[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9452-S9453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, WEIRTON, WV

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, it is with great honor that I 
rise today to publicly recognize the 175th anniversary of the First 
Christian Church in Weirton, WV. The church has ministered to the Ohio 
Valley since West Virginia was recognized as our country's 35th state.
  The Christian Church, which is also known as the Disciples of Christ, 
is a Protestant denomination of approximately 800,000 members in the 
United States and Canada. It is one of the largest faith groups founded 
on American soil. The founders of the Christian Church were Thomas 
Campbell and his son Alexander Campbell. Both of these men and other 
distinguished leaders of the Disciples of Christ ministered at the 
First Christian Church in Weirton.
  Members of the church have been faithful in serving their country. 
One of the church's original members, in fact, received a Congressional 
Medal of Honor in 1898. Mr. Uriah Brown received the award for his 
heroism in the Civil War, especially at the siege of Vicksburg.
  Weirton is very much a city that reflects the struggles of the steel 
industry in our Nation. The city was once a booming steel town, 
employing up to 20,000 people. Unfortunately, the steel industry has 
had a very tough time recovering from the massive dumping of steel by 
our foreign competition in the late 1990s, and the church has had to 
adapt its ministries to meet the needs of the city's now dwindling 
population. The challenges that First Christian Church has faced 
reflect the difficulties faced by the city.
  The church helped to create Weirton's Christians Helping Arrange New 
Growth Enterprises, or the CHANGE program, which encourages the 
integration of services, the building of partnerships, and the pooling 
of resources to empower families toward self-sufficiency. As Governor, 
I saw first-hand the work of the First Christian Church in helping 
establish Weirton Steel's Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP, in 
1983. When the ESOP was in its beginning stages, First Christian Church 
provided financial support to the employees as they pulled together to 
prevent the city's primary business from closing. The church also 
provided food for those who were in need and assisted members of the 
congregation who were unemployed throughout this period.
  As the church enters it 176th year, it remains an important part of 
the community, directly addressing the many needs of an aging steel 
town. Among the several ministries of the church, one includes the 
church's Food Cupboard, which provides financial and food aid for laid-
off steel workers and their families living in the Upper Ohio Valley. 
The church also has a food relief fund, and it works with the Salvation 
Army.
  The church has not only been influential in Weirton and the Ohio 
Valley but also in the world. It is a leader in the denomination's 
Reconciliations Ministry, which is a ministry designed to specifically 
fight racial prejudice. First Christian Church has been one of the top 
five financial givers to the Reconciliations Ministry. In addition, 
they work closely with St. Peter's AME

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Church, which has an African American congregation. Even though St. 
Peter's is not the same denomination as the First Christian Church, the 
church considers it a sister church.
  Since 1830, the First Christian Church has provided a place of hope, 
faith, shelter, and witness for the people of West Virginia. I join 
with them in celebrating its good works and wishing it all the best as 
it prepares for another century of service.

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