[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 25]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 34101]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 INTRODUCTION OF BISHOP EARL J. WRIGHT, SR., GUEST CHAPLAIN FOR THE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2007

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker it is with great pleasure that I introduce 
Bishop Earl J. Wright, Sr., as the Guest Chaplain for the day. Bishop 
Wright is a member of the general board, the governing body of the 
Church of God in Christ, which he helped to create. He also serves as 
the jurisdictional bishop of the Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of 
Southwest Michigan--Church of God in Christ, a district comprised of 19 
churches. In addition, he is the pastor of Greater Miller Memorial 
Church of God in Christ located in Warren, MI, and also the pastor of 
Davis Memorial Church of God in Christ located in Grand Rapids. Bishop 
Wright also is a founding and supporting pastor of Miller Memorial 
Church of God in Christ #2 in Haiti.
  Other accolades for Bishop Wright include being appointed the prayer 
leader for the Detroit National Day of Prayer in 1992. He was 
acknowledged for his ministries, church and community leadership roles 
in the international publication Upscale Magazine as 1 of 50 Most 
Influential Leaders in the United States in the same year. In 1996, the 
Christian Women Concerned Organization of Detroit selected Bishop 
Wright as the ``COGIC Pastor of the Year.''
  Bishop Wright is married to the lovely and gracious Dr. (Evangelist) 
Robin L. Wright, supervisor of Japan Jurisdiction--C.O.G.I.C. In 
addition to being an evangelist, she is also a writer, and a great 
administrative help to the local churches in Detroit and Southwest 
Michigan. Together they have five children: Earl, Jr., wife--Elaine; 
Michael, wife--Robin; Marvalyn; Ben; and Jonathan. He truly 
acknowledges his family as his first ministry.
  The Church of God in Christ is a Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in 
which the word of God is preached, ordinances are administered and the 
doctrine of sanctification or holiness is emphasized, as being 
essential to the salvation of mankind. Elder Charles Harrison Mason is 
the founder and organizer of the Church of God in Christ, and under 
Bishop Mason's spiritual and apostolic direction, the Church of God in 
Christ, the church has grown from 10 congregations in 1907, to the 
largest Pentecostal group in America.
  This year the Church of God in Christ celebrated its 100th Annual 
Holy Convocation; its theme was Celebrating a Glorious Past: Embracing 
a Promising Future, and it was attended by over 70,000 delegates. In 
remarking about the convocation, COGIC's Presiding Bishop Charles E. 
Blake, Sr., said, ``In the last century the Church of God in Christ 
rose from a motley group of sanctified proselytes to a highly respected 
denomination with more than 6 million members in 64 countries. The Lord 
has used the Church of God in Christ to accomplish great things in 
worship, proclamation, urban renewal, and gospel music.'' The Church is 
also very active in promoting a social justice agenda that reverses the 
circumstances of black men, families, and urban communities as well as 
providing comprehensive programs for youth and young adults.
  Bishop Wright has shown himself as a true disciple of Christ, relying 
heavily on his favorite scripture, Romans 4:21, ``And being fully 
persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.'' He 
exemplifies service to his fellow man, allowing his words to always 
bring grace to the hearer. He constantly speaks words of hope, 
spreading the good news to all. He practices evangelism that reflects 
Christ-like compassion to reach the world with the Gospel. Bishop Earl 
E. Wright, Sr., is a wonderful man of God and I am happy to know him 
and to welcome him to the floor of the House of Representatives today 
as Guest Chaplain.

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