[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 176 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST CHURCH OF GOD

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2016

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the First Church of God in Merced County. Their practice 
in faith and education has provided love and charity to the people of 
Merced County and the San Joaquin Valley for the last century. The 
future is looking even brighter for this outstanding center of 
community faith in the years to come.
  The roots of the First Church of God found humble beginnings in 1916, 
when the Bowen and Houser families moved from Lodi, California to 
Atwater to begin their fellowship. Their first church services were 
held in their own homes until they found the opportunity to rent the 
old Winton Community Hall for larger gatherings, with nothing more than 
dirt floors and handmade backless benches. By 1924, the church was able 
to raise their first building with a $350 credit and payments of $25 a 
month. That very building would now fit in the lobby of the First 
Church of God's current place of worship, which was built in 1961. The 
First Church of God's Christian Preschool was born in 1964 and has 
grown into one of the largest places of faith based childcare and in 
the Atwater-Merced area.
  The services provided by the First Church of God and Christian 
Preschool are as commendable as they are diverse. Sunday school, bible 
studies, troubled youth outreach, marriage counseling, finance and debt 
management, and shared missionary services in 87 countries are only a 
few of the programs offered by the Church and Preschool.
  The coming years will prove to be a fruitful time for this place of 
worship and education. Their undertaking of a $1.2 million project to 
furnish a new learning center, which will potentially double the 
enrollment of children in their facility over the next two years of 
operation. While it will certainly be challenging, their fellowship has 
said, ``faith is tested and demonstrated in the midst of challenges God 
places in front of us. If we had everything we needed to start and/or 
finish, it wouldn't be faith--it would be fact.''
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend the First Church of God for their 
remarkable service to the people of Merced County over the last 100 
years. Their history illustrates the uncompromising will that 
individuals with big dreams can exercise when brought together with 
enough faith in God and community.

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