[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING REVEREND PERRY SANDERS

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR.

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2006

  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Reverend Perry Sanders, a devoted and faithful servant to his God, his 
church, and his community in Lafayette, Louisiana.
  On May 14th, Reverend Sanders gave his last sermon at the First 
Baptist Church in Lafayette. The day marked the culmination of his 47 
years of service to the congregation. Born in South Carolina, Reverend 
Sanders came to First Baptist in 1959. Following graduation from 
college and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Reverend Sanders 
pastored at several churches in Louisiana before coming to the First 
Baptist Church in Lafayette. As a young preacher, he made it clear from 
the beginning that a segregated South would not stop him from preaching 
to ``anybody and everybody'' who came to listen. As a result, Lafayette 
became home to the first Southern white Baptist church to be racially 
integrated.
  During his tenure at First Baptist, Sanders led the church to 
establish a media ministry that would set the pace for Southern 
Baptists. The power of the cassette tape was harnessed in the early 
seventies and his messages have encouraged many in even the most remote 
parts of the earth. First Baptist was selected as one of the ``Great 
Churches'' in a broadcast series in the mid eighties.
  Reverend Perry Sanders led First Baptist through remarkable growth, 
especially considering its location in the Acadian culture with its 
strong Catholic traditions. From a congregation of a few hundred and a 
budget of about $70,000 per year, First Baptist has grown and now 
averages more than one thousand worshippers each weekend and owns 
buildings on six city blocks. Additionally, several hundred thousand 
dollars a year is given to missions outside the Lafayette community.
  Mr. Speaker, our Nation would benefit greatly if we all dedicated our 
lives to the service Reverend Perry Sanders has exemplified throughout 
his career. It is with this in mind that I ask my colleagues to join me 
in honoring him today.

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