Senate will come to order. The
invocation this morning will be offered by Pastor Kent Clark
of the Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, Michigan. Pastor
Clark is a guest of the Senator from the 12th District, the Honorable
Michael Bishop. Would our guests in the gallery
please rise for the invocation and remain standing afterwards
for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pastor Clark. Thank you. Let us pray. Our Father, our God, Creator
of heaven and earth, Redeemer of mankind, in less than 24 days
we will acknowledge that 2,000 years ago the infinite God came
to earth in the form of an infant. You condescended to this earth
and stooped to our level. You were Emmanuel, God with us. Are you still with us? Many of
us in this solemn assembly clearly understand why you are not speaking
to us. You, as in the days of the weeping
prophet Jeremiah, are like a man who has turned to stone. Our
president has said we are not a Christian nation. And some
of us here this morning do not wear that as a badge of honor,
but of shame. Lord, since you've been banned
from America, things just haven't been the same. Since you've been
gone and without your forming hand, we have degenerated into
chaos. We know that you know that since
you've been gone, life has lost its sacredness. Lord, since you've
been gone, the institution of marriage, the family, the building
block of a solid society, the social glue that holds society
together has disintegrated. We know that God in the family
is its brightest ornament and its best security. Lord, since
you've been gone, men and women have lost their sense of parenthood,
and we have 800,000 children in America without a mother or
father. Since you've been gone, the state has been attempting
to be apparent, and it's not working. Lord, since you've been
gone, we've taught our children that there is no creator, that
they are nothing but the accidental formation of gas and dust, that
they have no real purpose in life. While you've been gone,
we've tried to substitute the multiplicity of material things
for you, and it seems our children no longer have a point of reference
and cannot cope with the pains of life and are killing themselves
and one another. Lord, since you've been gone,
our prisons are filled, our churches have emptied. Dear God, many
here this morning in this Synod would like to invite you back.
Please keep us from ruin. We know that a sparrow does not
fall to the ground without your notice. We know that a nation
cannot rise without your aid. We know this morning that the
spiritual weapons of this great nation are our most powerful
resource in peace and war. We know that neither the wisest
constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness
of a people who refuse to acknowledge the existence of God. Our confidence
this morning is not in big government, but in a big God. If you will
accept our invitation to revisit our country, We promise we will
never disengage ourselves from the culture in which we live.
We have learned our lesson that entitlement programs do not work.
Big government passing out checks has failed to solve the social
ills that plague us. Guide the thoughts and decisions
that are made in this chamber today and in the days to come.
Bless and protect our men and women in the armed forces and
around the world. Hold back the enemies of liberty.
And God bless America. Stand beside her, guide her through
this night with a light from above. Amen. The House will be in order. The
prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain, Reverend Kent
Clark, Grace Gospel Fellowship Church, Pontiac, Michigan. Our God, our Father, we call
upon your name, a name at which every knee shall bow. Your name
is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. You are the Prince of Peace,
the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, and the Bright
and Morning Star. You are the Fairest of Ten Thousand. You are the Great Creator God,
Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, first and last. Your name
is Redeemer and the Lord, the way, the truth, and life, bread
of life, author and finisher of our faith. We know no greater
judgment could befall a nation than for it to be deserted by
God, left to be the plaything of malignant forces, Speak to
us, O great Jehovah. We know a sparrow does not fall
without your notice, and we know that a nation cannot rise without
your aid. In the name of Joshua, Jesus
saves, Emmanuel, God with us. Amen. Without objection, the
gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Bishop, is recognized for one
minute. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise
today, very proudly so, to pay tribute to an inspiring man,
and I'm proud to call him a mentor and a friend, Pastor Kent Clark.
Pastor Clark is the Senior Pastor of Grace Gospel Fellowship Church
in Pontiac, Michigan, and the Chief Executive Officer of Grace
Centers of Hope. Grace Centers of Hope is one
of Michigan's leading faith-based organizations that provides care
for the homeless and individuals fighting addiction. Grace Centers
of Hope provides comprehensive programs for men, women, and
children, including group and individual counseling, GED classes
and testing, financial education, addiction and abuse classes,
and child care. They also have a self-funded
home ownership program and offer graduates of their program the
opportunity to own their own home. And they do all this without
accepting government funding. Pastor Clark truly has a servant's
heart. And he and his wife, Dr. Pam
Clark, and their family have dedicated their lives to helping
those in need with unparalleled commitment and devotion. Pastor
Clark is a husband, father, grandfather, and a renowned author. He was
also named Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News on 2012.
Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to welcome
my friend, Pastor Kent Clark, to the United States House of
Representatives as our guest chaplain today. I'd like to personally
recognize and thank him for his tireless efforts and unwavering
dedication to our community.