[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S516-S517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. LOUIS ARNOLD

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I come to the floor today in 
celebration of the anniversary of Dr. Louis Arnold's birth. Dr. Arnold, 
or ``the Flying Evangelist'' as he is known by many in our home State, 
was born 100 years ago on January 19, 1914, in Buckeye, KY, and has 
spent his life in service to the Baptist church. He is the founding 
pastor of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church.
  Dr. Arnold felt the call to preach early in life. At age 11, he began 
preaching to his classmates while they walked to and from school. Then, 
at 19, he publicly announced his call to preach and held his first 
sermon in the Mitchellsburg Baptist Church. Following that first 
sermon--the story goes--he gazed up into the stars with a Bible in hand 
and said, ``Lord, I'd rather be a preacher than to be President of the 
United States.''
  Dr. Arnold got the nickname ``the Flying Evangelist'' during the 
second World War. Already the pastor of a church in Lexington, KY, he 
was called to pastor another church in Cincinnati, OH. The churches 
were separated by 85 miles of country road--too far of a drive to be 
able to preach at both Sunday services. Undeterred, Dr. Arnold bought 
an interest in a small plane and learned to fly. Now, not only could he 
easily commute between the two churches, but he could also fly to 
revivals and churches across the region. He even equipped his plane 
with a loudspeaker so he could preach from the sky over cities and 
towns.
  Although Dr. Arnold was born in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, his 
message has spread far and wide. He has his own radio broadcast, 
``Preaching at Your Church,'' and his paper, ``The Arnold Report,'' is 
mailed to all 50 States. He's organized churches and revivals in his 
home State of Kentucky as well as travelled abroad to places such as 
Mexico, Central America, Europe, and the Bahamas. He's written numerous 
books of sermon and Bible study, and dozens of inspirational novels 
which have sold in all 50 States and several foreign countries.
  Dr. Arnold celebrated his 100th birthday by preaching at the Clays 
Mill Road Baptist Church; a remarkable testament to his conviction and 
faith that have not wavered in the more than 80 years since his first 
sermon. I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Louis 
Arnold, an upstanding Kentucky citizen, on the occasion of his 100 
years of life and his unwavering devotion to his faith.

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