Capitol Ministries

National Ministries | CM 15 OME TOUTED THAT CAPITOL MINISTRIES® IS AT THE HEART OF A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING that is underway at the White House when it became known that this year we established the first Bible study in 100 years to Members of the White House Cabinet. President Donald Trump's White House Cabi- net has been called the most evangelical Cabinet in history and many of the Members embraced the idea of a Capitol Ministries® Bible study which has been meeting weekly since March. e study, which is regularly attended by a number of Cabinet Members, is sponsored by Vice President Mike Pence and eight Cabinet Members. In 2010, Ralph Drollinger began leading discipleship Bible studies to the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 2015, Capitol Minis- tries®planted a study to members of the U.S. Senate. e Bible studies are in-depth exegetical studies that examine one book of the Bible at a time, verse by verse, which could take a year or more to complete. For the past two years he has been teaching all three members-only studies the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew, chapters 5-7. e word exegesis comes from the Greek word exegeisthai, which means to explain or to interpret. Exegesis involves discovering the true meaning of the Scripture with respect to gram- mar, syntax, and setting. e process involves ex- amining what the passage says; interpreting its meaning ; correlating how the Scripture relates to the rest of the Bible; and determining how the Scripture should be applied to one's life. "Scripture says, Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)," Ralph said. "Fundamental to making disciples in the political arena is teaching the Word of God. It is the irreducible minimum in effective ministry." In addition to the hour-long weekly stud- ies, Capitol Ministries® also publishes 52 Bible studies every year that address issues specific to the life and careers of Public Servants. ese studies are distributed to Cabinet Members and Congressmen, and emailed to those who request them. ese written studies begin with Scripture and examine major contemporary social issues, among them: war, government entitlement pro- grams, racism, illegal immigration, the environ- ment, deficit spending, and tax policies. Some of the studies address a Public Ser- vant's personal and faith-based struggles. Topics include dealing with pride, the use of alcohol, prayer, wise decision making, and the husband and wife relationship. e primary goal of these studies is to create disciples of Jesus Christ, and to arm the Pub- lic Servant with the Word of God so that he is equipped to be faithful in every circumstance. Every week Ralph and Danielle walk the Halls of Congress hand delivering the print- ed Bible studies to the offices of Legislators, meeting with people and building rela- tionships. "e fact that God has allowed me to lead the White House Cabinet Member Bible study affords Capitol Ministries®- tremendous credibility worldwide in terms of starting in-depth Bible teaching/discipleship ministries in foreign federal capitols," Ralph said. "is window of opportunity will not last forever, therefore we are committed to working expeditiously and industriously to establish new ministries in capitals throughout the world. We are so excited about the wide-open doors our Lord continually puts before us." As a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Ralph played basketball and was oen inspired by legendary coach John Wooden's paraphrase of Abraham Lincoln's fa- mous quote: "I will prepare and perhaps my op- portunity will come." Today, with our mission more vital than ever before, our resolve remains strong to fulfill the Great Commission by boldly proclaiming the Word of God in the halls of government to the leaders who need to know Him and whose deci- sions chart the very course of our nation. S Washington D.C. | CM 2017 15

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