Contact: Peggy Nienaber, Faith and Action, 202-546-8329

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- On October 9, 2014, Rob Schenck (pronounced "Shank"), an ordained evangelical minister who did his doctoral work in theology of church and state and is founder of Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital, will celebrate 20 years of continuous ministry to America's top elected and appointed officials in Washington, DC.

In the summer of 1994, Schenck relocated to Washington from his native Buffalo, New York, to organize the National Community Church on Capitol Hill. So he could turn his full-time attention to ministering to members of Congress, White House officials, and federal judges, Schenck soon recruited Rev. Mark Batterson to take over the new church planting.

Schenck arrived in Washington with the blessing of a hand-full of churches and some 300 financial supporters. Twenty years later the organization he built with his twin brother and fellow minister, Paul (now a married Roman Catholic priest) has grown to a network of more than 200 churches and 30,000 supporters spread across the country. The ministry operates out of two buildings located immediately behind the Supreme Court, a block from the U.S. Capitol, and ten minutes from the White House.

Over his two decades of missionary service, the Schenck and his brother established the National Memorial for the Pre-born and their Mothers and Fathers, Washington's largest annual indoor pro-life gathering, opened the National Ministry Center where Bible studies, prayer meetings, and other Christian functions are held, formed the National Pro-Life Center to inspire and educate lawmakers and jurists on the sanctity of life, and erected the only Ten Commandments monument fully visible in the nation's capital city.

Schenck's most memorable experiences include leading a suicidal congressman to forgiveness in Christ, extending an evangelistic invitation to a room full of federal judges, and doing emergency chaplain work in the aftermath of a fatal shooting at the Capitol building and following the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack at the Pentagon. Apart from his regular duties, one of the honors he has found most meaningful is officiating numerous funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.

Schenck is currently working on a memoir of his 20-year odyssey for publication some time next year. Beginning October 9, Faith and Action will feature a 20-year retrospective on its website, www.faithandaction.org, and on its Facebook page, Faith & Action. Over the next several months Schenck will also post "Memorable Moments of Ministry in Washington" at his website, www.revrobschenck.com.