[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 32 (Wednesday, March 16, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2841-S2842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                  TRIBUTE TO THE REVEREND DENVIS RUSH

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
lifelong Kentuckian who dedicated his life to serving others, the 
Reverend Denvis Rush. Known to many simply as ``Preacher,'' the 
Reverend Rush was a Kentucky icon who passed away earlier this year at 
the age of 85 from complications of liver cancer.
  The Reverend Rush began preaching at the age of 18. His 66-year 
career spanned eight different churches in Eastern Kentucky and allowed 
him to embark on mission trips to Indonesia, Africa, South America, and 
Korea. He touched thousands of lives by officiating at numerous 
baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Despite his illness, he continued to 
preach and stood before his congregation for a final time the Sunday 
before he passed away.
  In addition to his ministerial duties, the Reverend Rush was a 
longtime chairman of the Oneida Baptist Institute's school board and 
served on the executive board of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He 
was also active in other community organizations where he and his wife 
of 63 years, Juanita, would donate their time and energy to help 
improve the quality of life of those around them. The Reverend Rush is 
survived by his wife; a daughter, Joyce Rush Woods; four sisters; a 
brother; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
  The Reverend Rush was a very modest man who, when asked to reflect on 
his lifetime of achievement, said, ``I haven't done it. The Lord's done 
it, through a little old nobody.'' But the thousands of people he 
touched all certainly thought he was somebody, somebody special. Mr. 
President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our 
sympathy to the family and friends of the late Rev. Denvis Rush by 
honoring and recognizing all of the contributions he made to 
communities in Kentucky and around the world. He will be missed.
  Mr. President, I ask unaminous consent to print in the Record an 
article from The Lexington Herald-Leader, ``Denvis Rush, minister, 
dies,'' about the Reverend Rush's life.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

            [From the Lexington Herald Leader, Feb. 9, 2005]

``Denvis Rush, Minister, Dies; Had Conducted Revivals on 4 Continents''

                         (By Jennifer Hewlett)

       The Rev. Denvis Rush held revivals on four continents. He 
     officiated at thousands of funerals and weddings in Laurel 
     and Clay counties and other Eastern Kentucky counties. For 
     decades he preached several times a week at Kentucky 
     churches.
       When he found out that he had liver cancer in November, he 
     declined to undergo chemotherapy because he knew it would sap 
     his energy. He wanted to use every bit he had left to preach 
     the word of God, friends said.
       The Rev. Rush, a Baptist minister for more than 66 years, 
     died Monday at Marymount Hospital in London. He was 85 and 
     lived in London. In addition to his family, he leaves behind 
     thousands of friends whose lives he deeply touched.
       ``There were times in his life when he had more influence 
     on the people of Clay County than any elected official would 
     have, and that's saying a whole lot,'' said the Rev. Thermon 
     Taylor, pastor emeritus of Liberty Baptist Church in London 
     and a longtime friend.
       ``He did so many things for the people in Clay County and 
     Jackson and Perry and Leslie. . . His influence is extremely 
     wide,'' Taylor said.


                            preaching at 18

       The Rev. Rush, a Laurel County native, began preaching at 
     age 18 and pastored his first church, Laurel River Baptist 
     Church in London, soon afterward. He was pastor of Providence 
     Baptist Church near London at his death.
       Before moving to Providence about 14 years ago, he pastored 
     Horse Creek Baptist Church in Clay County for 37 years. 
     During

[[Page S2842]]

     several of those years, the Rev. Rush pastored Lily Grove 
     Baptist Church, an African-American church in Clay County, at 
     the same time.
       ``There was no color barrier with him. He was color 
     blind,'' Taylor said. ``He helped them build a new church. He 
     did a lot of the work himself with his two hands. . . . They 
     loved him and he did them.''
       At one time, the Rev. Rush was a member of the executive 
     board of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.
       ``Whenever decisions were to be made within our 
     association, one of the questions always asked was 'What does 
     Brother Rush think about it?' '' said Roy Faulkner, director 
     of missions for the Laurel River Baptist Association.
       ``He's an icon in Kentucky among Baptists.''
       For decades, Rev. Rush was Oneida Baptist Institute's 
     biggest cheerleader, said Kay Underwood, administrative 
     coordinator at the school and wife of the school's president, 
     W.F. Underwood.
       For several years, the Rev. Rush, who had been a longtime 
     chairman of the school's board, hauled groceries donated by 
     an area wholesale grocer to the Clay County school for the 
     students, faculty and staff members. He bought a truck just 
     for that purpose.
       ``He has really been a wonderful ambassador for Oneida,'' 
     Kay Underwood said. ``One of our buildings is named after him 
     and his wife, Juanita.''
       The minister, Underwood said, wasn't a wealthy man who 
     could give a lot of money to the school, which has more than 
     300 students in grades six through 12, but he was a major 
     influence on others who could.
       ``One of the tender things to me . . . he had a heart for 
     children. He loved anything a child did. . . . This was a man 
     who was a preacher, a man of God who was busy, busy, busy, 
     but he was never too busy for a little child. I think that's 
     why he had such a heart for Oneida,'' she said.
       For the past five years, the Rev. Rush was the mission's 
     teacher and coordinator at Laurel Lake Baptist Camp outside 
     Corbin.
       When he was at the camp, ``it was sort of like the Pied 
     Piper, with kids following him all over the campus,'' 
     Faulkner said.


                        clear creek scholarships

       There is a scholarship at Clear Creek Bible College in Bell 
     County named for the Rev. Rush, who studied there. Money for 
     the scholarship was contributed by people whose lives he 
     touched.
       The Rev. Rush influenced many young preachers, Taylor said.


                          worldwide revivalist

       Over the years, the Rev. Rush held revivals not only in 
     North America, but in Africa, Asia and South America.
       Taylor recalled one mission trip to Brazil that the Rev. 
     Rush took. While there, he gave witness to an elderly man on 
     his front porch. A teenage girl inside the house told the 
     Rev. Rush through an interpreter that she needed his help 
     when he finished with the old man.
       ``She said, ``I'm 16 years old and I've got AIDS and I'm 
     dying.' He taught her how to become a Christian,'' Taylor 
     said.
       ``He had more understanding. He knew how to talk to 
     people,'' Taylor said.
       ``His heart was in missions. . . . He told me just a week 
     or so ago that if he had one thing he could do again was he'd 
     like to go back and preach in Kenya one more time,'' Faulkner 
     said.
       The Rev. Rush preached for the last time Sunday. He 
     preached twice that day. He was to have preached at a funeral 
     today, having agreed to do so less than a couple of hours 
     before he died. After he found out he didn't have long to 
     live, he held a revival and officiated at several funerals 
     and weddings.
       The Rev. Rush is survived by his wife, Juanita Rudder Rush; 
     a daughter, Joyce Rush Woods of Manchester; four sisters; a 
     brother; four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

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