[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 46 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     REVEREND CARTER CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MAC COLLINS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 1998

  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and celebrate the 
contributions of Reverend Charles Carter, senior pastor of the First 
Baptist Church of Jonesboro. For the past 25 years, Reverend Carter and 
his wife, Margaret, have led the church through explosive growth, all 
the while inspiring those they touch with the important lessons of the 
Bible.
  Raised in Toccoa, Georgia, Reverend Carter spent his time outside of 
school bagging groceries in his family's store and pumping gas at his 
parents' filling station. He went on to study at Mercer University, and 
then attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. After pastoring in 
Kentucky and North Carolina, Reverend Carter brought his passion for 
preaching the Bible to Clayton County. Under his leadership, First 
Baptist Church paralleled the country's population boom with incredible 
growth from a family of 1,600 members in 1973 to an extended family of 
6,400 members this year.
  With the growth, the church has had the opportunity to expand 
programming, particularly for the community's youth. They also fund 
missions to build churches in countries like Guatemala and Venezuela. 
In 25 years, First Baptist has operated under balanced budgets, even 
with a budget that has swelled to more than $4 million.
  A balanced budget is not the only lesson we should follow from the 
example of Reverend Carter. His belief in the importance of work is 
motivation for us all. ``You do whatever it takes to get the job done. 
Forget your job description. Forget what can be done and can't be done. 
Do whatever it takes.''
  Margaret Carter's involvement in the church is also inspirational. 
She is a partner in the truest sense, as she and her husband have 
shared in the joys and responsibilities that come with 25 years of 
heartfelt devotion to the church.
  Jonesboro is privileged to have Reverend and Mrs. Carter in it's 
community. Although Reverend Carter will soon retire, his legacy of 
guidance and inspiration will long survive his absence from the pulpit 
of First Baptist.

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