[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9472]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 9472]]

            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES--Thursday, May 13, 2004

  The House met at 10 a.m.
  The Reverend Dr. Larry D. Pickens, Senior Pastor, First United 
Methodist Church, Elgin, Illinois, offered the following prayer:
  Gracious and loving God, we enter this day sensing Your awesome 
presence and capacity. Give these public servants the vision, wisdom, 
and courage to carry out their legislative and leadership 
responsibilities.
  We pray for the will to create ``Beloved Community,'' where we all 
become brothers and sisters, working to create a world that is free 
from violence, hatred, and hopelessness. Grant Your Spirit upon this 
body, that each person realizes that he or she is an instrument of Your 
love and compassion.
  We celebrate the architects of this Nation's Constitution, and the 
way in which we are gifted to merge our voices together around the 
concern for justice, holiness, and equity across the land.
  We pray for this Nation and its people. Use each one of us to 
accomplish the Prophet Micah's challenge to walk, act, and love with 
humility, justice, and kindness.
  This is our prayer. Amen.

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