[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 31, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO ELDER ELLIS SMITH, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 31, 2004

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to recognize a 
respected member of my district, Elder Ellis Smith, Jr., as he and his 
congregation celebrate the dedication of their church on April 4, 2004. 
Elder Smith celebrates this event with his beloved wife, First Lady 
Elresia Smith, their three sons, Ellis Tarique III, Ellis Jerod IV, and 
Terrell, and their daughter, Jullisa.
  Elder Smith was born in Newark in 1961, which makes him my neighbor 
for almost 43 years and counting. He is a graduate of West Side High 
School in Newark, Evangelical Bible Institute in Parsippany, and he 
attended Upsala College in East Orange.
  Elder Smith formed Siloah Church in 1997 and had the first services 
at his kitchen table at his Parsippany residence. Sunday afternoon 
services were held for a brief period at Rouzeu's Manor in Orange. The 
Smith family eventually converted the family room of their residence 
into a Sanctuary, where Sunday morning services and Bible study 
continued until they acquired a site in East Orange in early 2001, 
changing the ministry's name to The Love of Christ.
  From its nascency, assembled around his kitchen table, to its full 
emergence as The Love of Christ Ministry, Elder Smith has nurtured this 
growing gathering of the faithful. As they celebrate and dedicate this 
special event, I hope that he will be encouraged as he sees the fruits 
of his labors and will be refreshed to continue his ministry with 
excitement and vigor.
  It is my distinct honor to join with his congregation and our 
community in offering our encouragement and support as they celebrate 
the dedication of their church. I hope that this will be a time of 
great blessing for him and his family.
  We are all grateful for his leadership and vision, as well as his 
community involvement through the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network and 
the Coalesce Youth Organization.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in extending my thanks to Elder Smith for 
his years of pastoral ministry, and I invite my colleagues to join me 
in wishing him the strength and grace to continue for many years to 
come.

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