[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13226]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUE TO PASTOR WILLIAM L. ROBINSON

    
 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I congratulate William L. 
Robinson as he celebrates 28 years as pastor of First Baptist Church in 
North Little Rock. First Baptist is the oldest Black church in North 
Little Rock, and under Pastor Robinson's leadership, the congregation 
has thrived for nearly 30 years.
  From a young age, Pastor Robinson knew his calling. At the age of 12, 
he was licensed by Dr. T. M. Chambers, then Pastor of Gaines Street 
Baptist Church in Little Rock. In 1977, at the age of 17, Pastor 
Robinson became an ordained minister.
  An Arkansas native, Pastor Robinson graduated from historic Little 
Rock Central High School and earned a bachelor of arts degree in social 
sciences from Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. He is a graduate 
of Jackson Theological Seminary of Shorter College in North Little 
Rock.
  Recognized as a pillar of the North Little Rock community, Pastor 
Robinson has been asked to serve in a variety of statewide commissions 
and leadership roles, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, 
the Board of Trustees of the William F. Laman Library Commission, and 
the Executive Board of the Union Rescue Mission and Salvation Army. 
Pastor Robinson is an Honorary Deputy Sheriff of Pulaski County and a 
Chaplain of the North Little Rock Police and Sheriff's Office.
  Pastor Robinson has also been invited to take part in numerous 
inaugurations and official events in Arkansas and Washington, DC. He is 
the visionary of the recently reestablished ``4'' Church Fellowship and 
serves currently as president. This fellowship consists of local 
churches coming together to uplift our Savior and the community through 
quarterly worship services. Most recently, Pastor Robinson served as 
cochairman of the First Interfaith Christian Conference, ``The Arkansas 
Gathering,'' featuring nationally known pastors and more than 100 local 
pastors and their churches for a 4-day retreat.
  Pastor Robinson is also a local radio personality in his own right. 
For more than 26 years, he has promoted First Baptist's ``Sunday 
Morning at The First,''' a 1 hour broadcast that airs Sunday evening at 
5 p.m., reaching all four corners of Arkansas.
  I salute Pastor Robinson and the work he does for North Little Rock 
and the entire state of Arkansas. Along with all Arkansans, I 
congratulate him for his years of service, and wish him all the best 
for the years to come.

                          ____________________