[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4417]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SMYRNA BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SHERWOOD BOEHLERT

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2005

  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the parish of 
Smyrna Baptist Church on their 200 years of history. Located in 
Chenango County, New York, the Smyrna Baptist Church has become not 
only a religious institution, but also a historical institution in 
Central New York.
  Founded on the 22nd day of December 1804, by Joseph Tobey, Joel 
Ellis, Samuel Barber, and others, the Church began as a group dedicated 
to prayer, meeting in the personal residences of Church members. As the 
parish expanded, their need for a larger meeting place led them to 
assemble in the town schoolhouse. And finally to serve its ever-growing 
congregation, the Church purchased a piece of property in 1837 where it 
has remained for the past 167 years.
  I congratulate the Smyrna Baptist Church on their 200th Anniversary 
and their continued role in the community. I also congratulate Pastor 
Dale Sanders, under whose leadership and spiritual guidance, the Church 
celebrates this momentous occasion.

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