[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 27732] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO REVEREND EDWARD R. SHERRIFF ______ HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI of california in the house of representatives Monday, November 1, 1999 Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to Reverend Edward R. Sherriff. On October 20, 1999, Reverend Sherriff was stabbed to death in his home in Sacramento. A memorial service will be held on November 7 at River City Metropolitan Community Church's Cathedral of Promise in Sacramento. As the community mourns his loss, I ask all my colleagues to join with me in saluting the career and efforts of this exceptional person. Reverend Sherriff was born in Serdro-Wooley, Washington and raised in Northern California on the Hupa Reservation. He began preaching locally at age seventeen. This childhood interest grew into a career. He was the pastor of several congregations and coordinated churches in the Northwest U.S. and in Canada. In 1965, he was dismissed as a result of his sexual orientation, and he did not enter another church for 19 years. His life in ruin, Reverend Sherriff borrowed money to buy a restaurant. This venture eventually expanded to five extremely successful eateries. During this time, he also financed a homosexual hotline in Spokane, Washington, taught nursing for the state of Washington, and volunteered his time to help the needy and hungry. In 1983, Reverend Sherriff attended a service at Emmanuel Metropolitan Community Church in Spokane, Washington. Because of this open and caring environment, he was convinced to rejoin the ministry. Reverend Sherriff briefly served as a pastor of the MCC church in Boise, Idaho, and he served as District Coordinator of the Northwest District, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches from 1987-1992. From 1990 to 1992, Reverend Sherriff served as Executive Director of the Hope House, a low-rent residence facility operated by Loaves and Fishes. Edward Sherriff began his tenure as Associate Pastor of River City Metropolitan Community Church in Sacramento in 1987. His office was located in the church building in Oak Park, a multicultural community in a depressed area of Sacramento. He made a practice of inviting cold and hungry people off the street to come in for a cup of hot coffee. As the news spread, more and more people began to flock to the Reverend's door. Due to his nursing background and interest in feeding the needy, nutritional concerns were of utmost importance in formulating his outreach to the community. In 1990, he began cooking a pot of soup for the 10 or 20 hungry people who had nowhere else to go for a warm meal. In the early 1990's Reverend Sherriff and MCC began the Samaritan Center to provide held for the needy regardless of religious affiliation, race, creed, sex, or sexual orientation. The Samaritan Center used volunteers and the church's kitchen to prepare the meals and used the church's social hall to serve the meals. The number of hungry people continued to grow, and in 1992, Reverend Sherriff resigned his District Coordinator position and dedicated his time to the Samaritan Center. In 1994, MCC's Activities Building, which housed the Samaritan Center, burned to the ground. At the time, the Samaritan Center was providing about 400 hot meals per day. As a result, the center was promptly moved to a new location and continued the services to the community. In September of 1999, the Samaritan's Food Bank program, together with Reverend Sherriff's coffee shop, had helped feed over 4,200 people. Mr. Speaker, as the community of Sacramento gathers to mourn the loss of one of its finest citizens, I am honored to pay tribute to Reverend Edward R. Sherriff. His tireless service to the community and people of Sacramento will be dearly missed. I ask all of my colleagues to join me in mourning his loss and celebrating his achievements. ____________________