[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 4, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this hallowed Chamber to 
share with my colleagues the joyful news of the 50th anniversary of the 
Assembly of God church in Center Moriches, Long Island. We in the Long 
Island community are blessed and honored to have among our community of 
God for the past 50 years this proud Christian congregation.
  Since even before its founding, America has been a home for those 
seeking safe haven to pursue their religious beliefs. Because of that, 
America has long been fertile ground for men and women who labor in the 
work of the Lord. This is what Christians from New York's Russian/
Ukrainian community learned when they came to Center Moriches after 
World War II, to minister to home prayer groups in this seaside South 
Shore village. With God's blessings, these groups grew quickly and a 
church building was purchased on Canal Street. The Christ Church of the 
Full Gospel, under the leadership of Reverend Suhanoff, was founded in 
1947.
  Under the pastorship of Leonard Burket, the congregation built a new 
church, celebrating the first Christmas in its new home in 1973. During 
Pastor Burket's leadership, the assembly started work on the Sunshine 
Nursery School in 1974 and, in 1982, established the Center Moriches 
Christian School. After Pastor Burket died on May 17, 1988, his 
congregation honored his lifetime of good work in their community by 
renaming the school the Leonard E. Burket Christian School.
  In recent years, the Assembly of God Center Moriches joined with the 
New Creation Assembly of God, a community of believers formed 7 years 
earlier in Mount Sinai. Dedicated to their faith, New Creation Assembly 
of God members worshipped together in a succession of private homes, 
local theaters, area churches, and a dance studio. None of this 
deterred their faith, while midweek services were instituted, a youth 
group was formed and men's and women's ministries met on a regular 
basis.
  In 1994, the two congregations forged a permanent bond when New 
Creation Pastor Dominick Scibetta became a candidate for the pastorship 
of the Assembly of God Center Moriches. His decision to take the new 
position set into motion the work that eventually merged the two 
churches in 1995. The first joint service between the two congregations 
was held on the first Sunday in July 1994.
  For the past 50 years, Assembly of God congregants have given so much 
of their time, talents, and resources to provide physical and spiritual 
sustenance to their community. In so doing, they have brought the 
Gospel message to life for all of us on Long Island who are privileged 
to witness their work. May God continue to bless the Assembly of God 
and its entire congregation.

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