[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 7, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





     RECOGNIZING THE LEGACY OF REVERED BISHOP MELVIN E. CLARK, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAREN BASS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 7, 2019

  Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, Bishop Clark born in Norfolk, VA, came to 
Aliquippa in 1959 from Stanton, Va., where he was pastor of a Church of 
God in Christ. He took over the then-First Church of God in Christ in 
Aliquippa, PA and led the effort to build the landmark Church in the 
Round, which was finished in 1970. Before the term Mega church was 
coined, The Church in the Round boasted attendance and membership 
exceeding 3,500.
   Over the ensuing decades, Clark created groundbreaking community 
outreach initiatives, Evangelistic Conferences, Pastoral Leadership 
Symposiums, Holy Ghost Conferences, Church Planning and Church Planting 
across the nation. His visionary interdisciplinary--community 
development initiatives include: Multi-unit housing, Prison Reform / 
Ministries, Financial Literacy Classes, Bethesda Home, a group home for 
troubled boys, the Family Life Center, scholarship funds, food 
initiatives, recreation programs, and medical- and health-awareness 
endeavors and more.
   The Very Reverend Bishop Clark spread the gospel to millions via his 
widespread multi state radio ministry, ``Across the Pastor's Desk,'' 
which lasted three decades and drew people to his church, and to 
Christ. The message: ``May I Present Jesus to YOU!!''
   Bishop Melvin E. Clark, Sr., the founding visionary of the Family 
Life Center, was appointed to the Pastorate of the First Church of God 
in Christ, Inc. and subsequently its successor, the legendary Church in 
the Round in 1960. He oversees a church legacy that spans 97-years, 
making the enterprise one of the oldest institutions in the Beaver 
County region. Bishop Clark's achievements as a pastor, and community 
leader resulted in his consecration to the Bishopric and Jurisdictional 
Prelate of the Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the national 
Churches of God in Christ. His leadership abilities and deep concern 
for people has brought him before many national and international 
leaders including four U.S. Presidents. On several occasions he served 
as an advisor to President Bill Clinton.
   While serving as a delegate to the World Pentecostal Conference, 
Bishop Clark visited Jerusalem and Switzerland, and at the request of 
the President of Sierra Leone, West Africa, was called to preach during 
a special celebration at the President's church. The Presiding Bishop 
of the Church of God In Christ Worldwide also called upon Bishop Clark 
to minister to congregants in South Korea.
   He has ministered in Greece, the City of Corinth, London, England, 
the Vatican, and Rome, Italy. He serves as an advisor, counselor, and 
member of the Joint College of African-American Bishops and its 
Pentecostal Congress where he was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity 
degree. Bishop Clark also holds two Master's Degrees and an earned 
Doctorate of Philosophy.
   He has received many awards including the Humanitarian Award of the 
NAACP, of which he is a lifetime member, the Church of God in Christ 
Presiding Bishop's Award, and the Man of the Year of the Greater 
Aliquippa Chamber of Commerce for honorable and unselfish service. 
Bishop Clark is honored to serve on the national Saints Center Board 
and the National Task Force of the Church of God In Christ.

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