[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 72 (Wednesday, June 5, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO CEDAR INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 4, 2002

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Cedar 
International Fellowship, of Brooklyn New York, and the visionary whose 
efforts have made this whole endeavor possible, Reverend Robert L.A. 
Reaves.
  In the fall of 2001, while at the Cedar of Lebanon Baptist Church, 
located at 220 Hegeman Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, Reverend Reaves 
conducted a meeting for the express purpose of organizing a new church. 
On November 17, 2001, with the purpose of equipping the new church for 
the perfecting of saints for the work of the ministry, Reverend Reaves 
organized a church growth symposium at the Seaview Diner.
  The new church was born on January 26, 2002, at 400 Thatford Avenue, 
in Brooklyn. Reverend Reaves resigned his position in the old Cedar 
Church, and assumed the role of founder and Senior Pastor of the new 
church, which was to be called the Cedar International Fellowship. The 
first worship service, attended by 108 members as well as by numerous 
visitors, was held on February 3, 2002. The spirituality of this 
ecstatic service reached such a peak, that the members joyously 
proclaimed: ``Thus Saith the Lord, I will also take off the highest 
branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top 
of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon a high 
mountain.''
  But this was not a one-time occurrence. The International Fellowship 
has been described as a place ``where the worshipers worship and the 
word comes alive.'' It focuses on Evangelism through the expository 
preaching of the word of God and the discipling of its members. 
Subsequently, the Church's vision statement is ``winning one to win one 
to win another.'' This atmosphere of outreach has caused the Church's 
membership to multiply to the extent that, only several months after 
its inception, the Church can now boast of having 1000 members.
  Therefore, I urge my colleagues to recognize the achievements of 
Reverend Reaves and the Cedar International Fellowship Church.

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