[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E486-E487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING PASTOR KENNY FOREMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
accomplishments of a distinguished member of my community, and my 
friend, Pastor Kenny Foreman, upon his 85th birthday, as well as in 
celebration of the 50th anniversary of his church, Cathedral of Faith. 
I have had the privilege of knowing Pastor Foreman for many years, and 
I can personally attest to his lasting legacy of achievement through 
selfless ministry. His is the epitome of a life dedicated to serving 
others.
  Pastor Kenny Foreman and his beloved wife, Shirley, are leaders and 
founders of the Cathedral of Faith, one of the most prominent Churches 
in Santa Clara County. Pastor Foreman's life story is truly one of 
faith and commitment to his beliefs and his community. Pastor Foreman 
has been in ministry for over 60 years and has served as pastor of the 
Cathedral of Faith in San Jose, California for over 35 years.
  Born the youngest of three children to Hansel and Mabel Foreman in 
Crowley, Louisiana, he began traveling the United States full time as 
an evangelist minister by the age of seventeen. In 1953, Kenny met 
Shirley, the daughter of Dr. & Mrs. Lowry of Trinity Church in Oakland, 
California. Pastor Foreman and Shirley Lowry wed in 1957, and ever 
since have committed their lives to ministry. As newlyweds, Kenny and 
Shirley Foreman traveled to Kansas City, Missouri in response to their 
calling and vision to establish a church. Kenny and Shirley spent their 
honeymoon converting an old theater into a place of worship. Pastor 
Kenny preached and played the guitar while Shirley played the organ, 
accordion, and piano. Later, they would be joined by their two sons, 
Ken and Kurt, who would also become active members of the Cathedral of 
Faith.
  Their work with the Calvary Temple in Louisiana grew to serve a 
congregation of more than 2,000 persons, becoming one of the largest 
charismatic churches in the nation.
  In 1965, Kenny, Shirley and their two sons, Ken and Kurt, were 
invited to San Jose, California to conduct a crusade and eventually 
lead the Friendly Bible Church. Immediately after becoming Pastor of 
Friendly Bible Church, Pastor Kenny began producing a weekly, half-hour 
television program entitled, ``Kenny Foreman Presents Abundant 
Living.'' It was one of the first religious programs in the San 
Francisco Bay Area and was eventually nationally syndicated. Today, 
Kenny Foreman is the only local minister and programmer who has 
remained on the air for over 40 years. Throughout these years, Pastor 
Foreman has never received any income for his television ministry, and 
all financial support that his congregation had received was funneled 
back into the operations of the ministry.

[[Page E487]]

  It soon became evident from the growth of the congregation that a 
church would have to be built. Thus, in 1976, fourteen acres of 
property were purchased in San Jose, California to house what is now 
the Cathedral of Faith. It would be a sanctuary that would seat nearly 
3,000 people and was conceived in Pastor Foreman's spirit. Eventually, 
the grand opening of the Cathedral of Faith was celebrated on March 15, 
1981. On January 1, 1982, the Cathedral of Faith became the home of The 
Religious Channel: 24 hours of Christian programming on Gill Cable, the 
largest cable company in the nation at that time.
  The Church has never stopped growing. Even after all these years, 
Outreach Magazine has named Cathedral of Faith as one of the fastest 
growing and largest churches in America.
  Pastor Foreman and Cathedral of Faith have had an amazing record of 
community involvement. The work of the church has exploded into over 
seventy active ministries, including, among many other community 
outreach programs, ``Reaching Out,'' a food assistance program that 
operates from a 16,000 foot distribution complex serving 50,000 
families annually and providing food for over 200,000 people. The 
California Department of Agriculture has recognized Reaching Out as one 
of the most efficient food programs in the state.
  The church has also created a program called ``California Youth 
Outreach'' in order to meet the needs of young men and women that had 
fallen prey to gangs and drugs; it also serves on the Mayor's gang task 
force. I recall fondly working with Kenny in the early 1980s as their 
successful efforts were underway to grow these important services. The 
Cathedral of Faith also provides child care, early childhood education 
services, a family life center, a sponsorship program for children in 
Mozambique, an addiction recovery program, and even a university 
preparatory academy to prepare a diverse population of 7th-12th grade 
students in the central San Jose areas and surrounding neighborhoods to 
enter and excel in the best colleges and universities in the nation.
  Kenny has never forgotten his own humble roots, and his life has been 
filled with joyful, generous, forgiving, and loving service. It is an 
honor to call Pastor Kenny Foreman a friend, and it is my privilege to 
honor him and his wife, Shirley, as significant persons in the 19th 
Congressional District. I would like to take the occasion of Pastor 
Foreman's 85th birthday and the 50th anniversary of Cathedral of Faith 
to thank him and his family for their many gifts and contributions to 
the community of San Jose, and I wish him many more healthy, happy and 
blessed years.

                          ____________________