[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 153 (Tuesday, October 28, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO REV. E. K. BAILEY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 2003

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay 
tribute to the memory of one of Dallas's finest people, my good friend 
Rev. E. K. Bailey.
  Reverend Bailey, founder and pastor of Concord Missionary Baptist 
Church in Dallas, dedicated his life to the betterment of the city of 
Dallas. Dr. Bailey founded Concord in 1975 with fewer than 200 members 
and quickly turned it into one of the city's most vibrant African-
American churches. Its current membership numbers 3,500.
  In 1989, he founded E. K. Bailey Ministries Inc., a progressive non-
profit organization that helps black pastors and lay leaders improve 
their own churches. He was a tireless public advocate who was not 
afraid to fight for his constituents. Dr. Bailey's accomplishments are 
great. When Dr. Bailey tackled a project, no matter how challenging, he 
did so with enthusiasm, vigor, and integrity.
  He will long be remembered for his mission to provide the basic 
principles and practices of Biblical church growth to African American 
pastors and lay leaders in order to empower and revitalize African 
American churches to impact the world for personal and social change. 
Based in part upon the name recognition of Dr. E. K. Bailey in the 
African American community and the needs the organization was designed 
to meet, this ministry found instant credibility. At its first 
conference--Discipline and Developing the African American Male--over 
600 men came to Dallas to learn and acquire resources to take back to 
their churches.
  Above all else, Reverend Bailey was a devoted father and loving 
husband. Dr. Bailey is survived by his wife, Sheila, and their three 
grown children. Those who knew Reverend Bailey well understood that the 
time he spent with his wife and family were the greatest times of his 
life. After 33 years of marriage and three cancer diagnoses, he said 
``If I found myself in a ship, or on a ship, in the middle of a storm, 
there's only one person I'd want on that ship with me, and that's 
Sheila Bailey,'' he said.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
Reverend E. K. Bailey. And I join with the city of Dallas and the State 
of Texas in mourning the loss of an outstanding citizen and friend.

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