[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5690]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO LANSDOWNE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF BALTIMORE COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 5, 2005

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to the 
Lansdowne Christian Church of Baltimore County marking its 100th year 
of celebrating Memorial Day Services. The Church, which was placed on 
the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 by the U.S. Department 
of Interior, is the only Church in the United States built to honor the 
men of the Grand Army of the Republic and the sacrifices they made to 
preserve the Union.
  On May 14, 1905, the first annual Memorial Service for the Grand Army 
was held at the Lansdowne Christian Church. Memorial Day was 
established in the wake of the Civil War to remember and pay homage to 
all those who had died in service to our nation. The Service on the 
last Sunday in May continues today. This year's service will be held on 
May 29, 2005, continuing a tradition for which Church members and the 
community should be very proud.
  Today, we are engaged in armed conflict in Iraq and in Afghanistan. 
Many of our soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice, and it is 
important that we honor their commitment to freedom and democracy.
  I hope my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives will join 
me in saluting the Lansdowne Christian Church for making duty, service 
and dedication to our nation a central focus of church life.

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