[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 13715-13716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE SERVICE OF DR. GREG MATHIS, SENIOR PASTOR AT MUD CREEK 
            BAPTIST CHURCH IN HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HEATH SHULER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2010

  Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and 
accomplishments of Dr. Greg T. Mathis, Senior Pastor of Mud Creek 
Baptist Church of Hendersonville, North Carolina. This year, as Dr. 
Mathis celebrates his 30th year at Mud Creek Baptist Church, I am proud 
to pay tribute to his remarkable career of faith, strength, and the 
desire to live a fulfilling life helping others.
  Serving as Senior Pastor since 1980, Dr. Mathis and his wife Deborah 
have helped build Mud Creek Baptist Church into a nationally recognized 
place of worship, with an average weekly attendance of 2700. Mud Creek 
Baptist Church was recently identified in a book entitled ``Excellent 
Protestant Congregations,'' as an excellent place to worship in 
America.
  Dr. Mathis's good work does not stop at his own church. He regularly 
preaches at revivals, Bible conferences, and seminars throughout the 
Southern Baptist Convention. He has served as the President of the 
North Carolina Baptist State Convention and the North Carolina Pastors' 
Conference and as a member of the Executive, Resolutions, and Budget 
Committees of the Southern Baptist Convention.

[[Page 13716]]

He was named as one of the most influential people in Baptist life by 
The Biblical Recorder, and was presented the Order of the Long Leaf 
Pine Award by Governor James B. Hunt for his service to the state of 
North Carolina.
  Dr. Mathis graduated from Gardner-Webb College in 1977 with a 
Bachelor of Arts Degree and went on to graduate from the Southeastern 
Baptist Theological Seminary in 1980 with a Master of Divinity Degree. 
He has been recognized with two Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degrees 
from Gardner-Webb University in 2001 and North Greenville University in 
2010. He is a published author with several well known books, including 
Five Smooth Stones and The Ultimate Life.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
impressive life and career of Dr. Greg T. Mathis. It is an honor for me 
to recognize his accomplishments and the profound impact he has on the 
religious life of countless Western North Carolinians, and to wish him 
continued success in future years.

                          ____________________