[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 23, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H7333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         WELCOMING PASTOR BEN HADEN OF CHANGED LIVES MINISTRIES

  (Mr. WAMP asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome one of Chattanooga, 
Tennessee's finest citizens, Pastor Ben Haden, to the House of 
Representatives as our guest chaplain for today. It is very special to 
introduce Ben, because he is a humble man of God with a ministry that 
has touched thousands of lives.
  Ben's first career was in the newspaper business; but in the middle 
of his life, Jesus Christ touched his heart and 4 decades of ministry 
began. He came to First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga in 1967 and 
quickly gained a reputation for his passion, his heart, and his 
sermons. His popularity and ability to draw worshipers soon resulted in 
closed-circuit televisions being set up in the chapel and fellowship 
hall for overflow crowds.
  Not long after coming to First Presbyterian, Ben launched his own 
radio ministry, ``Changed Lives,'' on a radio station in Chattanooga. 
This ministry eventually grew to include a television program watched 
regularly by thousands, including the Reverend Billy Graham.
  In March of 1999, Ben stepped down as senior pastor from the First 
Presbyterian Church to devote his full energies to his radio ministry 
``Changed Lives.''
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Father Coughlin for inviting Ben 
Haden to offer our invocation on this day that the Lord hath made. Let 
us rejoice and be glad in it.

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