[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 185 (Monday, November 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAREN BASS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 13, 2017

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of 
Trinity Baptist Church. Founded on November 11, 1917 as a Sunday school 
group of three adults and fifteen children, Trinity Baptist has grown 
into an abundant congregation, housed on a church campus that includes 
a lovely sanctuary, built in 1962 and designed by renowned African 
American architect Paul Williams.
   Rev. Alvin Tunstill, Jr. is the ninth pastor to lead the 
congregation and only the fourth senior pastor in the last 80 years. 
Under his leadership, ten clergy members and a cadre of deacons, 
deaconesses and other lay leaders serve the congregation.
   Clergy, staff and volunteers oversee a wealth of ministries, 
including those that focus on women; fitness, health, and wellness; a 
hot lunch program; homelessness outreach; summer youth employment; and 
education, including college scholarships. Church programs aim to build 
lasting bonds of service between members of the church, and they play 
an important role in making resources available to the mainly African-
American congregation and to the surrounding Jefferson Park 
neighborhood of South Los Angeles.
   Today, Trinity has partnerships with national organizations like the 
American Cancer Society, and it has sponsored sister organizations, 
including the Trinity Community Development Corporation, in order to 
tackle issues ranging from obesity to computer illiteracy and to pursue 
solutions like affordable housing to gang prevention.
   Commitment to its faith has helped to guide the Trinity Baptist 
community in its mission of service for a century now. I applaud the 
strong bonds that knit this community together, and I wish the 
congregation, both leaders and flock, the very best as it embarks on 
the church's second century.

                          ____________________