[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF DR. MAURICE WATSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 3, 2014

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding Man of God, Dr. Maurice Watson, who will celebrate his 10th 
anniversary as the distinguished pastor of Beulahland Bible Church as 
well as thirty-seven remarkable years in the gospel ministry. A 
celebration will be held on Thursday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m. at 
Beulahland Bible Church in Macon, Georgia.
  On July 21, 1960, Dr. Watson was born the seventh of eight children 
to Ulysses and Juanita Watson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He accepted the 
call to preach the Word of the Lord at the young age of sixteen and two 
years later, he was ordained.
  Dr. Watson earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Philander 
Smith College in Little Rock, where he was Valedictorian of his class. 
He earned a Master's in Theology from Creighton University in Omaha, 
Nebraska and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Beeson Divinity School in 
Birmingham, Alabama.
  Dr. Watson's first pastorate was at St. Mark Baptist Church in Little 
Rock, where he served for seven years. In November 1988, Dr. Watson was 
called to pastor the Salem Baptist Church in Omaha, Nebraska, where he 
served for fifteen and a half years. During his tenure, the church's 
membership almost tripled from 1,200 to 3,500 souls.
  Middle Georgia gained an extraordinary leader when Dr. Watson 
accepted the senior pastorate of Beulahland Bible Church in early 2004. 
With the vision of ``Changing the World from Middle Georgia,'' 
Beulahland opened a second location of worship in Warner Robins, 
Georgia in February 2005 under Dr. Watson's leadership. The church also 
constructed a second worship facility on its Macon campus. The 
congregation now enjoys a state-of-the-art 3,000 seat sanctuary in 
which to rejoice the Word of the Lord. Using Dr. Watson as a vessel, 
God has reached into the hearts of many so that Beulahland has welcomed 
thousands of souls to this prolific ministry.
  Dr. Watson's vision of ``Faith on the Fast Track'' has taken 
Beulahland Bible Church to greater heights than ever before. A dynamic 
and ever faithful pastor, his ministry has stretched across the globe. 
As one of the premier preachers of our generation, Dr. Watson is well-
known and sought after for his anointed sound and understandable 
proclamation of God's Word. He is motivated by his love for people, his 
love for preaching, and his belief that no one is beyond God's reach.
  Dr. Watson has achieved numerous successes in his life, but none of 
this would have been possible without the grace of God and his loving 
wife, Janice, and their two beautiful daughters.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in thanking Dr. 
Maurice Watson for ten wonderful years of changing Middle Georgia for 
the better, thirty-seven remarkable years of ministry, and a lifetime 
of selfless service to God, the church and to humankind.

                          ____________________