Welcoming the Guest Chaplain

Floor Speech

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, let me just say a word of welcome today to Pastor Adam Weber. You heard him offer the opening prayer today. I am very privileged to have him here, and Adam is someone whose family I have known for a long time. I sort of watched him grow up, if you will. He is a Milbank, SD, native, a graduate of Augustana College, and at the young age of 24, started a church called Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, SD. And at that time, I think their first service had 32 people.

His office was a Chevy Cavalier, and a decade later, it was one of the fastest growing churches, literally, in this entire country. They have continued to grow through the years and they will do it the same way they always have and that is one person at a time.

Embrace's heart is to relentlessly reach the next person for Jesus. It is something that Adam lives out. He seeks out strangers. He goes for what he calls ``nonfluff'' conversations, and he reaches people, lots and lots of people, with the good news of the Gospel.

And I have had the opportunity to attend services at Embrace along with my wife. Adam also has a podcast which reaches literally thousands and thousands of people that I have listened to.

He interviews people from all walks of life and talks to them about their spiritual formation, and it is very meaningful to his listeners and certainly has been important in my life, too, as we try to apply the truth of the Scriptures at a time when we face enormous challenges as a country and in a lot of our communities across the country.

So I am delighted to have Adam here, thankful for his ministry, and grateful to Chaplain Black for making it possible for him to be Chaplain for the day. And I would tell my colleagues what I have said many times before, and that is that we do have a Bible study the Chaplain leads on a weekly basis, Thursday at noon, and encourage all of my colleagues to attend.

It has been enormously important to me through the years in keeping me anchored and grounded on the solid rock at times when things can be very uncertain and sometimes tumultuous around us. So I am grateful for the Chaplain for his leadership here and delighted to have Pastor Adam Weber from Sioux Falls, SD, and Embrace Church with us here today in the U.S. Senate.

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