[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 25, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E64-E65]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREATER ST. STEPHEN FULL GOSPEL 
                             BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TROY A. CARTER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 2022

  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, today I want to recognize the 
Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church of New Orleans, 
Louisiana, as they celebrated 85 years of service on Sunday, January 
16, 2022.
  Greater St. Stephen deserves our collective recognition, not only 
because of its longevity, but because of the unique contributions it 
has led in building a wide-reaching community of both faith and 
service. Since the people of the church are the church, not just its 
edifices or buildings, we also recognize those members of Greater St. 
Stephen who are sterling examples of how everyday people, placing their 
trust in God, can accomplish extraordinary things.
  Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church has played a vital 
role in New Orleans and has dedicated itself to spiritually uplifting 
the community and its congregation. I myself am grateful to have a 
sacred space within its walls.
  There are deep roots in my family here at Greater St. Stephen Full 
Gospel Baptist Church. I am especially proud to say my Mother, Pastor 
Eartha Flemings Carter, prayerfully served this Congregation, and 
became an ordained Elder. My sister-in-law, Elder Constance Carter, was 
one of the first women to be ordained as an Elder at the Church in 
September 1993.
  Founded in 1937 by 69 faithful members, by its 50th anniversary, 
Greater St. Stephen grew to over 10,000 members; and by 2005, to over 
20,000 members, the largest congregation in the State of Louisiana and 
one of the largest in our country. Operating in three locations around 
New Orleans and from a separate headquarters, the church served as a 
model and a training ground for other expanding churches as to how to 
manage their affairs.
  More than that, Greater St. Stephen birthed the Full Gospel Baptist 
Church Fellowship movement that would revolutionize the African 
American church landscape, expanding, at its height, to over 1,500 
churches and hundreds of thousands of members in virtually every major 
city in the United States and in places as far flung and diverse as the 
nations of Africa, the Caribbean and Great Britain. It is famous for 
its powerful and inspiring gospel choir.
  With all of its well-deserved national and international acclaim, 
however, Greater St. Stephen kept its roots and focused on its local 
community through its service at home by its vast network of volunteer 
members. The church established a seniors' residence; a program for 
women in need of special services; a college scholarship program to 
assist high achieving-needy students; a learning center for elementary 
students; and a middle-class housing subdivision community, Greater St. 
Stephen City, among other unique undertakings.
  None of this great church's accomplishments would have occurred 
except through the stalwart leaders who God envisioned its members to 
wisely choose. This began with Rev. Arthur Gundy; through Rev. Percy 
Simpson; and on through the dynamic leadership of Bishop Paul S. 
Morton, Sr. and his wife and partner in leadership, Dr. Debra B. 
Morton. Under Bishop Morton was when the ministry was extended to New 
Orleans East and the Westbank, becoming one church in three locations.
  The promise for the future of Greater St. Stephen remains bright 
under the current leadership of Dr. Tyrone D. Robinson and his wife, 
Elder Jasmine M. Robinson.
  Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church has continuously 
persevered through the homegoings of Pastors Gundy and Simpson, natural 
disasters including deadly storms like Hurricane Katrina, a devastating 
fire of the ministry's original Uptown location, and most recently the 
challenges of navigating the coronavirus pandemic.
  Today we proudly salute Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist 
Church following its 85th Anniversary because of what it has meant and 
still means to our community and our country. I wish it many, many more 
years of distinguished service.
  I thank them for so proudly shining the light of our Lord upon the 
Greater New Orleans community.

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