[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17984-17985]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      DR. CECIL L. ``CHIP'' MURRAY

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the Rev. Dr. 
Cecil L. ``Chip'' Murray, who is retiring after 27 years of 
distinguished service with the First African Methodist Episcopal Church 
of Los Angeles.
  Dr. Murray is a man of great passion and vision who has inspired his 
congregation to go ``beyond the walls'' of the church to help the 
broader community. Under his leadership, volunteers from First AME Los 
Angeles have changed thousands of lives for the better.
  When Dr. Murray was first assigned to First AME in 1977, his new 
church family had 300 active members. Today the congregation has more 
than 18,000

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members. Led by Dr. Murray, the church ministry fills the sanctuary 
with an awe-inspiring spiritual worship service that draws people of 
all faiths from far and wide.
  While tending to his congregation's spiritual needs, Dr. Murray has 
also led them to look beyond the walls of the church at those less 
fortunate than themselves. Each member of the congregation is asked to 
join one of 40 task forces addressing community needs such as health, 
homelessness, substance abuse, emergency food and clothing, general and 
specialized housing, tutoring, employment services, and entrepreneurial 
training.
  As he heads into a well-deserved retirement, Dr. Murray will receive 
accolades and appreciation from a grateful congregation and community. 
I wish to join them in expressing my deep appreciation for his great 
life's work and my very best wishes for the future. I am sure that even 
in retirement, Dr. Murray will continue to work wonders and inspire 
others for many years to come.

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