D.C. Bible Study

Nine leaders in President Donald Trump’s 24-member cabinet, including Vice President Pence, regularly participate in a weekly Bible study for prayer and fellowship in Washington, D.C. Sponsors of the Bible Study include two cabinet members from Georgia – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price – along with three Georgia congressmen – Senator David Perdue, Representatives Rick Allen and Tom Graves.

Seven years ago, the D.C. Bible study was created by Capitol Ministries, whose founder, seven-feet-one-inch former national basketball player Ralph Dollinger, preached the gospel around the world at halftime wherever he played. Dollinger prepares and teaches the D.C. lessons that are translated into French, Spanish, and Russian, to reach national leaders in their own language. 

The Georgia Capitol Commission Bible Study meets in Capitol Room 123 weekly during the session and monthly afterward. Attendees – officials, staff and lobbyists – enjoy a light lunch. Elsewhere, almost every other Tuesday at 9:55 a.m., members of the Georgia Public Service Commission have a five-minute, typically Christian, devotional to begin their work-day. 

Officials honor Sundays in Georgia. Christian influence on Georgia legislators stops bills like S.B. 17 that would have changed Sunday-sale hours of on-site consumption of liquor by-the-drink. If it had passed, such sales could have begun at 10:30 Sunday morning. 

S.B. 85 is a liquor bill that did pass this session, but left in place current law prohibiting sales of liquor-by-the-drink until 12:30 p.m. on Sundays, which upholds current liquor-by-the drink law. Action on these bills demonstrates the Georgia legislature’s continued reverence for religious expression. 

Georgia church honors Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue: On Sunday July 9th Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins commissioned Sonny and Mary Perdue as “missionaries to Washington, D.C.” Their son, Jim, pastor of the Warner Robins Second Baptist Church, explained that the commissioning ceremony was held to recognize his parents for the “mission” they are undertaking by serving the nation in federal government.

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