[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E26-E27]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING ELDER HENRY SMILEY FOR HIS DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO THE 
                               COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 17, 2012

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable and honorable man, Elder Henry Smiley. A lifelong resident 
of Copiah County, Mississippi, he has shown what can be done through 
hard work, dedication, and a desire to achieve.

[[Page E27]]

  Elder Smiley graduated from Breckenridge Job Corps Center in 
Morganfield, Kentucky, in 1977. After graduation, he accepted God's 
call on his life to minister.
  March 13, 1978, changed his life forever and provided a monumental 
challenge to his faith and his zeal for life. He suffered a devastating 
accident while working at a local saw mill. Although paralyzed from the 
waist down, he maintained a soaring spirit and even stronger love for 
the Lord.
  He is a tireless and tenacious worker who lives a life of service to 
others and to his God. Elder Smiley has served on the ``Spirit Team'' 
at the Methodist Rehabilitation Center where he motivates and 
encourages others with spinal injuries. He is also a member of the 
Copiah Chapter of NAACP, Chaplin of the Hazlehurst Parent-Teacher 
Association and volunteers at high school football games in traffic 
control and gate security. From 2002 to 2005, he served as a role model 
and discussion leader at the Mississippi Job Corp Center and he is the 
Vice President of the Benevolent Fund of the Copiah County Ministerial 
Alliance and the Transportation Committee.
  Elder Smiley and his wife, Cora, have four children. He is an 
Ordained Minister and Elder at New Cathedral of Worship in Hazlehurst, 
Mississippi. He serves as an officer on the Church's Executive Board 
with responsibility as Director of Maintenance, Property and Logistics.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing a humble 
but dynamic servant, Elder Henry Smiley, for his service to the 
community.

                          ____________________