[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 121 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF BISHOP NORMAN N. QUICK

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2012

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of our dear 
beloved spiritual leader, Bishop Norman N. Quick who passed away on 
Wednesday, August 1, 2012. The celebration will begin on Tuesday, 
August 7, as the local Jurisdiction of the Church of God In Christ 
presided by Bishop Frank O. White, General Board Member and Interim 
Jurisdictional Prelate will host the first Celebration of Life Service; 
and on Wednesday, August 8, the National Jurisdiction of the Church of 
God In Christ, presided by Bishop Charles E. Blake will host the final 
Celebration of Life Service. Bishop Quick will lie in state for viewing 
at Childs Memorial Temple Church of God In Christ, where both 
celebration services will be held.
  It is with great sorrow that my wife Alma and I join Harlem and the 
Church of God In Christ Worldwide Ministry in mourning the death of our 
beloved Bishop Norman N. Quick who left an unforgettable and indelible 
mark in all of our spiritual hearts and minds. I am truly thankful for 
his decades of service to our community, and for the many personal 
memories that I will cherish forever. Bishop Norman N. Quick was a 
renowned and outspoken evangelist of the word of Christ, who grew his 
ministry nationwide and internationally, mentoring young pastors from 
as far as Africa, Asia and throughout the Caribbean, creating a legacy 
of evangelists and educators whose ministry will live through his 
teachings forever. Great men like our beloved Bishop are precious gifts 
we temporarily have in this world, but their assistance and 
contributions are far remembered and everlasting. Although he will be 
missed, his legacy now lives through his flock and through his children 
and that is a great comfort to all who knew this amazing servant of 
God.
  Bishop Norman N. Quick was installed as Senior Pastor of Faith Temple 
Church of God In Christ in October 1973, after the death of another 
historic renowned Evangelist, Bishop Dr. Alvin Alexander Childs, who 
passed away on Saturday, August 11th of that same year. In 1974, Bishop 
Quick renamed the church to Childs Memorial Temple Church of God In 
Christ in honor of Bishop Dr. Alvin Alexander Childs, who also left an 
unforgettable and indelible mark on Harlem and in all of our spiritual 
hearts and minds.
  Under the leadership of Bishop Quick and First Lady Sister Verline 
Quick, Childs Memorial Temple grew larger in its spiritual teachings 
and ministerial work throughout the West Harlem and ``Sugar Hill'' 
community. Childs Memorial Temple offered spiritual and compassionate 
support through its religious services and social programs. In 1976, 
Bishop and Sister Quick founded The Childs Memorial Temple Bible 
Institute for the purpose of promoting their study of the Bible, 
training Christian Workers and carrying the Gospel to the unsaved.
  In 1982, they also established the Childs Memorial Temple Christian 
Academy, which has, and continues to provide a wholesome and religious 
education for hundreds of children in the community. Within the 
cathedral, the United Homeless Organization provides social services 
such as housing, job placement, and nutritious meals to individuals in 
need and rejected by society. Childs Memorial Temple houses Boy Scout 
and Girl Scout Troops that serve both the community and the church.
  At a time when drugs, housing abandonment and despair ravaged 
throughout the neighborhood and community at large, Bishop Quick was 
one of the founding pastors and churches to form Harlem Congregations 
for Community Improvement in 1986, where he actively served on the 
Board of Directors. His success was as much a result of his enormous 
charming personality and character, as it was of his spiritual work 
ethic. Bishop Quick's incredible hospitality and personable nature was 
symbolic of Harlem's rich collective composition that will be 
remembered forever.
  The history of Childs Memorial Temple Church of God In Christ began 
with the Faith Temple Church of God In Christ under the leadership of 
Bishop Alvin A. Childs, which was one of the faster growing Pentecostal 
Churches in New York with over 3,000 members. Thousands of people 
received spiritual, financial and healing blessings under the dynamic 
ministry of Bishop Alvin A. Childs and the Faith Temple Church of God 
In Christ Family. Faith Temple was noted for its 11:00 p.m. radio 
broadcast where many people started gathering at 10:00 p.m. to hear the 
radio choir, many outstanding artists, Preachers and the voice of the 
Bishop, who was matchless as an orator and master `pulpiteer.' In 1965, 
at the time of Malcolm X's death, none of Harlem's gaping Cathedrals 
would open the doors for his funeral. A fearless Bishop A. A. Childs 
dared to allow Malcolm X's slim body with bullet holes in the chest to 
be rolled into Faith Temple. Thousands of people lined the streets in 
front of the church as hundreds squeezed into the 600 seat Temple where 
actor Ossie Davis delivered the Eulogy. Faith Temple was a friend to 
all classes of people, Mayors and Governors, rich and poor and the 
rejected of society.
  Mr. Speaker, the Village of Harlem and a very grateful nation extend 
our sincere and heartfelt support, love, and sympathy to the Church of 
God In Christ family as we celebrate the life of our beloved Bishop 
Norman N. Quick, who now takes his place alongside our other renowned 
Freedom Fighters, who have contributed and dedicated their entire lives 
to uplifting the spiritual morality, civil rights, social justice and 
education equality for all Americans despite race, color or creed.

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