[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           DEDICATION OF NEW SANCTUARY FOR THE POTTER'S HOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 18, 2000

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to 
congratulate Bishop and Mrs. Thomas D. Jakes, Sr., and the 26,000 
registered members of the Potter's House in Dallas. Already one of the 
largest churches in the United States, the parishioners are preparing 
to officially dedicate their new sanctuary on October 22, 2000. More 
than 8,000 church leaders and pastors from all over the world are 
expected to attend this momentous event.
  The Potter's House is now officially Texas' largest church and has 
over 48 separate programs focused on service to the community and the 
congregation. With outreach efforts all over the globe, the church is 
an incubator for ideas and activities that have changed countless lives 
for the better. I am proud of the significant impact the church and its 
multi-cultural membership continue to make in Dallas-Fort Worth and 
around the world.
  Bishop T.D. Jakes and his wife Serita Ann lead the Potter's House. 
Bishop Jakes was named as ``one of the five most often mentioned 
successors to Rev. Billy Graham's position as national evangelist'' by 
The New York Times and was declared by The Economist to have the 
``potential impact of a Martin Luther King.'' With a studied message, 
an acute business acumen, and tireless devotion, he has helped focus 
his followers on personal responsibility and community cooperation.
  Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of this milestone for the Potter's 
House, I am proud to recognize this congregation as a national 
testament to the power of empowerment.

                          ____________________