[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 117 (Friday, July 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1582-E1583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  REV. DR. LARRY WAYNE ELLIS AND FIRST LADY VANDERLER ELLIS HONORING 
         THEIR 20 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP AT PILGRIM BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 19, 2007

  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Reverend 
Doctor Larry Wayne Ellis and his wife, First Lady Vanderler Ellis, on 
their two decades of leadership at Pilgrim Baptist Church, located in 
San Mateo, California, within my Congressional District.
  Pastor Larry Wayne Ellis, a native of Clarksville, Tennessee, 
graduated in 1975 from Austin Peay State University located in 
Tennessee. In 1981, Dr. Ellis earned a Master of Divinity from Golden 
Gate Theological Seminary. In 1988, he was awarded a master's degree in 
counseling psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family 
counseling from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont. He earned a 
Doctor of Ministry degree in 1995 from the Northern Baptist Theological 
Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. Currently, he is vice president and 
professor at Southern Marin Bible Institute and teaches at Golden Gate 
Seminary.
  In August 1986, the Bay Area Baptist Congress of Christian Education 
named Dr. Ellis president of their organization. He was selected as 
Pastor of the Year in 1988, president of the Ministers' Council and 
moderator for the Bay Area Baptist District Association.

[[Page E1583]]

  Dr. Ellis served at Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Redwood City for 
nearly 10 years, serving as full-time minister during the last 4 years 
of his tenure there. Dr. Ellis' leadership has been instrumental in the 
revitalization of this Church. Dr. Ellis was called as the pastor of 
Pilgrim Baptist Church on September 4, 1987.
  In addition to his teaching and preaching at Pilgrim, he consistently 
remains involved in the community. In 1988, he founded C.H.O.I.C.E.S., 
a drug information and referral non-profit agency. He also serves on 
several civic and corporate boards. In 1996, Dr. Ellis achieved one of 
his most recent accomplishments when he became an Adjunct Professor at 
Golden Gate Seminary in Mill Valley, California. Among his many other 
accomplishments is the fact that, in 1998, he taught in Russia. 
Additionally, in 1999, he was selected as President of Congress 
Christian Education. He currently serves as Vice President of the State 
Congress of Christian Education. In 1999 Pastor Ellis also founded 
``Teach The Word'' radio ministry. In 2002, he became President and 
Chief Executive Officer of the Pilgrim Organization, Inc., a youth 
through senior non-profit organization.
  He is married to the former Vanderler Hines and proud father of three 
children, Tawana, Justin, and Austin.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in 
offering sincere congratulations and respect for the 20 years of 
dedication and service that Pastor Larry Wayne Ellis and his wife, 
Vanderler Ellis, have given to the Pilgrim Baptist Church community.

                          ____________________