[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 185 (Thursday, October 21, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H5769-H5770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING DR. RENEE F. WASHINGTON GARDNER

  (Mr. ESPAILLAT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a woman of many 
firsts, an upstanding member of our community, and someone I am blessed 
to call a constituent. Her name is Dr. Renee F. Washington Gardner.
  She is the longest-serving female pastor of Harlem's Memorial Baptist 
Church in its entire history, dedicating decades of her life in service 
to church, her community, and God. This past Sunday marked her 17th 
year of service.
  She is the first woman to also be named a moderator of the United 
Missionary Baptist Association in the group's 60-year history. Pastor 
Gardner

[[Page H5770]]

is no stranger to shattering glass ceilings and paving the way for the 
next generation of cleric leaders.
  Under her guiding principle of unity, hope, and grace, Memorial 
Baptist Church has proven vital to the strength and resiliency of 
Harlem, and we are forever indebted.
  With Pastor Gardner at the helm, I trust that this work is only the 
beginning, and the Memorial Baptist Church will continue their mission 
of uplifting our community's most vulnerable and ingraining the spirit 
of strength into the fabric of our neighborhood.

                          ____________________