[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E928]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING LAKE ORION UNITED METHODIST CHURCH FOR 150 YEARS OF SERVICE

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                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 14, 2022

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Sesquicentennial Celebration of the Lake Orion United Methodist Church 
of Lake Orion, Michigan.
  Since its founding in 1872, this church has been a focal point of 
care and compassion for its members and for the community at large. 
Though the names of the committees and members have changed over the 
decades, the church's commitment to being a light in the community 
shines as brightly as ever.
  During World War I, church property was donated to the Boy Scouts to 
grow potatoes, a precursor to the victory gardens that would eventually 
surface in many communities. The church's annual report of 1917 noted 
both the extra demands of wartime, as well as the extraordinary 
donations of its members in helping those in need. Even as the 
community faced rations of food and fuel, generosity blossomed from the 
building, as the Lake Orion United Methodist Church increased its 
attendance--sometimes in the basement to save on heating--and members 
increased their giving to support the church's outreach and ministry.
  More recently, the Lake Orion United Methodist Church has been 
instrumental in the founding of Oxford-Orion FISH, a food pantry, 
clothes closet and financial assistance organization that serves both 
communities. The congregation's goodwill extends to many other 
community groups which have supported the church's Community Meals 
program, working with the church to make and assemble meals for 
delivery to area residents. These relationships are fostered over time, 
with each partner deeply rooted in the development of Lake Orion over 
the past 150 years.
  The original lot where the church was built was a haven and refuge 
from the rough work of farming and lumbering. However, the railroad, 
among the first of innovations to change the rural landscape, removed 
the calm and quiet from Sunday services as tracks were laid next to the 
church, so the building was moved several blocks to the east in 1901. 
In one day, using logs to roll the building as it was pulled by a team 
of horses down Flint Street, with the whole town watching, the Lake 
Orion Methodist Church (as it was first founded) was placed in its 
current location. Today's congregants enjoy the historical surroundings 
of the same building that laid its cornerstone in 1872, but in a 
slightly more tranquil setting.
  It is my honor to recognize the contributions and significant history 
of the Lake Orion United Methodist Church, and all of its 150 years of 
service to the community. May they stand as a tribute to the 
pastorate's lineage and its dedicated church members who built, moved 
and now carry on the legacy of this institution of Lake Orion, 
Michigan.

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