[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE 150TH ANNI- VERSARY OF THE VERNON REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN 
                                 CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GERALD D. KLECZKA

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 15, 1998

  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Vernon Reformed 
Presbyterian Church, a Waukesha County landmark and symbol of religious 
freedom and Wisconsin's pioneering spirit. On October 18, the church 
will celebrate its founding 150 years ago in 1848, the same year 
Wisconsin achieved statehood.
  Formed in a rural farmhouse on October 18, 1848, members of the 
church attended to their spiritual needs while the church structure was 
built. The result was a church society that was to construct the holy 
Covenanter church ever to exist in Wisconsin.
  The Covenanters were part of a movement in Scotland during the late 
16th Century that strove to defend the Presbyterian Church, a stance 
that brought them persecution by the Church of England and the British 
Crown. Many left Scotland and during the ensuing centuries carried 
their faith to new countries. Founders of the church in the Town of 
Vernon were of Scottish and Irish descent.
  An active local congregation supported the church for more than 65 
years, but the members could not sustain its regular operations. In 
recent decades, an annual service has been held at the church each fall 
conducted by a visiting Presbyterian minister.
  The church building, completed in 1854, and an adjacent buggy shed 
and its grounds have been maintained by the church's cemetery 
association to preserve their appearance. Directors of the association 
are exploring the possibility of placing the church on the National 
Register of Historic Places.
  This Sunday, October 18th, the church will celebrate its 
sesquicentennial with a special service. Descendants of church pioneers 
now live as far away as New England, Florida, Hawaii and Canada.
  Mr. Speaker it is my privilege to recognize and commend the Vernon 
Reformed Presbyterian Church, a house of worship carved from the 
wilderness 150 years ago, through the courage and dedication of our 
Wisconsin pioneers.

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