[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 30 (Thursday, February 25, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 25, 2016

  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Zion Baptist 
Church, to recognize and commemorate 127 years of religious devotion 
through community building and advocacy in North Minneapolis.
   Zion Baptist Church, founded in 1889, has sought to provide a 
strong, steadfast foundation for their congregants through biblical 
teaching, equipping families through faith, and fostering an 
uncompromising belief in God. The church has fought for important 
changes in policy, community support systems, and physical safety--all 
led by their deep devotion to their faith.
   For four decades, until 2012, the Reverend Curtis Herron led his 
congregation on the belief that ``the church started in the building, 
but ended in the world.'' Through his advocacy for affordable housing, 
racial equity, and job creation, Reverend Curtis Herron championed 
substantial improvements for Zion Baptist Church, and the Minneapolis 
community as a whole. The people of Zion Baptist Church have guided 
families along the path of faith while engaging them in local issues; 
and they show no signs of slowing down.
   Zion Baptist Church is one of the largest and most influential 
African American churches in Minneapolis, and for the last 127 years 
their advocacy has helped make our community the best it can be. Their 
legacy of lifting up the most vulnerable in our community should serve 
as a reminder that faith calls us to stand up against injustice, no 
matter the form.

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