[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                       HONORING PASTOR EL-YATEEM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL M. McMAHON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 2009

  Mr. McMAHON. Madam Speaker, I am here to pay tribute to a religious 
leader from my district who is a pillar of our community.
  Pastor Khader El-Yateem was born in Beit Jala, a town in the West 
Bank of Palestine. In 1968, after his graduation from high school, he 
studied at the Bethlehem Bible College, graduated with a Diploma in 
Theology, and proceeded to study at the Evangelical Theological 
Seminary in Cairo, Egypt, where he received his B.A. degree. He was 
invited by the ELCA to work as a mission developer among the Arab and 
Middle Eastern community in the United States. He studied at the 
Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, where he graduated with a 
Master of Divinity degree.
  In February 1999, Pastor El-Yateem was called by the Division for 
Outreach to start the Salam Arabic Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, which 
became the first official Arabic Lutheran Church in North America. 
Civic leaders within the Bay Ridge community requested his assistance 
in October 2000, to help establish a committee to bring the Christian, 
Jewish and Arabic communities together in a pledge to live in peace. He 
opened his church to all and successfully helped the committee bring 
the various groups together. The inter-faith dialogue continues with 
great success. This endeavor prompted Pastor El-Yateem to ask District 
Attorney, Charles Hynes to co-chair a Brooklyn wide Unity Task Force, 
which has also been successful in bringing together various ethnic and 
religious groups within the borough.
  Pastor El-Yateem continues to contribute to the spiritual well being 
of our community with the support of his lovely wife Grace and children 
Rowan, Janette, Naim and Isabelle.
  I am honored by the work Pastor El-Yateem carries out in my district 
and for the people of Brooklyn. I congratulate him and his family for 
the work they have done to make a stronger community.

                          ____________________