[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14583-14584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING ZION FIRST CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 22, 2016

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Zion First Church of God 
in Christ located in Oakland, California upon its 100th anniversary as 
a strong religious pillar in the East Bay Community.
  After moving to California from Louisiana, Zion First Church of God 
in Christ was founded in 1916 by Samuel Harrison and was the first 
Church of God in Christ in Northern California. It was created with the 
vision to expand the ministry and establish a legacy of spirituality 
through faith.
  Under the leadership of Pastor Harrison, the church thrived and soon 
needed a building to accommodate its growing membership. In 1921, the 
church purchased its first building purchase in West Oakland and became 
a strong faith center for the West Oakland community. During the 
1940's, as African Americans migrated to the West for industrial jobs, 
many families settled in West Oakland. Worship services immediately 
grew and were so inspirational it was said that people would hang out 
of their windows to see what was going on in the services.
  On January 25, 1977 Pastor Willie E. Pearls was ushered in as the 
second leader of Zion First Church of God in Christ. Pastor Pearls had 
moved to California.
  In 1978, Zion First upgraded its building to make room for its 
growing membership. Pastor Pearls moved to California in 1952 and

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joined Zion. First, serving for many years as a youth leader, Deacon, 
and a special helper to Overseer Harrison before accepting the role as 
senior pastor.
  Pastor Pearls carried on the original vision of the church, helping 
the community, by giving away food, clothing the homeless, and serving 
hot breakfast every Sunday to the community.
  In 2003, after 33 years of service, Pastor Pearls stepped down and 
the church elected Pastor Rickie L. Williams. Under his leadership, the 
church has continued to faithfully serve the West Oakland community 
through various outreach programs. Although the church was ravaged by 
fire in September 2013, the congregation bonded together and rebuilt 
the church on the same property to continue its ministry in the West 
Oakland community.
  On behalf of the residents of California's 13th Congressional 
District, I extend my sincerest congratulations to Zion First Church of 
God in Christ on the celebration of its 100th year of worship. I wish 
Zion First Church of God in Christ many more years of authentic and 
compassionate service.

                          ____________________