[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 12 (Monday, January 26, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN RECOGNITION OF BISHOP PARNELL M. LOVELACE, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 26, 2015

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Bishop 
Parnell M. Lovelace, Jr. as he steps aside from his position as Senior 
Pastor of the Center of Praise Ministries of Sacramento, California. As 
a spiritual leader, he has served the Sacramento community since he 
founded the Center of Praise Ministries in 1989. Before this he held 
various other positions for which our community is grateful. As his 
congregation, family, colleagues and community leaders gather to 
celebrate his efforts, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring his 
many years of contributions to the Sacramento region.
  Bishop Lovelace has been an enthusiastic and effective spiritual 
leader. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Oral 
Roberts University and Master of Arts in Social Work from the 
University of Oklahoma. He received early spiritual training at 
Sacramento's Shiloh Baptist Church, and went on to receive his 
Certificate of Completion from the Jack W. Hayford School of Pastoral 
Nurture at King's College and Seminary, a Master of Arts in Practical 
Theology with High Honors from Oral Roberts University, and his Doctor 
of Ministry from the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
  In addition to leading the Center of Praise Ministries, Bishop 
Lovelace was a public servant in Oklahoma and Sacramento, where he held 
a number of positions, including being the Sacramento Regional Office 
Manager and Case Worker for the Koinonia Foster Homes, a Pediatric 
Medical Social Worker for the University of California, Davis Medical 
Center, and served as the Vice Chairperson for the Board of Directors 
of CARES Community Health clinic.
  In 1989 Bishop Lovelace led the Center of Praise Ministries' founding 
meeting and it has grown exponentially since then. As Senior Pastor, he 
has contributed an unimaginable amount of time and effort to improving 
our community and has made it a priority to reach out to those in need. 
Other important positions he has held include a stint as a Senior 
Fellow with the American Leadership Forum's Mountain Valley Chapter, 
Advisory Board Member of East Lawn, Inc., leadership within 100 Black 
Men of America, Inc., co-pastoral chair of the 2012 Luis Palau 
Sacramento Festival, and he served as member of the Board of Trustees 
at William Jessup University.
  Not surprisingly, Bishop Lovelace has received numerous honors 
throughout his career. Some of his most recent awards include being 
honored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Board of Preachers 
and Collegium Scholars at Morehouse College, receiving the 2012 
President's Award from the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce, and in 
2013 he was named Person of the Year by the Observer Media Group.
  Mr. Speaker, in honor of his dedication to the betterment of our 
community, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking and recognizing 
the Bishop Parnell M. Lovelace, Jr. for his many years of service and 
in wishing him and his family all the best.

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