[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 183 (Thursday, December 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S8143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     REMEMBERING BISHOP ODIS FLOYD

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, just as a building needs a foundation, 
every community needs pillars--people who provide strength, 
inspiration, guidance, and leadership, people to rally around in tough 
times. Today, the city of Flint, MI, is missing one of its pillars.
  Bishop Odis Floyd of New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church died 
this week at the age of 71 after a long illness. For more than four 
decades, he was the spiritual leader of the church he helped his 
grandfather found. At an imposing 6-foot-6, with a powerful preaching 
and singing voice, he became known around the country for his stirring 
sermons and appeared on a number of gospel music albums. Whether in 
quiet conversation with a church member or in powerful preaching from 
the pulpit, he was a spiritual giant.
  His faith taught him to reach out beyond his church, not just with 
spiritual guidance but to lend a hand to those in need. The church's 
charitable and outreach efforts under his leadership have had an 
enormous impact. They include programs to provide a safe and welcoming 
place for children; educational efforts; assistance to those who need 
medical care, food, and clothing; counseling and social work services, 
and much more.
  Bishop Floyd also was a valued adviser to business and community 
leaders in Flint, in Michigan, and beyond. I was fortunate to visit 
with him on many occasions, and I valued those visits for his knowledge 
of the community and the quality of his counsel. His love and concern 
for Flint ran deep, and no matter the challenge, he was always at the 
forefront of those looking for solutions. His commitment to his 
community was profound and provided a shining example to others.
  Whether it was in preaching the gospel he felt so deeply or in 
reaching out to help others, one word sums up the gift Bishop Floyd 
brought to those around him: hope. ``People need hope,'' he once told 
an interviewer, ``and that's always what I want to give them.''
  His loss has deprived the community he loved of a strong and steady 
pillar. It now falls to all those who care about Flint to take up where 
he left off and to continue his work to improve the city and lives of 
its citizens.
  Many will miss him, but none more than the family he loved: his wife 
and partner, Brenda; son Anthony; daughters, Nikki and Toyia, who 
served admirably as an intern in my office; and five grandchildren. 
Barbara and I send our condolences to them, to the members of New 
Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church, and to the thousands who have, in 
ways great and small, been touched by Bishop Floyd's strength, 
generosity, and faith.

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