[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 149 (Thursday, September 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO WAYNE ``COACH'' GORDON

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, over the August recess, the North Lawndale 
community on the West Side of Chicago witnessed the end of an era. 
Founding pastor of the Lawndale Community Church, the Reverend Doctor 
Wayne ``Coach'' Gordon passed the torch to the church's new lead 
pastor, Pastor Jonathan Brooks, or as the congregation affectionately 
knows him, Pastor J.
  Pastor Gordon first heard the call to serve when he was a junior in 
high school in Fort Dodge, IA. The call came so clear that he woke his 
mother in the middle of the night to share his newfound purpose and let 
her know that he was ready to forgo his studies and get started 
immediately. His mother heard him out and arranged for him to meet with 
the local pastor. That call set in motion a lifetime of service and 
selfless commitment to helping others.
  He listened to his mother and finished his studies. In 1971, he 
graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School. He attended Wheaton 
College in Wheaton, IL, where he played football. From there, he 
attended the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he later would 
go on to obtain his doctorate in ministry from Eastern Baptist 
Theological Seminary.
  By 1975, Pastor Gordon had moved to North Lawndale, a predominantly 
Black community that at the time was ranked the 15th poorest 
neighborhood in the United States. He took a job as a teacher and coach 
at Farragut High School. Pastor Gordon, a White guy from Iowa teaching 
and coaching in a predominantly Black community, immediately stood out. 
His players and students called him ``Coach,'' a nickname that has 
stuck with him to this day.
  In 1977, Pastor Gordon would marry the woman of his dreams, his 
lovely wife Anne. On their first night together in North Lawndale, 
their home was broken into. Unfortunately, this would not be the only 
time. Many would question what the couple was thinking. Why would they 
want to continue to live in such a dangerous neighborhood?
  But as one of his mentors, the late-Reverend Tom Skinner would say, 
Pastor Gordon and Anne ``continued to continue.'' They refused to live 
amongst their neighbors in fear. When others saw a dangerous 
neighborhood stricken by poverty, violence, and drug addiction, Pastor 
Gordon and Anne saw a community desperate for opportunity. Many turned 
their back on North Lawndale, but Pastor Gordon and Anne would not do 
the same. They heeded their call to help and made the conscious choice 
to live where they served--and they wasted no time getting to work.
  They set up a Bible study through the Fellowship of Christian 
Athletes. The Farragut High students enjoyed it so much that they 
talked Pastor Gordon and Anne into starting their very own church. 
While it took some convincing, Pastor Gordon agreed, and the Lawndale 
Christian Community Church began its mission of building a better North 
Lawndale.
  He assembled the congregation before a blackboard and asked what were 
the top issues facing the community. No.1 was a safe place for 
residents to do their laundry, since the local laundromats were often 
sites of violence. The church made room in its basement using donated 
equipment to give residents a safe place to do their laundry.
  The second issue on the congregation's list was access to quality, 
affordable health services in the area. Through several grants from 
charitable organizations in Chicago, countless volunteer hours, and 
faith, in September 1984, they were able to transform a run-down 
Cadillac dealership into the Lawndale Christian Health Center. This 
clinic, which started with a staff of just five, has now grown to have 
more than 100 medical providers across six locations, transforming 
access to healthcare in the area.
  Apart from providing services through the church, Pastor Gordon and 
other community leaders knew for the Lawndale area to thrive, they 
would need a strong economic base capable of attracting businesses, 
employing residents, providing goods and services, and supporting the 
community. With that goal in mind, Lawndale Community Church began 
reaching out to businesses encouraging them to set up shop in the 
neighborhood.
  Their outreach efforts would pay off. In 1995, the iconic Lou 
Malnati's Pizzeria opened a branch of its restaurant in North Lawndale. 
Lawndale Community Church owned the property in which the restaurant 
operated, and the church converted the four apartments above the 
pizzeria into affordable housing units for families. Aside from proving 
that North Lawndale could sustain mainstream businesses, Lou Malnati's 
also committed to staffing the restaurant with local employees and 
donating its profits to the community. And more than 25 years later, 
Lou Malnati's remains open for business in North Lawndale.
  They did not stop there. To promote homeownership and build wealth, 
they opened the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, which 
purchased and rehabilitated abandoned homes and then sold them to 
members of the community at a discount. To support health and wellness 
in the community, they opened the 60,000-square-foot Lawndale Christian 
Health and Fitness Center. And to expand access to legal services, 
education, social services, employment, and training opportunities to 
young people, they opened the Lawndale Christian Legal Center.
  These successful community development efforts have come to be known 
as the Lawndale Miracle--and it has laid the foundation for future 
investment in North Lawndale and served as a model for community 
development efforts in other disadvantaged communities.
  But while these achievements may be divine, they are far from 
unexplainable. They are a testament to the leadership of Pastor Gordon 
and his congregation. They have renovated apartments, built fitness 
centers, mentored students, established medical clinics, started 
businesses, and helped breathe a new energetic life into the entire 
community.
  Through it all, Pastor Gordon has remained a dedicated husband to 
Anne; a loving father to their three children: Angela, Andrew, and 
Austin; father-in-law to Nate and Stacy; and grandfather to Mack, 
Brooke, and Langston. I have had the pleasure of knowing Pastor Gordon 
and Anne, and I have been fortunate to witness much of the progress 
they have helped make. Pastor Gordon is no ordinary preacher. His work 
does not end with his sermon. He has used his faith to power a lifetime 
of service to help his neighbors and community. While Pastor Gordon may 
have passed his torch, I am certain the work of the Lawndale Community 
Church is not finished.
  Loretta and I thank Pastor Gordon and Anne for their service to the 
community, and we wish Pastor J. the best of luck in carrying on the 
legacy of the Lawndale Community Church.

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