Pastor Ed Schmidt of Lakeland Reformed Church on Sprinkle Road, stands with Rep. Dave Maturen during a House of Representatives session in Lansing. He was asked to open the session with a prayer. He reported to his parishioners after that in the following words: “Our church member and Representative Dave Maturen invited me to do this for the ‘house’. This prayer was both a pleasure and privilege. Often we hear concerns expressed of ‘separation of church and state’ or staying away from religious talk, yet both our governmental assemblies, the House and Senate, open their daily sessions with prayer. The U.S. Supreme Court even affirmed the choices of state governments to do so. So to pray from behind the Speaker’s podium in the House, to pray for the elected officials and their decision making, their support staff, and the agenda items was a rare opportunity for this professional ‘pray-er’.”
