[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 114 (Friday, July 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1497-E1498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE SALEM UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 2010

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Salem United 
Church of Christ in Alhambra, Illinois for their 150th Anniversary of 
ministry.
  The origins of the church date back to 1860 when German immigrants 
settled in and around Alhambra and formed a congregation with a small 
church that was without a tower or steeple. In 1877, the congregation 
decided to build a new Gothic style church. The congregation has since 
added a parish hall for a gathering place for young and old alike for 
many activities. Since they built their first church with timbers cut 
in a steam-powered mill, the members of the Salem United Church

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of Christ have been diligent in care of their sanctuary.
  While the congregation takes pride in their sanctuary and other 
buildings, it is not the property, but the worship and all the 
activities of the congregation that are the heart of the church. This 
anniversary is the celebration of 150 years of steadfast worship where 
there have been 2,189 Baptisms, 1,640 Confirmations, 690 Marriages and 
1,514 Funerals recorded since 1860.
  Descendents of families who first organized the church are among 
those who continue to welcome new members to worship. Together all the 
members of the Salem United Church of Christ honor the past as well as 
look to the future of their church.

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