[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 198 (Monday, November 15, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING MUNSEY MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ON 150 YEARS OF 
                         SHARING CHRIST'S LOVE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DIANA HARSHBARGER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 15, 2021

  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Munsey Memorial 
United Methodist Church in Johnson City in the First Congressional 
District of Tennessee as they celebrate 150 years of sharing the love 
of Christ in their community and throughout the world. Built of 
handmade bricks at a cost of four thousand dollars in 1871, Munsey, 
known then as East Market Street Methodist Church, was part of the 
heritage of the early Methodist circuit riders that brought the gospel 
to the pioneer settlements of the American Frontier. Just three decades 
later, the church had outgrown that initial structure and relocated to 
their present address on the corner of Roan and Market Streets and, in 
1908, renamed the church in memory of their brilliant, self-taught 
pulpit preacher, Reverend William E. Munsey.
  Their new, modern facility attracted many new congregants, so many, 
in fact, that the church doubled in size in just three years. Growth 
and expansion continued with the addition of an indoor swimming pool in 
1949 and the establishment of a preschool program in 1950. While the 
pool closed due to structural issues in 2001, the preschool continues 
to provide a safe and nurturing learning environment for two-, three- 
and four-year-old children and is the oldest state accredited preschool 
program in Tennessee,
  As the sharing of the good news of Christ continued so did the growth 
of the church, necessitating the building of a new sanctuary in 1955. 
Munsey continued to be a beacon of God's love over the next several 
years. This display of love was never more evident than on Christmas 
Eve 1989 when a terrible fire at the John Sevier Center, a low-income 
residential high-rise across the street from the church, claimed the 
lives of sixteen residents. Services were cancelled as the church 
became a triage center for those escaping the horror and a location for 
families to be reunited. Members spent the evening bringing food, 
blankets, and comfort to victims and first responders. Following that 
fire, a new ministry, The Melting Pot, was born which grew from 
providing a Saturday morning breakfast for those residents to working 
cooperatively with Good Samaritan Ministries to provide breakfast every 
morning and lunch five days a week. Now, that same Melting Pot offers 
the Open Door worship service as an outreach to downtown.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating 
Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church as they celebrate 150 years of 
ministering to the needs of their community, region, and world. They 
represent the strong faith of the First Congressional District of 
Tennessee, and I am proud to represent them and wish them great success 
in the next 150 years.

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