[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 23, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1350-E1351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 1996

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, July 28, Calvary Baptist Church 
of Belmar, NJ, will celebrate its 100th anniversary. The celebration 
will begin with a worship service Sunday morning, followed by a 
luncheon at the Belmar Elks Club.
  Mr. Speaker, Calvary Baptist Church was founded on Christmas Day 1894 
by a group of families who desired to worship together in the Baptist 
tradition. The official organization as a church was completed on July 
1, 1896, and the first communion was held July 26 of that year. The 
original name was Memorial Baptist Church, and the building was 
originally erected at the corner of Main Street and 12th Avenue. In 
July 1925, the name was changed to Calvary Baptist Church and the 
building was moved to its present location at 13th Avenue and E Street. 
A Sunday school wing and fellowship hall were later added to the 
facility.

[[Page E1351]]

  Several descendants of the original families still attend the church, 
while new families continue to join the church all the time. Under the 
leadership of the Reverend Grace I. Scarle, pastor of the church, 
Calvary Baptist seeks to be a community church, following the call in 
Ephesians 4:11-6 ``To prepare believers in Jesus Christ for works of 
service in His name.'' In that spirit, Calvary Baptist Church holds 
Sunday worship services in both the morning and the evening, Sunday 
school, vacation Bible school, and prayer and Bible study. The church 
also hosts a variety of community functions, including youth groups, 
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and the Catacombs Coffee House, and 
provides a food pantry ministry for the community.
  Mr. Speaker, on this occasion, it gives me great pride to offer my 
congratulations to Reverend Scarle and all the members of Calvary 
Baptist Church as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of this great 
center of spiritual strength and community service on the Jersey shore.

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