[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 102 (Wednesday, September 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF SAGINAW

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2000

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise and give thanks to 
the First Congregational Church of Saginaw for the devotion its members 
have shown to the community, serving as a beacon of hope to those 
mistakenly sounding the death knell for a vibrant city on the cusp of a 
renaissance.
  The church's story is one of survival and perseverance through many 
struggles, toils and tears. Members first gathered together in 1857, 
constructing the present church building in Romanesque Revival style in 
1868 with plans by Detroit architect Gordon W. Lloyd. A fellowship 
hall, school wing, the Bethlehem Chapel and the former Mary E. Dow 
House designed by Alden B. Dow were added later.
  Visitors to First Congregational cannot help but cast an awestruck 
eye on its elegant beauty and the inspiration its sanctuary gives to 
all who stand in it. The original sanctuary windows were replaced with 
magnificent stained glass, adding a special touch to the stately 1913 
Louis Comfort Tiffany window in the north transept. The church, a 
bulwark ever-changing, did more building and restoration in 1973 
following a fire that destroyed the sanctuary roof.
  Churches, however, are more than bricks and mortar. First 
Congregational members have included names familiar to Saginaw's 
history, such as Morley, Wickes and Frank Andersen. Today's members 
continue to take a lead-by-example approach by participating in PRIDE, 
the East Side Soup Kitchen, Hidden Harvest, Habitat for Humanity, the 
Saginaw Community Foundation, the Saginaw Choral Society and many other 
groups. With an annual Musical Arts Concert, they also offer an ear-
pleasing addition to the city's cultural bounty.
  Recently, the church agreed to provide college scholarships to all 
incoming Central Intermediate School sixth-grade students who graduate 
from high school and go on to college.
  Mr. Speaker, this clearly is a church that has taken its Christian 
mission to heart by not abandoning Saginaw, but instead acting as a 
good neighbor in finding ways to improve the lives of its residents.

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