A Gilroy faith leader is slated to give the opening prayer to the US House of Representatives Tuesday morning, an opportunity he called “an honor of a lifetime.”
Mark Turner, head pastor of South Valley Community Church, a multi-campus church in Gilroy, phoned in from Washington D.C. Monday morning to express his excitement about his upcoming task.Â
“I’m so excited I can’t take it,” Turner said.Â
Turner was in Washington D.C. this week for an annual pastor’s conference and decided to look into the process of becoming a guest chaplain for Congress. He contacted Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman, who put in a good word for Turner to US Representative Zoe Lofgren, who represents Gilroy. Lofgren put in a call to Mayor Don Gage as a reference check, and Turner was selected to pray this Tuesday at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.Â
The prayer must be short and sweet – 150 words max. Turner has been directed to not include any details about legislation in his prayer, because it must be kept neutral and bipartisan.Â
So far, Turner hasn’t felt nervous.
“But tomorrow as I stand in the chamber, I might start to get butterflies,” he said.Â
After the prayer, Lofgren will give Turner a one-minute introduction. The happenings will air live on C-SPAN.Â
