[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20673]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES H. TAYLOR

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 2006

  Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina.  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Trinity Baptist Church of Asheville, North Carolina. On October 1, 2006 
Trinity Baptist will celebrate 40 years of service to the people of 
Western North Carolina, and I commend them for the leadership and 
tireless work they have contributed to the Asheville community.
  With 60 members under the direction of Rev. Ralph Sexton, Sr. as the 
Pastor and Dr. James A. Stewart as the Honorary Pastor, a building for 
Trinity Baptist Church founded upon the scripture from Psalm 127:1, 
``Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.''
  For 13 years, Dr. Ralph Sexton, Jr. served as staff evangelist and 
youth pastor under his father. On the first Sunday of April 1988, upon 
his father's resignation as senior pastor, Dr. Ralph Sexton, Jr. became 
the senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church. As the church continued to 
grow, mission outreach was increased both at home and abroad.
  To meet the needs of the growing congregation, several buildings have 
been erected. The Family Life Center was built in 1984 housing office 
space, a kitchen, fellowship room and gymnasium, to provide a space for 
fun, food and fellowship for the whole family. In 1992 a Baby Palace 
was added to meet the need of the growing families of the church.
  A Bible Institute program was started in 1989 for those who wish to 
devote their lives to the ministry of learning to serve; this became a 
4-year Bible College in 1993. Most recently the church built a 1,500-
seat sanctuary which has been named the ``Tabernacle of the Mountains'' 
in honor of the life and ministry of Dr. Ralph Sexton, Sr., who served 
the congregation for 22 years.
  In 1991, Trinity Baptist Church opened their doors to Russian 
immigrants many of whom came to this country because of religious 
persecution. Trinity Baptist Church accommodated the immigrants by 
providing services in their native languages, in addition to sponsoring 
many of the immigrants.
  In 1994, the EEOC threatened religious freedom by prohibiting any 
expression of religious faith in the workplace. Trinity Baptist Church 
worked with me and other area churches to preclude these improper 
regulations. Pastor Sexton and members of Trinity Baptist Church met 
with me in acknowledgement of our success in fighting for first 
amendment rights.
  One of the many outreach programs of Trinity Baptist Church is Hearts 
with Hands. Hearts with Hands is a disaster relief organization that 
provides humanitarian aide to worldwide victims of hurricanes, 
tornadoes, and tsunamis. To this day, this organization is still 
working with many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
  Again, it is my privilege to recognize the great accomplishments and 
leadership of Trinity Baptist Church over the past 40 years, and I, 
along with the rest of the United States Congress, wish for their good 
work to continue.

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