[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN 
                            LOWELL, MICHIGAN

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                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 2004

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the congregation of 
the First Baptist Church in Lowell, Michigan, which celebrates the 
150th anniversary of its formation on Sunday, September 19, 2004.
  The First Baptist Church was started on Sept. 18, 1854, meeting for 
worship originally in the Lowell Schoolhouse under the leadership of 
their first pastor, the Rev. A.C. Powell. In 1860, the congregation 
moved into its own building, which was erected by the congregation 
members themselves. By 1866, the congregation boasted 74 active 
members.
  In 1898, the nearly 40-year-old building was moved approximately 20 
feet and expanded to hold about 400 people. The congregation flourished 
in the community and sent many young men out for church mission work 
throughout the country. However, by the late 1930s, the church saw 
major declines in its membership and it temporarily closed its doors. 
In the early 1940s, the church reopened as a struggling mission church 
under the Rev. Mel Stadt.
  In 1949, the Rev. M.K. McIver took the pulpit, and the church saw 
such resurgent growth that the old building soon was deemed outdated 
and inadequate. By 1967, a new church building was dedicated and 
continues to serve as the church's home today. In 1983, a new 
auditorium was added and, through the years, staff continued to change 
and new positions were added.
  In the past decade, the church has undergone a three-phase renovation 
that has added space for programs and staff, while hosting five new 
missionaries since 1999. Today, the church continues to thrive under 
the leadership of Pastor of Ministries Rev. W. Lee Taylor and Youth 
Pastor Wayne Haines.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm sure that you and all of my colleagues will join me 
in congratulating Rev. Taylor, Pastor Haines and the members of First 
Baptist Church for their 150 years of service and worship in Lowell, 
Michigan. They have been blessed in their ministry, and their community 
has been blessed by their presence.

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