[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 104 (Thursday, July 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF PASTOR EMERITUS LOCKS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2012

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, the Reverend Sidney A. Locks, Jr., 
retired from the helm of Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church (CMBC) 
in Greenville, North Carolina as a legendary figure in the Greenville 
community. Under the directive of Pastor Emeritus Locks, CMBC honed its 
capacity for community outreach and effected ``giving'' as an 
inseparable hallmark of CMBC's congregation.
  Pastor Locks was born the son of a preacher in Opelousas, Louisiana. 
Through his father's ministry he was called to spread the word of God 
to others. After earning a Master's in Divinity from the 
Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, Georgia, 
Pastor Locks embarked on a 30 year career in the ministry, preaching to 
congregants about the love and compassion of God.
  Determined to reflect the same spirit of love and compassion 
regularly evoked in his sermons, Pastor Locks weaved those virtues into 
the fabric of Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church, where he began 
pastoring in 1989. Ten years later, Hurricane Floyd presented Locks and 
CMBC congregation with the opportunity to demonstrate its unwavering 
commitment to service. When Hurricane Floyd ravished North Carolina's 
shores--destroying homes and disrupting lives--CMB gathered resources 
to feed, clothe, and provide refuge for the victims of the storm.
  CMBC leadership during the storm's recovery efforts won the Pastor 
and the CMBC congregation many followers, helping to position the 
church as an epicenter for community work. Even today, community 
leaders recall being cared for by the church after surviving days 
without food. Others starkly remember the congregation's efforts to 
lift the spirits of the families who felt hopeless at that time.
  Under Pastor Lock's leadership, Cornerstone secured 44 apartment 
units to convert into a senior living facility; built a Family Life 
Center; and founded numerous programs to assist members of the 
congregation and the community.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the extraordinary work of Pastor Sidney Locks, 
Jr., and ask that my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives 
join me in honoring his commitment to God, to country, and to 
community.

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