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On September 27, Rev. Dr. Kent Lundy, elder serving in extension ministries as the Wing Chaplain of the 181st Intelligence Wing, served as a guest chaplain for the U.S. Senate and was asked to offer a prayer before the 10:00 a.m. session. Kent was officially nominated for this honor by U.S. Senator Todd Young.
Opportunities to engage the public in this way point first to Kent’s love for Jesus Christ and his desire to serve God. He’s also passionate about providing opportunities for people to see the work of an Air National Guard Chaplain.
“I want folks to know that being an Air National Guard Chaplain is a possibility…You can serve the local church and get military leadership training. You can have both,“ said Lundy.
Before the Senate meeting, Rev. Lundy prayed, “Inspiring God that creates a way where there is no way, inspire these servant Senators to rise to every challenge, by putting people over profits and freedom for all over privilege for a few… May they never take more power than we the people give them… Eternal light that never shuts down, may our Senators answer a higher calling that will care for your creation for at least the next seven generations, and may you endow them with wisdom as they steward the gift of freedom for such a time as this.”
Reflecting on his time as guest chaplain, Lundy said, “It was powerfully overwhelming to be in the Senate chambers representing all Americans and addressing God on behalf of the senators and their staff.”
That week was a particularly important time for the Senate as they attempted to avoid a shutdown and also mourned the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein. Lundy added, “It was a pivotal time to be in that space.“
Lundy has been a member of the Indiana Air National Guard for 16 years. He served 12 years as chaplain with the 122nd Fighter Wing in Fort Wayne and for the last four years has been on active duty with the 181st Intelligence Wing in Terre Haute. He has been deployed overseas twice.
A few senators spoke after Lundy concluded his prayer, including Senator Todd Young. He shared a generous summation of Lundy’s career then added, “We’re privileged to have had Chaplain Lundy deliver today’s invocation. After all, to borrow [Benjamin] Franklin’s words, ‘We still need the assistance of heaven and its blessings on our deliberations.’ Thank you, Chaplain Lundy for making those appeals on our behalf.”
To hear Lundy’s full prayer, click here.