[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 775]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING DALE THOMPSON FOR TEN YEARS OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY OF FORT 
                 BAPTIST CHURCH IN FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS

  (Mr. BOOZMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished 
Member of the Northwest Arkansas community, Pastor Dale Thompson.
  Dale Thompson is in the beginning of his 10th year of service at the 
First Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas. At the age of 15, Dale 
began preaching and was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1971 after 
graduating from Oklahoma Baptist University. While serving his first 
pastorate, Dale continued his studies and received his masters of 
Biblical Arts from Luther Rice University.
  Dale has been helping people for the past 25 years as a pastor in 
Arkansas and Oklahoma; and since 1974, he has ministered at churches in 
the third district of Arkansas. He has served as a member of the 
executive board of the Arkansas State Convention and is the past 
president of the Pastors Conference of the Arkansas Board of Trustees 
of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North 
Carolina.
  Dale is currently serving the community as the pastor of the 6,000-
member First Baptist Church in Fort Smith. Since his tenure at the 
church began 10 years ago, the church has grown by 2,451 members. This 
number is sure to continue to grow as long as Pastor Thompson remains 
actively involved in his community.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for allowing me the opportunity to 
honor Dale Thompson. He is a committed servant and deserves our praise.

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