[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4469]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING REV. DR. HENRY THOMAS SIMMONS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GREGORY W. MEEKS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mr. MEEKS. Mr Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize a 
respected leader in my community, Rev. Dr. Henry Thomas Simmons, who is 
celebrating twenty years of dedicated service to the St. Albans 
Congregational Church in my district.
  Since March 1, 1991. Dr. Simmons has served as Senior Minister of the 
St. Albans Congregational Church in St. Albans, New York. Under his 
visionary leadership the congregation has grown from 400 to 1,200 
active members who share mutual labors sponsoring just over fifty 
ministries for congregants and the community. In addition to his role 
as an ordained minister, Dr. Simmons has played an important continuous 
role as a father, husband, and grandfather. Dr. Simmons continues to 
serve as an advocate for his community by committing to serving his 
members within the church as well as the wider St. Albans community, 
which encompasses a variety of Queens' diverse population.
  Dr. Simmons began his public service as an ordained minister of the 
gospel as Associate Minister with the Peoples Congregational United 
Church of Christ in Washington, DC, from 1973-1977. In August 1977 he 
was called to serve as Senior Minister of the Mayflower Congregational 
Church in Detroit, Michigan. After six years of leading that 
congregations' renewal as a vital urban church, Dr. Simmons was elected 
in 1983 as Secretary for Racial, Ethnic, and Minority Church 
Development for the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries in New 
York City. For eight years he assumed primary staff leadership for the 
denomination's evangelism efforts in new and urban church renewal for 
African American, Latino, American Indian, and Pacific Islander-Asian 
American churches before moving to Queens, NY.
  Dr. Simmons has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the 
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries; Chair of the 
United Church of Christ Search Committee for General Minister and 
President; and President of the Southeast Queens Clergy for Community. 
Empowerment, Inc, now known as Clergy United for Community Empowerment. 
Among the awards and honors Dr. Simmons has received are citations for 
outstanding ministerial leadership from the Michigan State Legislature, 
the Detroit city Council, the New York City Council, and honorary 
Doctor of Divinity degrees for contributions to racial and social 
justice from the Ursinus College and Huston-Tillotson College.
  Through his leadership, Dr. Simmons continues to represent wisdom and 
strength for the entire congregation of St. Albans Congregational 
Church. I am sure Dr. Simmons has faced many joys and challenges during 
his twenty year tenure at St. Albans Congregational Church, and I wish 
him continued success throughout the remainder of his time there. I 
applaud Dr. Simmons for all he has accomplished and for his unrelenting 
commitment to God, his family, public service, and the community of St. 
Albans.

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