[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15017]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF M. L. HARRIS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH'S 142ND 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2014

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to extend my 
sincere congratulations to the congregation and leadership of M. L. 
Harris United Methodist Church in Columbus, Georgia, as the church 
observes its 142nd anniversary. The members of this parish will come 
together in a day of worship and celebration of this occasion on 
Sunday, October 26, 2014.
  The origins of M. L. Harris can be traced back to 1872, when a group 
of like-minded individuals met regularly under grape arbors and 
anywhere else they could to praise and worship the Lord. These 
individuals met for an entire decade before being granted a plot of 
land which they could call their own by the Georgia General Assembly. 
The church was built at 640 6th Avenue in Columbus, Georgia and was 
named ``Simpson Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church'' after Bishop 
Matthew Simpson, a prominent bishop of the time.
  The Simpson Chapel continued to operate for nearly a century, until 
the congregation's leaders decided it was time to make a change if the 
Church was going to continue to grow and prosper. Through the faith, 
effort and charitable donations of many dedicated souls, a new church 
building was erected within three years at Bedford St. and Old Cusseta 
Road in Columbus. The church was renamed to ``M. L. Harris Methodist 
Church,'' in honor of the wonderfully generous contributions made by 
Bishop Marquis L. Harris over the course of the church's construction.
  At the time M. L. Harris was built, African-American congregations 
were not recognized as part of the general conference, and thus were 
grouped together in the Central Jurisdiction. M. L. Harris remained in 
the separate conference until 1967, at the culmination of the Civil 
Rights Movement, when the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist 
Church merged into the United Methodist Church. One of the terms of the 
merger ordered the end of segregation within the denomination, and M. 
L. Harris subsequently became M. L. Harris United Methodist Church.
  M. L. Harris would see many great pastors over the years, but perhaps 
the most notable was Reverend William B. Howell, whose strong 
leadership enabled tremendous growth within the congregation, reaching 
a record 373 members. During his tenure, many changes were made to the 
church, including structural renovations and the implementation of 
youth programs. Today, the church continues to grow under the spiritual 
guidance of Reverend Walter C. Lundy, Sr.
  The story of M. L. Harris United Methodist Church, which began as a 
small group of people worshipping in the shade of a grape arbor 142 
years ago and has grown into a modest, yet successful congregation, 
stands out as an exemplary display of the dedication and perseverance 
of a faithful and united group of people who put all their love and 
trust in the Lord.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute 
to M. L. Harris United Methodist Church in Columbus, Georgia for their 
long history of coming together through the good and difficult times to 
praise and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The congregation 
may be small in number, but it is great in spirit and truly lives up to 
the church's motto that declares M. L. Harris as ``The Church Where 
Everybody is Somebody and God is ALL.''

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