[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    HONORS REVEREND JUAN MARTINEZ FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE

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                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 15, 1998

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today to pay tribute 
to the Reverend Juan Martinez of New Haven, Connecticut. Reverend 
Martinez has spent thirty-six years developing and enriching his 
community, ministering to our souls and nourishing our spirits.
  Reverend Martinez arrived in the United States from his native Puerto 
Rico in 1950, and served his country in our military in the Korean War. 
Upon his arrival in New Haven in 1962, he established the Pentecostal 
Church Door of Salvation. Through this church, Reverend Martinez has 
selflessly devoted himself to the Hispanic community and to the entire 
city of New Haven. He is the eldest Hispanic minister pastoring in New 
Haven, and serves as Executive Treasurer for the International Latin 
American Council of Churches. He is the founder of the New Life 
Corporation Housing Development Corporation, and is the co-founder of 
the Associacion Ministerial Evangelica Hispanica de New Haven.
  Reverend Martinez has contributed so much to our New Haven that it is 
difficult to know how to begin to describe his dedication and service. 
He embodies the values of commitment to family and dedication to 
neighbors, and is a role model to us all. He is a powerful voice of 
justice and equality for the Hispanic community, and therefore for our 
city. He has worked with four mayors of New Haven to improve housing 
for the needy. He has organized an annual food drive, and founded a 
community youth and children's program which serves over 120 children, 
nurturing their minds, enriching their spirits, and giving them a safe 
place to play and learn.
  For thirty-six years, Reverend Martinez has been a force in his 
community for all that is right and good. It is with great pride and 
honor that I join with his family, friends and community to say thank 
you and congratulations.

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