[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 33 (Thursday, February 26, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN HONOR OF THE REVEREND CURTIS RAINES, SR.

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                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to the Reverend 
Curtis Raines, Sr., President of the General Missionary Baptist 
Convention of Georgia and beloved Pastor of New Pilgrim Missionary 
Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia and Mount Zion Baptist Church in 
Bolingbroke, Georgia.
  Sadly, Rev. Raines passed away on Saturday, February 21, 2015. He 
leaves in his wake many heavy hearts among his church family, his 
supporters, and his community. On Friday, February 27, 2015, a memorial 
service will be held in his honor at New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist 
Church in Macon, followed by a Homegoing Celebration on Saturday, 
February 28, 2015 at Fellowship Bible Baptist Church in Warner Robins, 
Georgia.
  A Georgia man through and through, Rev. Raines was born on September 
22, 1947. He studied at public schools in Upson County before attending 
the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Tennessee, the Georgia 
Baptist Theological Seminary, and Mercer University in Macon. He was 
licensed in the ministry in 1980 and ordained as a minister in 1981. He 
earned a Bachelor of Theology degree and a Master of Pastoral Ministry 
degree from Emmanuel Bible College in 1995 and 1997, respectively.
  Rev. Raines worked at Warner Robins Air Force Base as Production 
General Manager of Sheet Metal Manufacturing for more than 27 years 
until his retirement in 1993. He has served as Pastor of New Pilgrim 
Missionary Baptist Church for 30 years and Mount Zion Baptist Church 
for 27 years. Throughout his pastoral career, always seeking to improve 
the craft of Christian ministry and discipleship, Rev. Raines became 
Vice President and, later, President of the General Missionary Baptist 
Convention of Georgia, Inc. (GMBC). Founded in 1870, the GMBC is the 
largest organization of African Americans in the state of Georgia. A 
revered leader, Rev. Raines oversaw a membership of over 800 churches, 
representing over 550,000 African-American Baptists in Georgia.
  He further enriched the spiritual lives of those around him by 
serving as President of Congress of the Mount Pleasant Association, 
Secretary of the Union Baptist and Educational Association, Chairman of 
the Board for the Adopt-A-Role Model in Macon, President of the Sixth 
District-General Missionary Baptist Convention, President of the 
Bellevue/Hillcrest Ministerial Association, and member on the Board of 
Directors for Parents to Support Public Schools, Board of Directors of 
the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., and Board of Trustees at 
Wesley Glen Ministries.
  A charismatic leader with an infectious spiritual zeal, Rev. Raines 
was known and loved in the Middle Georgia area and throughout the 
state. He has received numerous awards and commendations for his good 
works in Macon and in Bibb County. Rev. Raines was truly a man of 
integrity who exuded the genuine principles and values of Christian 
discipleship.
  George Washington Carver once said, ``No individual has any right to 
come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind distinct 
and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.'' Through his 
impact on the spirit, the faith, and the very wellbeing of his 
community, Rev. Raines certainly fulfilled his higher calling. We are 
all so blessed that Rev. Raines passed this way and during his life's 
journey did so much for so many for so long.
  Rev. Raines accomplished many things throughout his life but none of 
this would have been possible without the love and support of his 
beloved wife, Barbara, and children, Shun, Curtis, Jr., Varina, and 
Bryant.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with the more than 700,000 
residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District salute Reverend 
Curtis Raines, Sr. for his outstanding accomplishments in the ministry 
and for his dedication to his community. I ask my colleagues in the 
House of Representatives to join us in extending our deepest sympathies 
to Rev. Raines's family, friends and loved ones during this difficult 
time. We pray that they will be consoled and comforted by an abiding 
faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks and months ahead.

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