Teaneck Pastor Gives Invocation To Washington Officials

TEANECK, NJ - Reverend Dr. Marilyn Monroe Harris, the first female Pastor of First Baptist Church of Teaneck, delivered the opening prayer on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Afterward, she was welcomed by Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who spoke about her life's work.

“Reverend Harris is a beacon of leadership for North Jersey and the country as a whole,”Gottheimer said. “Dr. Harris brings integrity and excellence to everything she does. With so much in our country dividing us, Reverend Harris’ words can bring us together, so that we can better serve our country."

Watch Harris' opening invocation and Gottheimer's remarks by clicking here.

Licensed to preach by Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack in 1995, Harris worked with Reverend Gregory J. Jackson and was ordained to the gospel ministry in 2000 by Bethany Baptist Church in New Jersey. In 2005, Harris was installed as the fifth Pastor and the first female Pastor of First Baptist Church of Teaneck.

Harris was the first African American to preach at the Shrine of the Black Madonna at Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain, and she has preached at the Kagiso Baptist Church, Johannesburg, South Africa. Harris is also the founder of the Christian Women’s Alliance and the Foundation Building Christian Institute.

She is a recipient of New Jersey’s NAACP Award for Pastoral Excellence and Leadership, the NAACP Bergen County Edward P. Dixon Award for Community Service, and currently serves as the first female President of the United Missionary Baptist Convention State of New Jersey.

Harris also supports our first responders in North Jersey, serving as the first female African American Chaplain of the Teaneck Fire Department.