[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1241]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO BISHOP PAUL A. BOWERS

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Bishop Paul 
Alexander Bowers, who has served as the presiding Bishop of Greater 
Emanuel Apostolic Temple since 1957. Bishop Bowers celebrated his 55th 
pastoral anniversary on February 1, 2013, in my hometown of Cincinnati, 
OH.
  Bishop Bowers was born and raised in Oxford, PA. After his high 
school graduation he moved to Columbus, OH, where he attended Aenon 
Bible College. He graduated in 1951 with a bachelor of theology and 
later received a bachelor of science from the University of Cincinnati 
in 1964. Bowers also taught in the Cincinnati public school system for 
5 years and retired in 1968 before dedicating his life to ministry.
  Bishop Bowers served as chairman of the Ohio District Council of the 
Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., PAW, from 1976 to 1992. 
During his tenure, he built a 100-bed nursing home, a 1,200 seat 
worship center with a fully-equipped cafeteria which seats 500 people, 
and a dormitory that has the capacity to house over 100 people at the 
ODC Campground in Zanesville, OH.
  Bishop Bowers also served as the diocesan of the Carolina State 
Council, assistant general secretary, general secretary, and assistant 
presiding Bishop of PAW. In 1992, he was promoted to the Office of the 
Presiding Bishop, where he served for 6 years. While in this position, 
Bishop Bowers was responsible for leading a $2.2 million project to 
renovate PAW's international headquarters located in Indianapolis, IN.
  Today, Bishop Bowers serves as the diocesan bishop of the Ohio 
District Council, where he has had the opportunity to further develop 
the campground in Zanesville, OH.
  Bishop Bowers has made many contributions through his civic 
involvement throughout the southwestern region of Ohio, but I would 
like to highlight his outreach in prison ministries and his recent 
partnership with reentry organizations in Cincinnati, OH.
  In August 2011, Bishop Bowers graciously opened the doors of Greater 
Emanuel Apostolic Temple to host my first reentry summit, following my 
election to the U.S. Senate. While there, I was greeted by many kind 
faces and witnessed people come in from off the street to take a moment 
to pray in the beautiful sanctuary.
  Over the years, I have spoken many times about the importance of 
reducing recidivism in our communities and the need for faith-based 
leaders to continue their engagement with those reentering society from 
jails and prisons. I first got involved with prisoner reentry issues 
through my work on drug prevention and treatment more than 10 years 
ago, when I came to understand the close connection between substance 
abuse and recidivism, considering three quarters of those returning 
from prison have a history of substance abuse.
  Faith-based groups are the first line of defense, as well as service, 
to vulnerable and high-risk populations. Faith leaders can use their 
influence as an opportunity to direct those in need to proper 
programming, and I commend the Greater Emanuel congregation for playing 
an active role in the community and continuing their work to reduce 
recidivism and change the lives of those in need. Houses of worship 
serve as beacons of hope to guide the lost and help restore their 
lives, which is why I believe the ecumenical community can play an 
important role as a partner in recidivism reduction.
  Mr. President, I would like to congratulate Bishop Bowers on his 55th 
anniversary of pastoral service and recognize him for his continued 
work on recidivism reduction.

                          ____________________