[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24512]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO BISHOP EDWARD SMITH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 17, 2007

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
spiritual leader whose commitment to his congregation and to his church 
spans half of a century. Bishop Edward Smith, dedicated pastor of the 
Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, celebrates his 50th 
anniversary in the ministry this year. A beacon for hope in times of 
sorrow and an inspiring figure in times of celebration, Bishop Smith 
has faithfully and prayerfully served the Denmark community. I 
congratulate Bishop Smith on this significant milestone in his 
ministry.
  In the Book of Micah we find the question, ``What does the Lord 
require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly 
with your God?'' Bishop Smith has certainly answered with an adherence 
to that biblical admonition. He began his service in 1957. Bishop 
Joseph Williams appointed the then Elder Smith as the new pastor of 
Progressive Church following the resignation of Elder Collins. In 
accepting this challenge, Bishop Smith said, ``The Lord saved me for 
service and if this is where I am to serve, here am I Lord use me.'' 
And so, with the Apostle Peter as his example, Bishop Smith sold his 
home in Columbia, South Carolina and went to Denmark to build a house 
for the Lord.
  By fall 1959, Bishop Smith moved his church from Blackville, South 
Carolina to a storefront in Denmark, South Carolina, increasing his 
congregation from 6 to 15. With the power of faith, the force of 
hammers, and Bishop Smith as their guide, 7 months of construction 
later, February 1963, there stood a new church on East Haynes Street.
  Over the course of the 46 years that followed, he presided over an 
expansion that included a Progressive Child Development Center 
established in 1986, and the purchase of a 16 acre track of land on 
Progressive Way, where Bishop Smith envisions a new K-12 school and 
efficiency apartments for the elderly. Today, the Progressive Church in 
Denmark attracts congregants from 5 neighboring counties.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Bishop Edward Smith on his 50th Anniversary. Like his 
spiritual guide, Saint Peter, he has established a strong house for 
God. In addition, this vibrant and devoted civic leader has enriched 
the lives of many in Denmark, South Carolina. I commend his 
steadfastness on behalf of ``the least of these'' and I applaud Bishop 
Edward Smith for his half century of public service.

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