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




                  TRIBUTE TO BISHOP WILLIAM L. BONNER

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                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2011

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable 
man who has dedicated his life to serving the Creator and building an 
international fellowship of true disciples. Bishop William Lee Bonner 
will be honored on the occasion of his 90th birthday on Saturday, 
November 19, 2011 in Columbia, South Carolina.
  William Lee Bonner was born on November 12, 1921 in Bolden County, 
Georgia to Emmett and Janie Bonner. He received his religious training 
and the Doctor of Divinity through the Church of Christ Bible Institute 
in New York.
  As a young man in the 1940s, Bishop Bonner answered the call into the 
ministry. He was a protege of the late Bishop Robert C. Lawson, 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 1944, Bishop Bonner was sent to Detroit to lead the First Church of 
Our Lord Jesus Christ. When he arrived, the congregation was worshiping 
in a store front. Today, the current sanctuary holds 2,500 parishioners 
in an edifice known as Solomon's Temple.
  When Bishop Lawson passed away in 1961, Bishop Bonner was called to 
lead the 3,000-member mother church, the Greater Refuge Temple, in 
Harlem, New York. As the church's new titular head, Bishop Bonner 
created a Board of Apostles to govern the churches. He also formed two 
other groups, the Board of Bishops and the Board of Presbyters, both of 
which are accountable to the Board of Apostles. Under this new 
structure, Bishop Bonner serves as the Chief Apostle and Senior Prelate 
of the General Assembly of the Churches of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the 
Apostolic Faith, Inc.
  During his leadership, the church grew tremendously. In 1989, Bishop 
Bonner founded the Refuge Temple of Washington, D.C. In the beginning 
services were held in a Days Inn hotel, but moved shortly afterwards to 
Kelly Miller Junior High School. Less than a year afterwards the church 
broke ground on a permanent home. On June 1, 1991, the first service 
was held in the Refuge Temple Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and they 
continue to this day at the 56th Street location.
  The ground breaking for the Refuge Temple of Columbia, South Carolina 
took place on July 20, 1993. At that time, the congregation was 
comprised of 22 members. Within three years, they grew to 700 members. 
The ministry has expanded to include a Family Life Center, a retirement 
community and the W.L. Bonner Bible College. The church's services are 
aired on Sunday mornings at 6:00 am on WIS-TV in Columbia. Previously 
recorded services can also be heard nightly on Columbia radio station 
WMFV.
  Under Bishop Bonner's leadership, the assembly has grown from 155 
churches in 1961 to over 500 churches and missions throughout the 
world. He currently pastors churches in Detroit; New York; Washington, 
D.C.; Jackson, Mississippi; and Columbia, South Carolina. He has 
faithfully kept the charge of the founder Bishop Lawson to, ``Add Thou 
To It.''
  Bishop Bonner and the late Ethel Mae Smith Bonner were parents to 
Ethel Mae Bonner Archer and William Lee Bonner, Jr.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Bishop Bonner as he celebrates his 90th birthday. He has 
been a Christian luminary and has served his faith and its congregants 
with tremendous dedication. Bishop Bonner has touched many people 
through his great ministries, and is very deserving of this 
recognition.

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