[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO REV. TOMMIE L. LEWIS IN HONOR OF 30TH ANNIVERSARY AS PASTOR 
                        OF BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH

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                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 12, 2013

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
30th pastoral anniversary of Dr. Tommie L. Lewis, pastor of Bethel 
Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Since 1982, this dedicated 
servant has led the congregation of Bethel Baptist Church to new 
horizons in ministry. I am pleased to honor Pastor Lewis and join with 
his congregation in celebrating 30 years of excellence in leadership 
and service to the Lord. Pastor Lewis answered his call to minister on 
January 6, 1973 at the Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church. For more 
than 40 years, Pastor Lewis has been led by his faith to minister and 
spread his message of service and commitment to mankind. While he has 
served at other churches, Pastor Lewis is most celebrated for all that 
he contributed to the Bethel Baptist Church family, affectionately 
known as ``Bethel Nation''. Under his 30 year leadership, Bethel Nation 
has grown to a membership of over 5,000 worshippers and currently 
stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration in the Pratt City community. 
Pastor Lewis has shaped a legacy defined by numerous ministries that 
reach far beyond the church sanctuary. In both his professional and 
spiritual life, his character has been defined by his willingness to 
serve, his unselfish generosity and his unwaverering commitment to 
making a difference in the lives of others. He uses his clergy position 
as a powerful force for good throughout this world.
   Pastor Lewis is an accomplished biblical scholar. He attended the 
Birmingham Easonian Baptist Bible College and the Universal Bible 
Institute in Brunswick, Georgia. Pastor Lewis is also the recipient of 
various honorary doctorate degrees as a result of his varied 
contributions to the ministry and public service. Through the years, in 
addition to his dedicated service to Birmingham, Pastor Lewis has also 
sought to share his spiritual teachings all over the world. He has 
ministered to and delivered sermons throughout the United States, South 
America, Europe, Africa and Asia. But no matter where his ministry has 
taken him, Pastor Lewis is forever committed to home. Pastor Lewis has 
led by example and displayed his commitment to public service through 
his affiliation with various religious and civic organizations aimed at 
empowering the lives of those that he serves. His involvement include 
but are not limited to: the Pratt City Ministerial Alliance, the 
Birmingham Metropolitan Baptist Ministerial Conference and the Southern 
Christian Leadership Conference. Pastor Lewis also worked to transform 
the trajectory of his community through his service as former Captain 
for the Bessemer Police and Fire Department Chaplaincy Corps and the 
former Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Jefferson County 
Transit Authority. Pastor Lewis currently serves as Chairman of the 
Board of Directors for Jefferson County Commission of Economic 
Opportunity and State President for the National Rainbow Push 
Coalition. In 1998, he received one of Birmingham's highest honors when 
he was inducted into the City of Birmingham Gallery of Distinguished 
Citizens.
   In the aftermath of the April 2011 tornadoes, which completely 
destroyed Bethel Baptist Church, Pastor Lewis' faith and determination 
has been unwavering as he continues to minister to his congregation as 
they rebuild a stronger Bethel Nation. He continues to be grounded in 
God's mercy and grace giving hope to the hopeless and providing 
opportunities for the least amongst us.
   While his contributions and accolades are large in number, I am 
especially grateful for the servant leadership that Pastor Lewis has 
shown to the 7th Congressional District of Alabama. He has made an 
inedible imprint on the lives of so many of us through his ministries. 
We are blessed by his visionary leadership. Therefore, it is with pride 
and a humble heart that I pay tribute to Pastor TL Lewis in recognition 
and appreciation of his 30th pastoral anniversary at Bethel Baptist 
Church. And so it shall be transcribed in the annuals of the United 
States House of Representatives that special recognition be made to 
Reverend Dr. Tommie L. Lewis on behalf of a grateful nation.

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