[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 162 (Wednesday, November 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN TRIBUTE TO REV. VERNON McGOWEN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 28, 2001

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to the attention of 
the chair and my colleagues a distinguished minister from the city of 
Neptune, NJ, Rev. Vernon McGowen.
  Reverend McGowen has served as the minister of the Martin Luther King 
Jr. Presbyterian Church in Neptune for the past 25 years. On Sunday, 
November 18, 2001, his church will recognize his illustrious career and 
dedication to the Neptune and Asbury Park communities.
  A Houston native, McGowen moved to New Jersey to attend the Princeton 
Theological Seminary where he earned his masters of Divinity Degree. 
While at Princeton, through the urging of a professor and mentor, he 
started preaching at Martin King Jr. Presbyterian Church. His 
dedication and compassion were evident after only 2 years of service, 
at which time the Church invited him to become the church's permanent 
pastor.
  Throughout his tenure as pastor, he has been an outspoken advocate 
for people who normally have no way of making themselves heard. As a 
highly regarded leader in the black community, he has dealt with issues 
ranging from teenage pregnancy to the hiring of more blacks in county 
offices. Over the years, he has been recognized as a leading advocate 
of judicial reform and encouraging greater opportunities for blacks in 
the legal system. In short, parishioners of his church not only found a 
religious figure, but a civil rights leader.
  Reverend McGowen practices what he preaches, using his talents to 
reach out to the segments of the community that need him the most. 
Through his tireless efforts, he helped Lawerence Lawson gain the 
appointment of assignment judge, the first black person to achieve this 
esteemed position.
  Through his ministry he spreads the word of God and provides 
spiritual leadership, while simultaneously, he fights to improve the 
social well-being of all. Now entering his 25th year of service, I 
would like to congratulate Rev. Vernon McGowen on this momentous 
occasion.

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