[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 87 (Thursday, June 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      REMEMBERING REVEREND L.E. LAWSON AND MONSIGNOR CHARLES KING

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                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2011

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of two of 
Denton County's most esteemed spiritual leaders, Reverend L.E. Lawson 
and Monsignor Charles King. Both Reverend Lawson and Monsignor King 
devoted their lives to serving their respective congregations and 
compassionately working to improve the lives of the less fortunate in 
the Denton community.
  Reverend Lawson, who passed away May 22nd, spent the last 26 of his 
52 years in the ministry as pastor of Denton's Mount Cavalry Baptist 
Church, during which time he baptized, married, and performed the 
burials of generations of church members. Reverend Lawson loyally 
tended to the spiritual needs of the community in which he immersed 
himself.
  Monsignor King, who passed away June 1st and just a week after the 
Reverend Lawson, served 10 of his 54 ministry years at Denton's 
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, but left an equally lasting mark 
of leadership and compassion on his congregation and his community.
  The two men's spiritual work represented different branches of 
Christianity. Monsignor King's Catholic Church is a centuries-old world 
religion of grandeur while Reverend Lawson hailed from the much humbler 
African-American Baptist church. In the end, however, their paths 
ultimately led to interchangeable legacies that reflect both men's 
never-ceasing dedication to the Christian faith and the Denton 
community. Comments from members of both congregations in Reverend 
Lawson's and Monsignor King's obituaries could be applied to either 
man.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the exemplary lives of 
Reverend L.E. Lawson and Monsignor Charles King. With the passing of 
these men, Denton has lost more than a century of spiritual direction 
and service. Their passion and enthusiasm for their faith and their 
fellow man, however, will always be remembered.

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