[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17093-17094]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WELCOMING OUR GUEST CHAPLAIN

  Mr. REID. Madam President, it is a pleasure for me to be here this 
morning to recognize Dr. Percell Church. As has been indicated by the 
Chair, he is the leader of the Zion United Methodist Church in Las 
Vegas.
  When he came to Las Vegas a short time ago, in relative terms, he had 
some very big shoes to fill. The Zion United Methodist Church had been 
operated, pastored, by one of Nevada's very famous residents, Marion 
Bennett, who had served with great distinction in the Nevada State 
legislature and led this very large church.
  So when Dr. Church came to run the church, we were all anticipating 
the tremendously large shoes he had to fill. And it is easy for me to 
say that he has done it with distinction, honor, and class.
  Dr. Church is a native of New Orleans, LA, where he earned a bachelor 
of science degree from Southern University. He later earned his master 
of divinity from Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA, and 
received his doctor of ministry from Oxford University.
  Serving in the ministry for more than 20 years, this young man, Dr. 
Church, has been a guest speaker at countless churches around the 
world. He has ministered in India, Nigeria, the Bahamas.
  He is leading the revival and growth of the Zion United Methodist 
Church. He hosts a daycare center servicing working parents in the Las 
Vegas area. He has established a remarkable youth ministry, the purpose 
of which is to get young adults involved in the church and the 
community. That has been successful.
  He is also a loving husband to his wife Angela, and a loving father 
to his three sons, Daniel, Ephraim, and Immanuel. They are with us 
today.
  I commend Dr. Church for his leadership and wish him well in his 
ministry and his continued service to humanity. What a great addition 
to the State of Nevada has been Dr. Percell Church. I am proud to be 
able to say he is my friend, and I look forward to his continued 
spiritual guidance to the people of Zion United Methodist Church and 
the people of the State of Nevada.

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