[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17939]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       100TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOUNT TABOR MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

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                           HON. VERN BUCHANAN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 15, 2009

  Mr. BUCHANAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Mount 
Tabor Missionary Baptist Church in Tallevast, Florida, on its 100th 
Anniversary and recognize Pastor Ezell Patterson who has served as the 
congregation's spiritual leader for the past 33 years.
  The 150-member church was founded in 1909 by the children of former 
slaves and has since provided a spiritual home to generations of 
Tallevast residents who have been able to count on the enduring 
spiritual support and presence of Mount Tabor.
  Though its challenges have changed over the years, Mount Tabor 
Missionary Baptist has remained strongly committed to its core mission: 
provide spiritual guidance to all of its members and their families.
  For the past few years, the church has provided comfort and a meeting 
place for area residents impacted by the recent discovery that some 
residents of the polluted community were drinking contaminated water 
for possibly up to 40 years.
  For more than a century now, Mount Tabor has been the spiritual heart 
of the Tallevast community.
  Resident Ms. Virginia Massie told The Bradenton Herald the church is 
``the most important thing in my life.'' And Associate Pastor Willie C. 
Shaw told the paper, it ``has always been an extension of my immediate 
family.''
  I have had the pleasure of visiting with local residents in the 
church hall and attending Sunday service there.
  I congratulate Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church and its members 
for reaching this important milestone. I recognize its many 
accomplishments, and I appreciate their successful efforts to provide a 
spiritual home to the Tallevast community.

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