[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 35 (Monday, March 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain, Bishop David R. Brown, Chaplain of the American 
Legion, offered the following prayer:
  O God of our hearts, we thank You for the fullness of joy which has 
come to us from serving You and has made itself apparent in the growth 
of this great country. We ask for Your unwavering blessings that we may 
rediscover and strengthen the faith in ourselves, the faith in each 
other, the faith in the process, and the faith in You that we may live 
our motto ``In God We Trust.''
  O God of hope, grant wisdom and guidance to these men and women who 
have been placed in positions of trust by their peers. Lead them, O 
Beloved, so that the desire in each of our hearts for justice and 
equality will resound as a clarion call throughout this hallowed Senate 
Chamber. We ask that Your all-encompassing love and forgiveness make 
equal the voice of the power broker and the most humble citizen; make 
equal the voice of every citizen regardless of race, creed, or gender.
  Beloved, help us to renew our faith and trust in those deeply felt 
spiritual and reasonable truths of our forefathers that all men and 
women are created equal. They proposed a theory. We ask You for the 
strength of heart and will to give it life throughout this land of ours 
so that we might shine as a beacon of hope and equality, of faith and 
trust, for the rest of Your creation. Amen.

                          ____________________