[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 24] [House] [Pages 32501-32502] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]CELEBRATING PASTOR ALFRED VAUGHN'S 50 YEARS IN THE MINISTRY The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great admiration and respect to recognize a dear friend and one of the Nation's most distinguished citizens, Dr. Alfred C.D. Vaughn, for his 50 years of service to God as a preacher, teacher, leader, and friend. For the last 21 years, Dr. Vaughn has been the cherished pastor of the Sharon Baptist Church, located in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. As grace would have it, this is the same church that his grandmother joined in 1894 and of which his mother became a member in 1911. Dr. Vaughn, known as the dean of ministers in Baltimore, is one of thirteen children of Mildred and Robert Vaughn. He received Christ at the tender age of 11. Just 8 years later, he was licensed to preach and began a glorious journey of teaching and preaching God's Holy Word. He first served as pastor of Promise Land Baptist Church in Moneta, Virginia. For 18 years he then led the congregation of Grace Memorial Baptist Church in Baltimore before accepting the calling in 1986 to return home as the visionary pastor of the Sharon Baptist Church. Throughout his career as a minister, the pursuit of a quality education has always been his priority. Dr. Vaughn earned an AB-BD degree from Virginia Seminary and College, a master of divinity degree and a doctor of ministry degree from Southern University, and he has been awarded four honorary degrees. It has been said that ``you show people who you are by what you do.'' Throughout his entire life, Dr. Vaughn has demonstrated to the world, with sincere humility and steadfast determination, his commitment to helping others to be the very best that they can be. Recognizing the need for accessible child care in his community, Dr. Vaughn converted a building near [[Page 32502]] Sharon Baptist Church into a family support center that houses a child care facility and operates other community service programs. He also spearheaded efforts to raise thousands of dollars to send students to college, adopt a local elementary school, and provide after-school programs, local food pantry programs and foreign missions. However, Dr. Vaughn's accomplishments and achievements reach far beyond the walls of his church. He served as commissioner for the Housing Authority of Baltimore City for 10 years. He was appointed as trustee and as treasurer of Provident Hospital and as trustee of the Community College of Baltimore. He served on the board of directors of the Afro-American Newspapers, and he currently serves as chairman of the board of trustees of Eastern Theological Seminary. As a testament to his leadership, Dr. Vaughn was recently elected, for an unprecedented eighth time, to serve as president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Baltimore and Vicinity, an organization which represents some 250,000 congregants. Outside of serving the Lord and leading souls to His kingdom, Pastor Vaughn's greatest joy comes from his family. He has been blessed with 44 years of blissful marriage to his wife, Lillian. They have three children, Corrogan Vaughn, Lynnette Vaughn, and Cassandra Vaughn-Fox; a son-in-law, Larry Fox, Jr.; and three wonderful grandchildren. Whenever I see Pastor Vaughn in the community, his grandchildren are not far behind. No matter what his daily commitments may be, he picks them up from school every day and spends quality time with them, sharing his wisdom and his love. Baltimore is truly blessed to be able to call a stalwart such as Dr. Alfred C.D. Vaughn one of our very own. As a son of two preachers, I can say with certainty that it is fitting to give God praise for this dynamic leader. For 50 years he has preached the Gospel with truth and honor, not to glorify himself but to save souls and make others' lives better. He is the kind of man who, just by his presence, makes us want to stand taller and reach for the very best that is within us. As my father once said, he is a man whose presence is presence enough. I am honored that God allowed our lives to eclipse. And today I thank Pastor Vaughn on behalf of Baltimore and our entire Nation for his dedication, commitment to God and his church and his community. ____________________