[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E585-E587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  OPENING REMARKS OF GENE E. BRADLEY, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF JOURNEY IN 
     FAITH AT THE FIRST ANNUAL SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON, MARCH 15, 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 1999

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Congressional Record the 
following remarks of Gene Bradley, President and CEO of Journey in 
Faith, delivered at the organization's First Annual Summit in 
Washington:

       How fortunate we are to be here today--on Capitol Hill as 
     guests of Congressman Ben Gilman and Tim Petri, Honorary Co-
     Chairs and Co-Hosts of Journey in Faith. How fortunate we are 
     to be meeting in this magnificent International Relations 
     Committee Room as we reason together: ``How can we,

[[Page E586]]

     as partners, best contribute to the spiritual renewal of 
     America in the New Millennium?''
       I have been privileged to know Ben Gilman and Tim Petri 
     over several enriching, fun, productive decades. I met both 
     Ben and Tim while I was serving with IMDI, the International 
     Management and Development Institute. Both were Congressional 
     Members of IMDI, and Ben became an Honorary Member of our 
     Board of Directors. Because Ben is our Honorary Host for 
     today, I now want to say a few words about this dedicated 
     American.
       Throughout much of the cold war, Ben Gilman was on the 
     cutting edge of U.S. policy which contributed so mightily to 
     the defeat of the Soviet nuclear threat and aggressive world 
     communism. He won worldwide acclaim as a human rights 
     champion. He is noted for his relentless crusade against 
     narcotics abuse and trafficking, co-founding the House Select 
     Committee on Narcotics.
       I have been with Ben as he briefed my institute's 
     corporate, government, and diplomatic associates again and 
     again--here in Washington and in most major capitols across 
     Europe.
       But the vision I hold most sharply in focus is when we went 
     together on a mission of Jamaica at the height of the drug-
     trafficking crisis. Congressman Gilman--the key Member of 
     Congress responsible for controlling narcotics--did not rely 
     on just conferring with U.S. and Jamaican government 
     officials. No. He needed, he requested, and he got a first-
     hand on-site view of what was going on. He knew that all was 
     not going well. So in a helicopter, Ben Gilman flew 100 feet 
     over acres and acres of marijuana crops. Yes, the drugs were 
     there, and so was Ben.
       As we began planning this First Washington Summit Meeting 
     for Journey in Faith, I found great inspiration in these 
     three passages from the Holy Scriptures (Matthew and Mark):
       (1) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a 
     hill cannot be hid.
       (2) * * * freely ye have received, freely give.
       (3) Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to 
     every creature.
       First Point: America is a light that cannot be hid. As Ben 
     Gilman has stated so accurately and eloquently, America is 
     perceived worldwide as a symbol of strength and integrity, a 
     city set on a hill--a free society rooted in Judeo-Christian 
     traditions of law, morality, and the intrinsic worth of every 
     human being. We find confirmation of our spiritual heritage 
     as we tour the Congress, the White House, Washington's 
     spectacular monuments . . . as we examine our founding 
     documents beginning with America's Declaration of 
     Independence which solidly affirms--``. . . we hold these 
     truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, 
     that they are endowed by their Creator with certain 
     inalienable rights . . .''
       From Jefferson: ``The God who gave us life, gave us liberty 
     at the same time.'' The official motto of the United States, 
     ``In God we trust,'' was legislated by Congress in July 1956. 
     We are reminded of that motto, ``In God we trust,'' by the 
     inscription on the coins we carry in our pockets.
       Second Point: Here in America, freely we have received; and 
     most notably in this century, freely have we given in the 
     cause of freedom to the world. Without America, could the 
     Allies have defeated Nazi Germany in World War II? Without 
     America, could our courageous Allies in NATO have compelled 
     the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Empire? We 
     close out the 20th century with profound gratitude to God and 
     to the heroic men and women whom Tom Brokaw has profiled in 
     his book as ``The Greatest Generation.''
       Third Point: Now America's mandate for the century just 
     ahead is to go out into the world and share with others the 
     priceless heritage and blessings we have been privileged to 
     enjoy. Journey in Faith is one element--just one initiative--
     in this vast panorama of opportunity. We are a new religious 
     institute with focus on leadership and on the fulfillment of 
     this mission:
       The mission of Journey in Faith is to conduct leadership 
     pilgrimages to the Bible Lands--where today's leaders and 
     tomorrow's future leaders can walk in the footsteps of Jesus 
     Christ, learn the leadership lessons He taught, deepen their 
     faith, and experience spiritual renewal.
       In my remarks I shall focus on three points: (1) Birth of 
     the idea--Journey in Faith. (2) Where we are today in our 
     second year--a status report, as we prepare to enter the next 
     century. (3) Our vision for the decades ahead.


                          1. Birth of the idea

       With us today is my partner in journalism, Wes Pippert--
     dedicated Christian, accomplished book author, senior 
     correspondent for UPI here in Washington and the Middle East. 
     Wes and I were deeply engaged in interviewing Christian 
     leaders for the book we are co-authoring on Modern Miracles. 
     Wes had served for three years in the Bible Lands. My Bible 
     Lands mission was for just two weeks--but a two-week 
     pilgrimage that deepened my faith and redirected my life. Wes 
     and I asked ourselves: ``What if the Christian leaders we are 
     interviewing for our book--men and women of strong spiritual 
     courage, could experience the priceless privilege each of us 
     has known?''
       Wes and I began exploring the idea with those we are 
     profiling in our book beginning with General Ronald H. 
     Griffith. We had interviewed the general for his remarkable 
     experience during Desert Storm; his story appears in our 
     article published in New Man Magazine entitled, ``Miracle in 
     the Desert.'' Ron's response to the idea was immediate and 
     enthusiastic; Journey in Faith had his full support. And this 
     support, more than any other single factor, helped to launch 
     our mission. Ron became co-chairman for the Pilot Pilgrimage 
     in January of last year. He is co-chairman for this two-day 
     Summit today and tomorrow. And he is chairman of the new non-
     profit religious-educational institute we have founded.
       Next, we met with our friend, Scott Scherer, President of 
     Trinity World Tours, who has become Mission Director for 
     Journey in Faith. Scott contributed a service none of us 
     could have anticipated: He was able to obtain free airline 
     passage and free hotel arrangements for the 36 leaders who 
     would become members of our Pilot Team.


                         2. Where we are today

       Journey in Faith finds itself where we are today because of 
     the foundations laid through our unforgettable 7-day 
     pilgrimage one year ago. In that Pilot Pilgrimage we followed 
     the journey pioneered by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago--across 
     the Sea of Galilee where we sailed through a storm, where 
     Christ had walked across the raging waters--the Mount of 
     Beatitudes, the field where Jesus fed the 5,000, the desert 
     and the pinnacle where He rebuked and vanquished the devil--
     the sites of His miracles where He healed the sick, cleansed 
     the leapers, comforted those who mourn, raised the dead--the 
     site of the Last Supper--the last 24 hours--the trial, the 
     crucifixion, the Garden Tomb and the miracle of Christ's 
     resurrection. All of us were deeply moved. What did that 
     seven-day pilgrimage mean to us? To quote just three of our 
     pilot-team members:
       (1) West Point Chaplain (Major) John Cook: ``I've been a 
     Christian for 32 years and a minister for almost 13 years, 
     yet my Journey-in-Faith to Israel has been a life-changing 
     experience * * *'' (2) Clyde King, Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of 
     Fame: ``I was transformed.'' (3) Rome Hartman, Producer, CBS/
     60 Minutes: ``Walking in His footsteps and seeing the land He 
     saw was plenty powerful, but to also hear His Word taught at 
     every stop along the way is life-changing.''
       We had a marvelous team--including 4 from the ministry--4 
     military (three- and four-star generals)--education, the 
     professions--CBS-60 Minutes, CNN, National Public Radio--
     giants from the sports world--corporate, the Congress, former 
     director of the CIA.
       Why do we focus on leaders?
       Because leaders are decision-makers whose decisions impact 
     the lives of others--indeed, the whole of society. Who is a 
     leader? Each of us is a leader to the degree we accept the 
     responsibilities thrust upon us. Our conviction is that 
     leadership is inherent within each of us--and then expands 
     into the home, and then out into our profession, and out into 
     our world.


                  3. Our vision for the decades ahead

       As we stand at the threshold of the 21st Century, our 
     vision for Journey in Faith is that we can expand outward 
     from our pilot leadership team to embrace America's 
     leadership in these 10 sectors of society: 1. Ministry, 2. 
     Military, 3. Sports, 4. Education, 5. Health, 6. Business, 7. 
     Law, 8. Congress, 9, Journalism, and 10, Entertainment.
       ``The process'' can be gentle, dynamic, indeed 
     irresistible--like dropping a pebble into a pond and 
     witnessing the waves as they go out in concentric rings until 
     they reach all shores.
       Our actions are on course. Here is a ``status report in 
     brief'': 1. We are chartered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit 
     educational-religious institute. 2. Our starting line-up of 
     Members and Associates is confirmed and in place. 3. Our 
     Second Pilgrimage is already planned and scheduled by our 
     Mission Director, Scott Scherer--for January 15-23, Year 
     2000. 4. We are solvent and debt-free. Our charter members 
     have invested well over a quarter of a million dollars of 
     their own cash and personal resources.
       This is a strong, an encouraging beginning. But as we all 
     recognize, nothing worthwhile really comes ``for free''--not 
     in our homes, not in our churches, not in our nation. Without 
     laying solid economic foundations for the future, Journey in 
     Faith could be remembered simply as an inspiring pilot 
     effort. Our founding members believe that if the Lord has 
     brought us this far,--and indeed He has, with joy and grace 
     and fellowship,--then surely He can take us all the way.
       What does it take to go all the way? We believe that 
     immediate priorities include these three:
       First, we must stay sharply focussed on our mission--
     leadership pilgrimages to the Bible Lands. We've got to 
     resist temptations to get caught up in today's political 
     controversies, either in Washington or overseas. Our focus--
     100 percent--is on the lessions lived and taught by Jesus 
     Christ 2,000 years ago.
       Second, we must continue to give highest priority to 
     further building our leadership team. On this front, we are 
     experiencing strong momentum, expanding from a pilot team of 
     36 members a year ago to well over 100 today, and with a goal 
     of no less than 300 within a year. We invite each participant 
     in this summit to join our team as an Associate if you are 
     not already enrolled. There is no time, legal, financial, or 
     other commitment beyond which each Associate feels he or she 
     would like to contribute.
       Third, we must plan and conduct our Second Pilgrimage on 
     schedule and with excellence--January 15-23, the Year 2,000. 
     And importantly, we must include young men and

[[Page E587]]

     women of spiritual faith who will become members of our 
     Future Leaders Program. In parallel, we must define plans for 
     a continuing, expanding series of pilgrimages well into the 
     early years and decades of the 21st century.
       Within two years, we can envision Journey in Faith 
     pilgrimages beginning to generate their own income and cover 
     their own expenses, including sponsoring future leaders, 
     without outside financial support. As of today, we can plan 
     two pilgrimages for this next year, the first year of the new 
     century--and then four each year--responding to the needs and 
     opportunities as they surely will present themselves. When we 
     first met Scott Scherer, we learned that he had just 
     conducted some 80 Holy Land tours the previous year, all 
     self-financing. What is a reasonable forecast for Journey in 
     Faith?
       Our vision includes forming partnerships with a ``family 
     group'' of cooperating organizations--such as those five who 
     have joined with us in convening the summit: The 
     International Management and Development Institute, the 
     American Society for Law and Justice, Regents University, the 
     Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Center for Religion 
     and Diplomacy. All five are superb organizations whose 
     leaders play a strong role in society.
       We can anticipate co-sponsorship with Seminary and Divinity 
     Schools--conducting Bible Lands Pilgrimages for their young 
     men and women studying for the ministry who would have no 
     other way to study, on site, the Scriptures as taught by 
     Jesus Christ.
       We can envision the rewards of involving young chaplains 
     from the military academies: West Point, Annapolis, the Air 
     Force Academy. How do we measure the value to our soldiers, 
     and airmen stationed worldwide, prepared to defend America's 
     vital interests against hostile attack?
       While we cannot predict the potential for Journey in Faith 
     with precision, we feel that the potential is substantial. 
     With Paul, we can say, ``For now, we see through a glass, 
     darkly . . .'' And we can also remember Paul's declaration, 
     ``I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth 
     me.''
       We close this assessment by reminding ourselves of the 
     words of Jesus Christ which we quoted in our introduction. 
     These passages stand as an inspiration and a mandate not just 
     for His era but for ours as well: ``Ye are the light of the 
     world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid--freely ye 
     have received, freely give--Go ye into all the world, and 
     preach the gospel to every creature.''

     

                          ____________________