[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 134 (Tuesday, August 8, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                   TRIBUTE TO REVEREND DR. W.B. LEWIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 8, 2017

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 
Reverend Dr. W.B. Lewis who is retiring after fifty-three years as the 
Pastor of First Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.
   I have come to appreciate over many years the gracious hospitality 
and faithful witness of Rev. Lewis and this congregation. Early in my 
term of service--but well into his--we worked together to help land a 
so-called ``section 202'' Housing and Urban Development grant to 
construct rental housing for the elderly under First Cosmopolitan's 
sponsorship. Those apartments stand as a symbol of Rev. Lewis's 
leadership and the church's understanding of its ministry.
   Under Rev. Lewis's leadership, First Cosmopolitan has grown into a 
powerful pillar of the Raleigh community. Dr. Lewis himself has become 
an institution of sorts within North Carolina. For four years, he 
served as the President of the General Baptist State Convention. He was 
appointed by North Carolina Governor James Hunt to serve on the board 
for Smart Start. His service has also included the Raleigh 
Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the Raleigh Interracial 
Ministerial Association, the Raleigh YMCA Board of Directors, the State 
Board of Chaplaincy, the Rich Park Board of Directors, the Board of 
Trustees at Shaw University, Prince Hall Lodge, the Masonic Order of 
Raleigh, Wake and Johnston Missionary Baptist Association, Wake 
Baptists Association Ministers, and the Deacons Union.
   Reverend Lewis has rightfully been recognized on numerous occasions 
for his roles as a pastor, builder, teacher, mentor, spiritual and 
community leader, and friend to many. In 2013, he was inducted into the 
Wake Baptist Association ``Hall of Fame''. In 2017, he was presented 
with the ``Loving Cup'', the highest award that can be presented to an 
individual minister or pastor who has served with distinction, from the 
General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
   During his tenure he was also instrumental in the planning and 
execution of two projects critical to the South East Raleigh Community: 
the Willie B. Lewis Family Center, and Rich Park, a 100 unit apartment 
complex that serves the elderly and handicapped. Reverend Lewis also 
co-authored ``A Splendid Enterprise,'' a history of the General Baptist 
State Convention of North Carolina. Having an artistic eye, he was also 
instrumental in the design of the beautiful Martin Luther King Jr. Park 
in Raleigh.
   In celebration of his great accomplishments, Rev. Lewis will be the 
recipient of the order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is the highest 
honor bestowed upon a citizen by the Governor of the State of North 
Carolina. I am pleased to join the State of North Carolina and the 
Raleigh community in celebrating this remarkable man, whom I and many 
others regard as a mentor and friend. We thank Rev. Lewis for a legacy 
of lives touched and a community made more welcoming and just, and we 
wish him the very best in retirement.

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