[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E733-E734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING REV. DR. JOE SAMUEL RATLIFF

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 16, 2000

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize Rev. Joe Samuel Ratliff 
for his 30 years of service in the ministry.
  Since 1980, Rev. Ratliff has faithfully addressed the needs of the 
Brentwood Baptist Church community. Throughout his tenure as the 
church's spiritual leader, Rev. Ratliff has brought remarkable vision, 
transforming the 400-member church into a dynamic 10,000-member 
congregation. Brentwood has experienced unprecedented growth since Rev. 
Ratliff has been at the helm, including a new 1,800-seat sanctuary, 
land acquisitions, and an enhanced role as public servant and community 
activist in the surrounding community. The growth and success that 
Brentwood Baptist Church has undergone stems from a visionary pastor 
who is truly connected to his community and to his congregants.
  Rev. Ratliff is the eldest of his mother's nine children. As a child 
growing up in Lumberton, NC, he was always active in the church, and 
played piano at services as a teenager. But he did not aspire to a 
career in the ministry until after he moved to Atlanta to attend 
Morehouse College. It was in his junior year that Rev. Ratliff 
recognized the power of the church in bringing about change and making 
a positive impact on the community. He took his first pastorate as a 
college senior, and went on to earn his master of divinity and doctor 
of ministry degrees from the Atlanta's Interdenominational Theological 
Center. Before coming to Brentwood in 1980, Rev. Ratliff served Cobb 
Memorial Church in Atlanta and as acting dean of chapel at Morehouse 
College. In 1988, he was a research fellow at Harvard University for a 
semester.
  During his 20 years as pastor for Brentwood Baptist Church, Rev. 
Ratliff is credited with building one of the fastest-growing churches 
in America. At the same time, he has provided congregants with an 
outlet for giving back to the community. A stellar example of the good 
works performed by the church includes the Brentwood Community 
Foundation, a program that serves the needs of HIV/AIDS patients by 
providing housing and health care. Programs include a mobile health 
unit and services for pregnant teens and young adults who are HIV-
positive. The church also raises money to benefit students' 
scholarships.
  Rev. Ratliff's religious and spiritual dedication to the community 
and to his growing congregation have won him many distinctions and

[[Page E734]]

awards, including induction into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of 
Preachers, the Julie and Ben Rogers Ecumenism Award from the Anti-
Defamation League of Houston, and ``Minister of the Year'' award for 
improving ecumenical dialog and interracial understanding in Houston.
  Mr. Speaker, throughout his 30 years in the ministry, Rev. Ratliff's 
intelligence, enthusiasm, and can-do spirit has served his 
congregations well. He brings tireless energy and compassion to each of 
his endeavors, whether its as a pastor, community leader, or friend. 
His contributions to the ministry and his energy in addressing the 
needs of his congregation and surrounding community are truly 
commendable.

                          ____________________