[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19997]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              THE GUEST CHAPLAIN, DR. KARL KENNETH STEGALL

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, it has been an honor to be with Dr. Karl 
Stegall this morning and to be blessed by his prayer. He is pastor of 
the First United Methodist Church of Montgomery, AL. First Methodist is 
one of the great Methodist churches in Alabama, and, in fact, of all of 
Methodism. It has had two of its pastors become United Methodist 
bishops. Indeed, Karl himself was endorsed by the 600 pastors and 600 
laity of the Alabama-West Florida Conference for the Episcopality 
several years ago.
  Karl grew up in rural Alabama, not too far from where I did. It is 
considered to be a poor county, and a poor area, but not poor in things 
that matter. He even came over to Camden once and won the beef 
competition with the FFA.
  But he has not forgotten his heritage. He has served in his career at 
First United Methodist Andalusia, First Bonifay, Whitfield Memorial, 
and was district superintendent. For the last 18 years, he has been 
pastor of First Methodist.
  It has been a heavenly match. That great gothic church, with its 
soaring ceiling and buttresses and superb choir, has blossomed under 
his leadership. Attendance has grown. Young people are everywhere. The 
church has expanded and grown in so many different ways to bless the 
community. He served as a leader on the Board of Global Ministries of 
the United Methodist Church and always fought aggressively to ensure 
that every dollar contributed, as I have heard him say, from the small, 
individual church men and women, was spent wisely and effectively.
  He is loved by all, but he has courage and is willing to speak 
forcefully. He recently delivered a sermon when Alabama was considering 
whether or not to adopt a lottery. He questioned the wisdom of having 
the State encourage people to invest their money in random chances to 
be rich. That sermon was received very well, passed all over the State, 
and the State eventually rejected that choice.
  His wife, Brenda, and he have been partners throughout their 
ministry, and they have two daughters. He is a beloved minister by his 
congregation, by his fellow ministers, and respected by all in the 
community.
  He is a Christian clergyman of the finest kind. While he would have 
been successful in any profession, he chose to give his life to the 
greatest profession.
  By his fine prayer today, we are blessed. By his life and ministry, 
the people of his church have been blessed. And by his presence today 
he serves as a recognition of the constant and superb service delivered 
by tens of thousands of ministers throughout this Nation who daily 
enrich the lives of their parishioners; who serve them in times of 
illness and sickness; who minister to them in times of emotional 
stress, divorce, and all kinds of family challenges; who celebrate with 
them marriages and births. Those thousands and thousands of ministers 
who do that daily are not run by the Federal Government. They are not 
paid by this Government, but they are there, serving their faith and 
their Lord.
  So we are, indeed, delighted to have with us today one of our finest 
Christian ministers in the State of Alabama, Dr. Karl Stegall.
  I thank the Chair.

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