[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 17, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           A TRIBUTE TO THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF SAN JOSE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 2000

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute to the First Baptist Church 
of San Jose, the ``Church on the Hill''. The church has been a 
cornerstone of our community since the time of the gold miners. Even 
before California was established as a state, the church on the Hill 
was providing guidance to her citizens, under the leadership of her 
first pastor, the Reverend Osgood Church Wheeler.
  The second oldest Baptist church in the state, the church began 
services on May 19, 1850. In a tent made of blue jeans in the infant 
city of San Jose, the church first met with 8 members, 6 of whom were 
women. This Friday the church will celebrate its 150th anniversary. 
Through each one of those 150 years the congregation has grown as the 
community around it grew. It has endured three separate fires which 
each time destroyed its building, earthquakes, floods and other natural 
disasters. It has flourished through 30 Presidents, two World Wars, and 
the Great Depression, and today the church is stronger than it has ever 
been.
  Whether meeting in the rural setting of orchards and farmland, or in 
the center of the high tech world, the Church has continued to serve 
the people and touch the lives of the thousands who have walked through 
its doors. Pastor Dennis Henderson has the honor of presiding over the 
congregation today, and I congratulate him on his leadership. His 
vision will lead the congregation into its future complex, a facility 
befitting the modern community its serves.
  As the church celebrates its sesquicentennial, it can be proud to be 
a shining light in the capital of Silicon Valley. The services the 
members of the congregation provide greatly enrich the community of San 
Jose. It is my honor to pay tribute to the First Baptist Church on this 
momentous occasion, and I am proud to represent the community in which 
it has thrived for so long. I wish the Church on the Hill the best of 
luck for another 150 years of inspiration.

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