1-6 and 31-36

       Leader: I will love thee, O Lord my strength.
       All: The Lord is my rock, and my fortress and my believer; 
     my God, my strength, in whom will I trust; my buckler, and 
     the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
       Leader: I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be 
     praised; so shall I be saved from all mine enemies.
       All: The sorrows of death encompassed me, and the floods of 
     ungodly men made me afraid.
       Leader: In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried 
     unto my God; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry 
     came before Him, even into His ears.
       Leader: For who is God save the Lord? Or who is a rock save 
     our God?
       All: It is God that giveth me with strength, and maketh my 
     way perfect.
       Leader: He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me 
     upon my high places.
       All: He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is 
     broken by mine arms.
       Leader: Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy 
     salvation; and Thy gentleness hath made me great.
       All: Thou has enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did 
     not slip.

                          Prayer for Guidance

                     (The Honorable Henry Bonilla)

       Let us please bow our heads.
       Dear Lord, We are gathered here on this historic day to ask 
     your guidance as we take the reins of government in a new 
     direction.
       As we toil in the effort to make the right decisions for 
     our nation we will be counseled and advised by many people . 
     . . many interests . . . many inner feelings . . .
       In the end help us all to remember that Your divine 
     guidance is what we should turn to as the greatest authority 
     . . . the greatest special interest . . . because Your 
     interest is the best interest of the United States of 
     America.
       As representatives of every neighborhood in America we come 
     from different backgrounds . . . different ethnic groups . . 
     . different economies . . . different cultures . . . 
     different religious backgrounds.
       Lord help us to remember that above all we are alike 
     because we are Americans first . . . Americans first with a 
     common interest of preserving the American dream for our 
     children and their children as our country grows and prospers 
     in the next century.
       Lord, help us have the wisdom to appreciate what we have 
     and not to be wanting for what we don't have. Help us 
     appreciate that because our country was built on moral 
     principles of freedom and liberty we continue living in the 
     greatest country on earth. Help us appreciate that we live in 
     a country that encourages self-responsibility, self-reliance 
     and selflessness . . .
       Lord, help us understand that You give us our health, our 
     intelligence and our talents to strive for these principles. 
     Finally Lord, help us understand every day that what we do 
     now can have a profound affect on what happens to our great 
     nation for future generations . . .
       Help us have the vision . . . the foresight . . . the 
     wisdom . . . the humility to pursue an agenda that helps the 
     worker, the parent, the teacher, the child, the volunteer, 
     the student and those less fortunate who need a helping hand. 
     Help us understand, Dear Lord, that They are what America is 
     all about.
       In Your Name we pray, Amen.
                          Hymn--Amazing Grace!

 Traditional American Melody, Words by John Newton, 1779, Arranged by 
           Wintley Phipps, John Stoddart and Andrian Westney

                       (Wintley Phipps, Soloist)

     Amazing grace! how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like 
           me!
     I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.

     When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as 
           the sun,
     We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we've first 
           begun.

     Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
     Amen

                               The Homily

                     (The Honorable Frank R. Wolf)

       When I was asked to give this talk, I was initially very 
     reluctant for several reasons. Not only is it sometimes 
     difficult to speak before your colleagues but I have 
     stuttered since I was a small boy and have always found 
     speaking in public a challenge.
       As someone who stutters, I have drawn inspiration from 
     Chapter 4 of Exodus in the Bible where God tells Moses to ask 
     Pharaoh to let His people go, Moses answers, ``I have never 
     been eloquent . . . I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.'' 
     God assures Moses that He will send him help--and I'm sure 
     I'll get some help here.
       But the greatest source of motivation for speaking today is 
     the passage in Matthew Chapter 10 verse 32, where Jesus says,
       Whoever acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge 
     before my Father who is in Heaven; but whoever denies me 
     before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in 
     heaven.
       And because of this, I felt compelled to speak today.
       We are about to open the 104th Congress with great hope and 
     expectation. This is not very different from the opening of 
     previous Congresses. This is my eighth start of a new 
     Congress and I still feel a sense of anticipation and 
     excitement.
       So today, as we begin this new Congress, I want to focus on 
     what kind of leaders we should strive to be. I have 
     considered this question often for my self. There are several 
     principles I have learned from my observations and experience 
     as a Member of Congress, as a father and husband, from 
     reading the Scriptures and from listening to individuals I 
     respect. Four of these I want to share with you today. They 
     are ones that I believe are important to acknowledge as we 
     begin this new Congess.
       1. The problems in our country have a moral base, and the 
     solutions are not purely political.
       2. As leaders, we need to be men and women of character.
       3. We must foster reconciliation within our country.
       4. While we serve in this 104th Congress, we must not 
     forget those that matter most to us--our spouses and our 
     children.


                         moral root of problems

       We all know that we face many serious problems in this 
     country and we as leaders need to diagnose and manage them 
     realistically.
       I want to suggest a simple proposition to keep in mind as 
     we lead: The problems we face in America have one thing in 
     common--they are at their core moral. In our culture today, 
     many believe there is no difference between vice and virtue. 
     However, we must recognize that there are transcendent 
     standards of right and wrong.
       Samuel Johnson once said many years ago when his butler 
     told him a guest was coming to dinner who believed morality 
     was a sham. He said, ``If he really believes that there is no 
     difference between vice and virtue, let us count the spoons 
     before he leaves.''
       So, if we believe that transcendent truths exist, what is 
     our role as members of Congress? Government is not the source 
     of right and wrong, nor is it the ultimate answer regarding 
     questions of right and wrong. The thing that I fear most is 
     that we will believe that we can solve all of our problems 
     politically. If we do believe this, we will fail as we always 
     have. That's not to say we cannot improve things greatly, 
     because we can. But in our political activity what we should 
     focus on is creating a climate where conscience is cultivated 
     and character can be built. It is to that end that public 
     policy, political and social, must be directed.


                        character in leadership

       My second point today concerns character. As I enter the 
     104th Congress, I need to examine my heart--what kind of 
     member do I want to be. The name of Moses is carved in the 
     wall across from the Speaker's rostrum in the House. When 
     Moses was choosing helpers to lead Israel, his father-in-law 
     Jethro gave him this advice in Exodus chapter 18, 

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     verse 21: ``Select capable men from all the people, men who fear God, 
     trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain.''
       Isaiah chapter 1, verse 17 says, ``learn to do right, seek 
     justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the 
     fatherless. Plead the case of the widow.''
       And Micah chapter 6, verse 8 says, ``And what does the Lord 
     require of you? To act justly and to have mercy and to walk 
     humbly with your God.''
       I challenge myself to follow these guidelines--to be a 
     person who fears God, to be trustworthy, to be a person of 
     integrity and character. I must ask myself do I want to be a 
     man of excellence or a man of expedience, a man of principle 
     or one who seeks to be popular, a man who looks for the right 
     thing to do and does it, or a man who finds the easy way 
     around whatever I'm facing.
       I'm reminded of what William Penn said, ``Government, like 
     clocks, go from the motion men give them, and as governments 
     are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too . . 
     . Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be 
     ill, they will cure it. But if men be bad, let the government 
     be never so good, they will endeavor to warp and spoil it.''


                             reconciliation

       My third point concerns reconciliation, a sometimes 
     difficult task in Washington. As we govern, it is important 
     to work in a spirit of cooperation. What we need in the 
     country and world, as well as in the Congress, is 
     reconciliation--between races, countries, spouses, between 
     children and their parents.
       Today regardless of your religious views, consider the 
     teaching of Jesus who is one of the greatest authorities on 
     reconciliation. He stressed the importance of forgiveness and 
     of loving one's enemies. In Matthew Chapter 18, verses 21 and 
     22, Peter asks Jesus, ``Lord, how many times shall I forgive 
     my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus 
     answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times 
     seven.''
       When I think of reconciliation in the political arena I 
     think of one person who did it well. His name was William 
     Wilberforce, who got together a group of members of the 
     British parliament from across the political spectrum to 
     abolish the slave trade in England at a time when the 
     country's economy was dependent on it.
     

                          ____________________