[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 174 (Tuesday, November 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2052-E2053]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN CELEBRATION OF THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF CHIEF APOSTLE WILLIAM L. BONNER

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2011

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the 90th birthday 
of dear beloved spiritual leader, Chief Apostle William L. Bonner at 
the National Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ (COOLJC) Day at the 
Greater Refuge Temple in Harlem. Let me also note that on Saturday, 
November 5, 2011, the Greater Refuge Temple, which is the ``Mother 
Church'' of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, paid special tribute 
to Bishop Bonner's 50 years of service and pastoral leadership to the 
greater COOLJC church family and community throughout our great Nation.
  Founded by the late apostle Bishop Robert C. Lawson, D.D., LL.D., The 
Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ had its inception in the year 1919. 
Bishop Lawson, then Elder Lawson was invited to a prayer meeting, which 
was in progress in a basement in the 40th Street area of New York City. 
So energetic was his service to the Lord that his fame spread abroad 
and reached the ears of Mr. and Mrs. James Burleigh and Mr. and Mrs. 
Edward Anderson. These two blessed couples opened their homes to Elder 
Lawson and their home today is affectionately thought of as the 
``Cradle of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ''.
  Within a short period, the congregation outgrew its place of worship, 
having approximately 200 members, and larger quarters had to be sought. 
Bishop Lawson purchased the sight at 52-54-56 West 133 Street and 
relocated his thriving church. It was there that his vision was 
enlarged and the Lord lay upon his heart to conduct a tent revival and 
great numbers were added to the church.
  Under the thriving ministry of Apostle Lawson, many preachers, 
missionaries, and teachers were sent into the field establishing 
numerous works. To the far-flung isles of the sea, to the continent of 
Africa and to the Caribbean, these Christian heralds went carrying the 
apostolic message. It was in the year 1932, that Bishop Lawson 
initiated the radio broadcast over the stations WGBS. He broadcasted 
successfully over WHOM and WINS. The broadcast is presently continuing 
over station WBNX every Sunday evening.
  In August of 1945, as the church out grew its quarters on 133rd 
Street, Bishop Lawson

[[Page E2053]]

relocated the church and congregation to 124th Street and 7th Avenue. 
This building is known as the ``Mother Church'' of the Churches of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ. In two short years, the indebtedness of the church 
was lifted and on Christmas day in 1947, the mortgage was burned.
  It was in 1944 that Bishop Lawson sent Bishop Bonner to Detroit to 
pastor the First Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was a storefront. 
Today, it is a 2,500-seat edifice known as Solomon's Temple. Bishop 
William Lee Bonner was born on November 12, 1921 in Bolden County 
Georgia, to Emmett and Janie Bonner. Bishop Bonner was married to the 
late Ethel Mae Smith Bonner. He is the father of two children, Ethel 
Mae Bonner Archer and William Lee Bonner, Jr.
  Bishop Bonner's ministry began in the 1940s under the tutelage of the 
late Bishop Robert C. Lawson, (1883-1961), founder of the Church of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. His first pastorate was the 
Green Avenue Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Brooklyn, New York. In 
1961, upon the death of Bishop Lawson, Bishop Bonner became the pastor 
of the 3,000-member mother church, the Greater Refuge Temple in Harlem, 
New York City.
  Apostle Bonner currently pastors churches in Detroit, Michigan, New 
York City, Washington, D.C., Jackson, Mississippi, and Columbia, South 
Carolina. He is the Chief Apostle and Senior Prelate of the General 
Assembly of the Churches of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic 
Faith, Inc. This is an international body of churches. Under his 
administration, the assembly has grown from 155 churches in 1961 to 
over 500 churches and missions throughout the world.
  He has faithfully kept the charge of the founder Bishop Lawson, to 
``Add Thou to It''. Bishop Bonner received his religious education and 
the Doctor of Divinity through the Church of Christ Bible Institute in 
New York City. Listed in ``Who's Who in Religion'' In 1985, Bishop 
Bonner's ministry is based on prayer and faith in God. His message is 
one of hope and deliverance. He believes that those who pray can expect 
a miracle.
  On December 12, 1989, Bishop William L. Bonner founded The Refuge 
Temple of Washington, DC. The first services were held at Days Inn, at 
12th and K Streets, NW. The next year, Kelly Miller Junior High School 
became the church's final temporary home. On June 1, 1991, the first 
service was held at the new edifice for Refuge Temple Church.
  On July 20, 1993, Bishop Bonner established The Refuge Temple of 
Columbia, South Carolina. It was organized with only 22 members and 
grew to 700 in 3 months. The church is located on 12\1/2\ acres in the 
Eau Claire section of Columbia. Pastor Bonner's ministry in Columbia 
also consists of the Family Life Center, Retirement Community and the 
W. L. Bonner Bible College.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in bestowing this special 
congressional honor to Chief Apostle William L. Bonner's on ``National 
COOLJC Day'' at the Greater Refuge Temple Church in Harlem, NY.

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