Rob Schenck
Encyclopedia
Rev. Rob Schenck (1958) is a leading Evangelical minister to elected and appointed officials in Washington, DC. Serving as President
of the Christian
outreach ministry Faith and Action
, Rev. Schenck, works to build relationships with individuals in government while seeking to positively influence policy makers with the moral
, ethical and spiritual
teachings of Jesus Christ. He also serves as volunteer President of the National Clergy Council, an organization of leaders from all Christian churches and traditions. The NCC works to bring denominational leaders together to provide guidance to officials on the religious and moral implications of public policy issues. Schenck is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Church Alliance
, one of America’s oldest associations of independent Evangelical pastors, missionaries, and institutional and military chaplains. Since 1982, he has preached in all 50 states, several Canadian provinces and over 40 countries. He has created numerous organizations still serving those in need and providing ongoing spiritual and humanitarian support in such places as Mexico
, Egypt
and Cambodia
. Major media outlets and policy makers seek his opinions on current issues, and he regularly appears as a guest on major news and opinion shows.
and who lost his life in an air crash while serving in the Korean War. His father was Jewish, raised in Manhattan
and grew up in a reformed Temple on Long Island
, and his mother was born Catholic
in Brooklyn
, raised non-religious (converted to Judaism for marriage) and grew up in Northern New Jersey.
Schenck grew up in Grand Island, New York
. One of his interests was Spanish
, which he now uses in ministry; he and his friends started GASP: Grand Island Association Against Pollution, which served as an early community recycling
center.
, which forms the borders of Grand Island. The conversion displeased Henry, who felt that Rob was rejecting his Jewish roots, but Marjorie, who had converted from Catholicism when she married Henry, was more understanding. Henry later came to accept Rob's conversion and traveled with him on a religious mission to Russia.
of Lima, New York
, and took classes from Elim’s local extension campus, Buffalo School of the Bible. After pursuing Biblical Studies
for 4 years, (1976–1980) Schenck graduated with a Certificate in Bible
and Theology
. During this time, Schenck also completed the Ministerial Studies Program of Berean College in Springfield, Missouri
, and was granted his license to preach in 1978 by the New York District of the Assemblies of God
.
Schenck was ordained in 1982 by the New York District Presbytery of the Assemblies of God. He transferred his ministerial affiliation to the Evangelical Church Alliance International in 1990, while at the same time pursuing further theological studies through Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary
in Tacoma, Washington
. He received both the Bachelor of Arts
in Theology
and Master of Arts
in Christian Ministry in 1998. In the year 2010, Schenck was honored by his alma mater (now called Faith Evangelical College and Seminary) when he was conferred its Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is presently enrolled in the school’s Doctor of Ministry
– Strategic Leadership
program and is expected to take his post-graduate degree in June 2011.
Schenck has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity
Degree by St. Paul Christian University in St. Paul, Indiana
. This was done in conjunction with the Mid-America Regional Conference of the old-line Methodist Episcopal Church USA
.
center, a church sponsored home for at-risk youth, Schenck was selected as the director of the local Rochester program and then executive director of the state-wide network of homes known as Empire State Teen Challenge that included facilities in Syracuse and Buffalo, New York. In 1980, Schenck left Teen Challenge and served a short stint as Youth Pastor for the Webster Assembly of God congregation in a suburb of Rochester, followed by another short post as a staff pastor for the Community Gospel Church in Long Island City (Queens), New York (now Evangel Church and Christian School). In the latter role, he was mainly tasked with developing a training program for college interns in urban cross-cultural ministry. The program eventually became the New York School of Urban Ministry or NYSUM.
In 1982, Schenck reunited with brother Paul in ministry and became minister of missions and evangelism at the New Covenant Tabernacle in Tonawanda, New York (suburban Buffalo) where Paul was the senior pastor. They worked together in ministry from 1982 to 1994. During that time Rob formed New Covenant Evangelical Ministries that was later renamed P & R Schenck Associates in Evangelism, the parent organization of Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital. Schenck has been in full time ministry with Faith and Action
since he moved to Washington, D.C.
in 1994.
near his hometown, through the United States
and across the border with Mexico. His purpose was to raise funds and to recruit volunteers willing to help by providing medical, dental, health, hygiene and construction services. His four-month journey through five states led to much word-of-mouth marketing and dozens of newspaper articles and television news stories in the many cities and towns along the way.
clinic demonstrations, Schenck grabbed national and worldwide attention when photos and video were shot of him cradling a preserved human fetus given the name “Tia” by a black pro-life group because the child was believed to be African-American. Much was written and aired about the event. In an opinion editorial in the June 15 Buffalo News, Schenck responded to the criticism. According to the op-ed, Schenck believed that pro-choice supporters ignored the truth in favor of ideology, and conversely he believed that the fetus demonstrated the truth of his own views. “Most have never seen an abortion, let alone the result of it. Baby Tia takes the argument out of the abstract and into reality.”
In 1992, a $25,000 judgment was levied against Schenck for contempt of court when 6 pro-life leaders were arrested following prayer vigils and demonstrations surrounding the Democratic National Convention
held at Madison Square Garden
. A federal judge had placed an injunction against showing a human fetus during those demonstrations. Pro-life leaders were arrested and fined when one of those activists offered presidential candidate Bill Clinton
a preserved fetus in a plastic box. Schenck, who had rented the hotel room where he and two other demonstrators had stayed, was later found to have had foreknowledge of the plan and the injunction. As a result, US District Judge Robert Ward
found him guilty of contempt and levied the judgment, but held it in abeyance, providing Schenck did not appear in his court again on these or similar charges. In a statement to the court, Schenck assured the judge it was a “once in a lifetime act.” When a pro-life New York attorney general was elected in 1994 (Dennis Vacco
), his office indicated to Schenck the judgment would not be collected, and it eventually expired.
and Holy Communion, solemnizing weddings, conducting funerals, providing pastoral care, counseling and visitation and presiding at various public and private religious ceremonies.
Rev. Schenck continues to be a speaker and itinerant preacher. In his 25 years in ministry Schenck has spoken in more than 1000 churches of all denominations
in all fifty states, several Canadian provinces and in 40 other countries. He raises money for crisis pregnancy center
s, city missions, and medical missionary programs. He also works both at home and abroad on religious liberty issues, most recently in Sudan
and the Darfur
region.
. He served as pastor to the church for over a year when Schenck decided to focus on government officials. In the beginning of 1996, Schenck passed the mantle to Mark Batterson
.
, and believes that one’s Christianity must be vigorously expressed through one’s relationships and one’s actions. Schenck also believes in trying to get government officials to follow Christian teachings through personal relationships with them. Faith and Action seeks continually to recruit, train and deploy both ordained and lay missionary workers.
The organization itself is headquartered in the Honorable William J. Ostrowksi House, named for a retired New York State Supreme Court judge and long-time supporter of the Schenck brothers’ efforts. The 19th Century Victorian Row House is located at 109 2nd Street, NE, across from East Façade of the U.S. Supreme Court building. A notable feature of the ministry office is a granite sculpture depicting the Ten Commandments
displayed in the building’s front garden. On Memorial Day in 2006, the monument was placed in the front of the building, readily noticeable from the street.
Project has given over 400 plaques of the Ten Commandments to members of Congress and other highly placed officials, including former presidents Clinton and Bush. Special delegations made up of clergy and lay people make the presentations during ceremonies held in the recipients’ offices. The agenda includes a short speech which describes religion as the foundational basis of morality and law, a reading of the Commandments in their entirety, and prayers. The official is then given an inscribed wooden plaque on which is mounted two stone polymer tablets containing a summary of the Ten Commandments. Recipients are urged to “display and obey” the Ten Commandments. Schenck chose to promote the Ten Commandments because he believes that they have a universal and enduring nature and that they are fundamental to morality.
. This quickly became a prominent pro-life event held inside the US Capitol complex in Washington, DC. Originally a program of the National Clergy Council, the event has now been renamed the National Pro-Life Clergy Conference and is sponsored by the National Pro-Life Religious Council
. The NPRC is led by prominent pro-life leader Fr. Frank Pavone
, national director of Priests for Life
and a trustee of Schenck’s Faith and Action. Rev. Schenck and his staff continue to have major roles and responsibilities associated with the event.
, Evangelical, Orthodox
and Protestant traditions. It was formed in 1989 and has maintained an office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, since 1994. Its mission is to "bring classical Christian moral instruction into the conversation and debate surrounding public policy." Schenck serves the National Clergy Council’s presidency on a pro-bono or volunteer basis.
was chief justice.
By that time, Schenck and Moore had enjoyed a long cooperative association with Moore who had refused to relocate a granite monument to the historic basis of the law that included the Ten Commandments. The monument was eventually ordered moved by US District Judge Myron Thompson
. When US marshals were dispatched to supervise the removal, Schenck and several others had surrounded the monument, knelt and begun to pray. He was arrested and held for 5 1/2 hours while the monument was moved. Because of his stature in the religious community, Schenck was interviewed on numerous television shows regarding the events.
. An ordained minister is given authority by the Church to administer their rites and duties, including Baptism, Committal, Communion, Solemnization of Marriage
, Preaching and Pastoral Counsel. Rev. Schenck carries out all these religious activities as he ministers to the population of Capitol Hill and in other areas.
Schenck holds an elected seat on the board of directors for the ECA and serves as the appointed chairman for its Committee on Church and Society, the social witness for the alliance of ministers. As a board member, his duties include chairing interview committees for new ministerial candidates.
by pastor Terry Jones.
In an interview with CBN on September 8, Rev. Schenck said that this particular demonstration, while possibly warranted by common values and certainly permissible under the Constitution, violated Christian morality, adding that he believed Christians were held to a higher standard. “[I]t’s impossible for me to cite one instance in the life or teaching of Jesus Christ that could justify such an act,” Schenck said. He also stated objections to fallout in religious relations, "He's not just burning Korans, he's also burning bridges that we were trying to build for years with the Islamic community."
Schenck represented the National Clergy Council in speaking personally with Pastor Jones, and asked Jones if, in a show of good faith, he would surrender custody of the Korans at the center of the controversy to Schenck’s colleague, the Reverend Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition. Jones agreed to do so. As a condition of his cancellation, Pastor Jones wanted the relocation of Park51. Rev. Schenck attempted to broker a meeting between Jones and Imam Faisal Rauf. Because of complications, the potential meeting never materialized, however the Koran burning did not take place on September 11.
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
outreach ministry Faith and Action
Faith and Action
Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital is a Christian outreach organization ministering to top-level government officials. The organizational headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. across the street from the east façade of the United States Supreme Court...
, Rev. Schenck, works to build relationships with individuals in government while seeking to positively influence policy makers with the moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
, ethical and spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
teachings of Jesus Christ. He also serves as volunteer President of the National Clergy Council, an organization of leaders from all Christian churches and traditions. The NCC works to bring denominational leaders together to provide guidance to officials on the religious and moral implications of public policy issues. Schenck is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Church Alliance
Evangelical church alliance
The Evangelical Church Alliance is an Inter-denominational association of Christian ministers that exists to serve the goal of spreading the Christian religion....
, one of America’s oldest associations of independent Evangelical pastors, missionaries, and institutional and military chaplains. Since 1982, he has preached in all 50 states, several Canadian provinces and over 40 countries. He has created numerous organizations still serving those in need and providing ongoing spiritual and humanitarian support in such places as Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. Major media outlets and policy makers seek his opinions on current issues, and he regularly appears as a guest on major news and opinion shows.
Early years
Rob and his identical twin brother, Paul, were born in 1958 to Henry Paul (Chaim) Schenck and Marjorie Apgar Schenck. Robert Lenard Schenck was named for his father’s older brother who was a decorated B-17 bomber pilot in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and who lost his life in an air crash while serving in the Korean War. His father was Jewish, raised in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and grew up in a reformed Temple on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, and his mother was born Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, raised non-religious (converted to Judaism for marriage) and grew up in Northern New Jersey.
Schenck grew up in Grand Island, New York
Grand Island, New York
Grand Island is a town and an island in Erie County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town population is 20,374. This represents an increase of 9.41% from the 2000 census figure . The current town name derives from the French name La Grande Île, as Grand Island is the largest island in...
. One of his interests was Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, which he now uses in ministry; he and his friends started GASP: Grand Island Association Against Pollution, which served as an early community recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
center.
Conversion to Christianity
As a self-described “rebellious teen” Schenck and brother Paul became involved in risky behavior. Then in 1974 at the age of 16, the boys became acquainted with the son of a United Methodist minister serving the Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island. After Paul was introduced to a circle of young, religious Christians, he decided to become a Christian. Rob accompanied his brother to prayer meetings, and soon converted as well. Both brothers were baptized in the waters of the Niagara RiverNiagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
, which forms the borders of Grand Island. The conversion displeased Henry, who felt that Rob was rejecting his Jewish roots, but Marjorie, who had converted from Catholicism when she married Henry, was more understanding. Henry later came to accept Rob's conversion and traveled with him on a religious mission to Russia.
Family
While attending a youth prayer group at the Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Grand Island, Schenck met Cheryl Smith. Rob and Cheryl married in 1977 after graduating Grand Island High School. While Rob attended classes at Elim Bible Institute and worked as a resident counselor at a church sponsored home for at-risk youth, Cheryl gave birth to two children, Anna in 1979 and Matthew in 1981.Education and Certification
After graduating from Grand Island High School, Schenck began to study scripture and theology in earnest. He attended Elim Bible InstituteElim Bible Institute
Elim Bible Institute is a Bible college in Lima, New York, offering a three-year non-degree diploma program intended to prepare Christian leaders and workers for revival ministry.-History:...
of Lima, New York
Lima (town), New York
Lima is a town in Livingston County, New York, U.S. The population was 4,541 at the 2000 census.The town of Lima is in the northeast part of the county, south of Rochester...
, and took classes from Elim’s local extension campus, Buffalo School of the Bible. After pursuing Biblical Studies
Biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
for 4 years, (1976–1980) Schenck graduated with a Certificate in Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. During this time, Schenck also completed the Ministerial Studies Program of Berean College in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, and was granted his license to preach in 1978 by the New York District of the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
.
Schenck was ordained in 1982 by the New York District Presbytery of the Assemblies of God. He transferred his ministerial affiliation to the Evangelical Church Alliance International in 1990, while at the same time pursuing further theological studies through Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary
Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary
- Faith Evangelical College and Seminary :Faith Evangelical College and Seminary is an evangelical Christian college and seminary located in Tacoma, WA, USA. It features a diverse student body and faculty as well as an online degree program. It is accredited by the Transnational Association of...
in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. He received both the Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Christian Ministry in 1998. In the year 2010, Schenck was honored by his alma mater (now called Faith Evangelical College and Seminary) when he was conferred its Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is presently enrolled in the school’s Doctor of Ministry
Doctor of Ministry
The Doctor of Ministry degree is, according to The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada , a doctoral level degree oriented toward ministerial leadership often in an area of applied theology, such as missions, evangelism, church leadership, pastoral psychology or the...
– Strategic Leadership
Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership provides the vision and direction for the growth and success of an organization. To successfully deal with change, all executives need the skills and tools for both strategy formulation and implementation....
program and is expected to take his post-graduate degree in June 2011.
Schenck has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
Degree by St. Paul Christian University in St. Paul, Indiana
St. Paul, Indiana
St. Paul is a small town on the border of Decatur and Shelby counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,031 at the 2010 census.-Geography:St...
. This was done in conjunction with the Mid-America Regional Conference of the old-line Methodist Episcopal Church USA
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
.
Early ministry
After serving in various capacities with the Rochester Teen ChallengeTeen Challenge
Teen Challenge is a Pentecostal Christian recovery program and a network of Christian social and evangelizing work centers. It is a 12-18 month program that serves drug addicts, alcoholics, gang members, prostitutes and people with other characteristics that the program considers to be...
center, a church sponsored home for at-risk youth, Schenck was selected as the director of the local Rochester program and then executive director of the state-wide network of homes known as Empire State Teen Challenge that included facilities in Syracuse and Buffalo, New York. In 1980, Schenck left Teen Challenge and served a short stint as Youth Pastor for the Webster Assembly of God congregation in a suburb of Rochester, followed by another short post as a staff pastor for the Community Gospel Church in Long Island City (Queens), New York (now Evangel Church and Christian School). In the latter role, he was mainly tasked with developing a training program for college interns in urban cross-cultural ministry. The program eventually became the New York School of Urban Ministry or NYSUM.
In 1982, Schenck reunited with brother Paul in ministry and became minister of missions and evangelism at the New Covenant Tabernacle in Tonawanda, New York (suburban Buffalo) where Paul was the senior pastor. They worked together in ministry from 1982 to 1994. During that time Rob formed New Covenant Evangelical Ministries that was later renamed P & R Schenck Associates in Evangelism, the parent organization of Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital. Schenck has been in full time ministry with Faith and Action
Faith and Action
Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital is a Christian outreach organization ministering to top-level government officials. The organizational headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. across the street from the east façade of the United States Supreme Court...
since he moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1994.
Operation Serve International
In 1983, while at New Covenant Tabernacle, Schenck branched out into organizing medical mission efforts by creating “Operation Serve” which grew into an international effort. Operation Serve International is a Christian humanitarian outreach organization deploying volunteer medical, dental and other health and hygiene workers to serve some of the poorest population groups in the world. Schenck turned the operation over to Dr. Sameh and Connie Sadik in 1993 when he went to Washington, DC to minister. Operation Serve International still serves poor populations with medical, dental, health and hygiene services while also preaching Christianity.Faithwalk
1988 led Schenck into a new avenue of activism- long distance walking. Through personal contact during a speaking tour of Mexico, he became aware of the plight of the Mexican “dump people”, individuals and families who live, eat, and make their living scrounging recyclables in the municipal garbage dumps of Mexico City. To raise awareness of their plight, Schenck decided to take a 2000 miles (3,218.7 km) “Faithwalk” from the border of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
near his hometown, through the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and across the border with Mexico. His purpose was to raise funds and to recruit volunteers willing to help by providing medical, dental, health, hygiene and construction services. His four-month journey through five states led to much word-of-mouth marketing and dozens of newspaper articles and television news stories in the many cities and towns along the way.
Hearts for the Homeless
Then, in 1989, in response to a growing crisis in his own community, Schenck and others began Hearts for the Homeless. “Hearts” began as a mobile kitchen providing food to homeless population of Buffalo, New York. The recreational vehicle Schenck used to house his family during his 2000 miles (3,218.7 km) trek to Mexico was outfitted as a mobile shelter for the homeless population, providing temporary relief from the harsh winters of Buffalo, New York, as well as an immediate distribution point for clothing, food and medical treatment. The growing organization continued to meet the needs of disenfranchised people. Later, Schenck recruited the Rev. Ron Callandra, a former victim of homelessness, to direct the organization that continues to feed thousands of the hungry, indigent and homeless in the Buffalo area.Buffalo Pro-Life Activism 1992
In 1992, during Buffalo’s large-scale abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
clinic demonstrations, Schenck grabbed national and worldwide attention when photos and video were shot of him cradling a preserved human fetus given the name “Tia” by a black pro-life group because the child was believed to be African-American. Much was written and aired about the event. In an opinion editorial in the June 15 Buffalo News, Schenck responded to the criticism. According to the op-ed, Schenck believed that pro-choice supporters ignored the truth in favor of ideology, and conversely he believed that the fetus demonstrated the truth of his own views. “Most have never seen an abortion, let alone the result of it. Baby Tia takes the argument out of the abstract and into reality.”
In 1992, a $25,000 judgment was levied against Schenck for contempt of court when 6 pro-life leaders were arrested following prayer vigils and demonstrations surrounding the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
held at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. A federal judge had placed an injunction against showing a human fetus during those demonstrations. Pro-life leaders were arrested and fined when one of those activists offered presidential candidate Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
a preserved fetus in a plastic box. Schenck, who had rented the hotel room where he and two other demonstrators had stayed, was later found to have had foreknowledge of the plan and the injunction. As a result, US District Judge Robert Ward
Robert Joseph Ward
Robert Joseph Ward was a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Judge Ward received a B.S. from Harvard College in 1945 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1949...
found him guilty of contempt and levied the judgment, but held it in abeyance, providing Schenck did not appear in his court again on these or similar charges. In a statement to the court, Schenck assured the judge it was a “once in a lifetime act.” When a pro-life New York attorney general was elected in 1994 (Dennis Vacco
Dennis Vacco
Dennis C. Vacco is an American lawyer and politician. He graduated a B.A. from Colgate University in 1974, a J.D...
), his office indicated to Schenck the judgment would not be collected, and it eventually expired.
D.C. Ministry
Schenck came to Washington in order to increase the role of evangelical Christianity in government. In 2000, an ordaining council of the Come Alive New Testament Church of Medford, New Jersey officially commissioned him as a missionary to Capitol Hill. He is on-call as a member of the U.S. Senate Chaplain’s Pastoral Response Team. Recently, Rev. Schenck became named the first ever Chaplain in the 40-year history of the Capitol Hill Executive Service Club, the only association of its kind allowed to meet weekly in the prestigious Mansfield Room of the United States Capitol. In these last two capacities, he also routinely carries out the normal roles of a member of the Christian clergy including sacerdotal and ministerial functions such as administering baptismBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and Holy Communion, solemnizing weddings, conducting funerals, providing pastoral care, counseling and visitation and presiding at various public and private religious ceremonies.
Rev. Schenck continues to be a speaker and itinerant preacher. In his 25 years in ministry Schenck has spoken in more than 1000 churches of all denominations
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
in all fifty states, several Canadian provinces and in 40 other countries. He raises money for crisis pregnancy center
Crisis pregnancy center
A crisis pregnancy center , sometimes called a pregnancy resource center , is a non-profit organization established to counsel pregnant women against having an abortion....
s, city missions, and medical missionary programs. He also works both at home and abroad on religious liberty issues, most recently in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and the Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
region.
National Community Church
In August 1994, in response to a desire to minister to national decision makers, Schenck and family moved to Washington, D.C. His first ministry there was to organize a new church. He attracted a core group of worshippers and created what became the National Community ChurchNational Community Church
National Community Church is a multi-site church located in the Washington, D.C. area, pastored by Mark Batterson. The vision of the church is to meet in movie theaters at metro stops all across the Washington DC area...
. He served as pastor to the church for over a year when Schenck decided to focus on government officials. In the beginning of 1996, Schenck passed the mantle to Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson is an American pastor and author. Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. NCC was recognized as one of the Most Innovative and Most Influential Churches in America by Outreach Magazine in 2008...
.
Faith And Action
Schenck calls himself a student of Dietrich BonhoefferDietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
, and believes that one’s Christianity must be vigorously expressed through one’s relationships and one’s actions. Schenck also believes in trying to get government officials to follow Christian teachings through personal relationships with them. Faith and Action seeks continually to recruit, train and deploy both ordained and lay missionary workers.
The organization itself is headquartered in the Honorable William J. Ostrowksi House, named for a retired New York State Supreme Court judge and long-time supporter of the Schenck brothers’ efforts. The 19th Century Victorian Row House is located at 109 2nd Street, NE, across from East Façade of the U.S. Supreme Court building. A notable feature of the ministry office is a granite sculpture depicting the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
displayed in the building’s front garden. On Memorial Day in 2006, the monument was placed in the front of the building, readily noticeable from the street.
Ten Commandments Project
Created in 1995, Faith and Action’s Ten CommandmentsTen Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
Project has given over 400 plaques of the Ten Commandments to members of Congress and other highly placed officials, including former presidents Clinton and Bush. Special delegations made up of clergy and lay people make the presentations during ceremonies held in the recipients’ offices. The agenda includes a short speech which describes religion as the foundational basis of morality and law, a reading of the Commandments in their entirety, and prayers. The official is then given an inscribed wooden plaque on which is mounted two stone polymer tablets containing a summary of the Ten Commandments. Recipients are urged to “display and obey” the Ten Commandments. Schenck chose to promote the Ten Commandments because he believes that they have a universal and enduring nature and that they are fundamental to morality.
National Memorial for the Preborn
In 1995, Rev. Schenck organized the first National Memorial for the Preborn and their Mothers and Fathers, a religious service in opposition to abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. This quickly became a prominent pro-life event held inside the US Capitol complex in Washington, DC. Originally a program of the National Clergy Council, the event has now been renamed the National Pro-Life Clergy Conference and is sponsored by the National Pro-Life Religious Council
National Pro-Life Religious Council
The National Pro-Life Religious Council is an educational 5013 corporation representing numerous Christian pro-life denominations and organizations. Its goal is to promote the view that Christianity is a pro-life faith...
. The NPRC is led by prominent pro-life leader Fr. Frank Pavone
Frank Pavone
Father Frank A. Pavone is an American Roman Catholic priest and pro-life activist. He was the national director of Priests for Life and serves as the Chairman and Pastoral Director of Rachel's Vineyard...
, national director of Priests for Life
Priests for Life
Priests for Life is a Roman Catholic pro-life organization based in New York. It functions as a network to promote and coordinate pro-life activism with the primary strategic goal of ending abortion and euthanasia and to spread the Gospel of Life according to the encyclical of the same name...
and a trustee of Schenck’s Faith and Action. Rev. Schenck and his staff continue to have major roles and responsibilities associated with the event.
National Clergy Council
Schenck is the also the co-founder and president of the National Clergy Council, a network of pastors and denominational leaders. The NCC represents church leaders from CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, Evangelical, Orthodox
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity comprises the Christian traditions and churches that developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Northeastern Africa, India and parts of the Far East over several centuries of religious antiquity. The term is generally used in Western Christianity to...
and Protestant traditions. It was formed in 1989 and has maintained an office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, since 1994. Its mission is to "bring classical Christian moral instruction into the conversation and debate surrounding public policy." Schenck serves the National Clergy Council’s presidency on a pro-bono or volunteer basis.
Judge Moore's Monument
In 2003, Schenck helped organize and lead supportive demonstrations outside of the Alabama Judicial building, seat of the state’s Supreme Court where, at the time, the Honorable Roy MooreRoy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore is an American jurist and Republican politician noted for his refusal, as the elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the state courthouse despite orders to do so from a federal judge...
was chief justice.
By that time, Schenck and Moore had enjoyed a long cooperative association with Moore who had refused to relocate a granite monument to the historic basis of the law that included the Ten Commandments. The monument was eventually ordered moved by US District Judge Myron Thompson
Myron Thompson
Myron Thompson is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons. He represented the riding of Wild Rose in Alberta....
. When US marshals were dispatched to supervise the removal, Schenck and several others had surrounded the monument, knelt and begun to pray. He was arrested and held for 5 1/2 hours while the monument was moved. Because of his stature in the religious community, Schenck was interviewed on numerous television shows regarding the events.
Evangelical Church Alliance
Since 1999, Schenck has maintained ministerial credentials as an ordained member of the Evangelical Church Alliance InternationalEvangelical church alliance
The Evangelical Church Alliance is an Inter-denominational association of Christian ministers that exists to serve the goal of spreading the Christian religion....
. An ordained minister is given authority by the Church to administer their rites and duties, including Baptism, Committal, Communion, Solemnization of Marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, Preaching and Pastoral Counsel. Rev. Schenck carries out all these religious activities as he ministers to the population of Capitol Hill and in other areas.
Schenck holds an elected seat on the board of directors for the ECA and serves as the appointed chairman for its Committee on Church and Society, the social witness for the alliance of ministers. As a board member, his duties include chairing interview committees for new ministerial candidates.
Stopping Burn-a-Koran Day
During September 2010, Rev. Schenck opposed the proposed burning of the Koran2010 Qur'an-burning controversy
The Dove World Quran-burning controversy arose in July 2010, when Terry Jones, the pastor of the Christian Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, U.S., declared he would burn 200 Qurans on the 2010 anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Media coverage resulted in international...
by pastor Terry Jones.
In an interview with CBN on September 8, Rev. Schenck said that this particular demonstration, while possibly warranted by common values and certainly permissible under the Constitution, violated Christian morality, adding that he believed Christians were held to a higher standard. “[I]t’s impossible for me to cite one instance in the life or teaching of Jesus Christ that could justify such an act,” Schenck said. He also stated objections to fallout in religious relations, "He's not just burning Korans, he's also burning bridges that we were trying to build for years with the Islamic community."
Schenck represented the National Clergy Council in speaking personally with Pastor Jones, and asked Jones if, in a show of good faith, he would surrender custody of the Korans at the center of the controversy to Schenck’s colleague, the Reverend Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition. Jones agreed to do so. As a condition of his cancellation, Pastor Jones wanted the relocation of Park51. Rev. Schenck attempted to broker a meeting between Jones and Imam Faisal Rauf. Because of complications, the potential meeting never materialized, however the Koran burning did not take place on September 11.
Memberships
- President, Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital
- President, National Clergy Council, Washington, DC
- Member of the US Senate Chaplain's Pastoral Care Response Team
- Chairman, Committee on Church and Society for the Evangelical Church Alliance
- Trustee, Gospel of Life Ministries
- Member, Board of Directors, Institute on Religion and Public Society
- Member, American Academy of Religion
- Member, The Center for Bio-ethics and Human Dignity
- Member, The National Association of Evangelicals
- Member, International Bonhoeffer Society