[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 22, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF PASTOR JULES EARL SMITH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JASON CROW

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 22, 2022

  Mr. CROW. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Jules Earl 
Smith, beloved grandfather, father, husband, son, brother, and 
community servant, who passed away on Monday, October 17, 2022, after a 
year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin's 
Lymphoma.
  Born on April 9, 1947 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jules began his 
religious journey at a young age. Holding church services for his 
younger siblings in the living room--pretending they were his 
congregation--Jules was destined for a life behind the pulpit.
  Jules had a love of learning from a young age. He tutored his 
classmates and friends, and taught his father how to read the Bible. He 
spent his childhood accompanying his parents and siblings to multiple 
churches where he discovered his love for music and church 
administration. When he began his faith journey, he called upon the 
leadership and clergical skills that were instilled in him from those 
days attending church with his family.
  Jules' service was not confined to church--he was also an activist 
and Civil Rights leader in Baton Rouge. He dedicated his time to 
teaching older Black citizens how to read and sign their names. 
Notably, he taught them to memorize the preamble to the Constitution--
pushing them to believe that We The People meant all people--in order 
to fight back against the racist ``Grandfather Clause'' as well as 
discriminatory literacy laws that prevented Black people from voting.
  In 1969, Jules graduated from Southern University and A&M College in 
Baton Rouge with a degree in Business Economics. He went on to excel in 
the field of sales and eventually became the Regional Vice President at 
Western Union Telegraph Company in New York City. He was the first 
African American to travel and train others in the field of 
telecommunications. While in New York City, he found a new church home 
in the Bronx where he served as a Sunday School teacher, choir 
director, parish pianist, church clerk, and eventually Chair of the 
Deacons.
  In 1976, Jules preached his first sermon, and just five years later 
in 1981, he was ordained and Jules became Pastor Smith. He and his 
family moved to Denver, Colorado in 1982, and in 1986 he became the 
Pastor of a tiny church on the corner of Dayton and Florida in 
Colorado's very own Sixth Congressional District. He served a diverse 
congregation at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church for over 36 years 
and founded the Rising Star Christian Academy for preschool to fifth 
graders.
  It is incredibly difficult to encapsulate all that was Pastor Smith's 
life. I have no doubt he impacted tens of thousands of lives through 
his sermons and Bible studies. He was passionate about his faith, and 
guided many throughout the years. Even though Pastor Smith is gone, his 
legacy lives on through the lives he touched, and his spirit will be 
felt in the halls of his parish and in the hearts of the people he 
served for many years to come. It is an honor to recognize the 
incredible life Pastor Smith led, and to his family: ``The God of love 
and peace shall be with you.''

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