[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16146]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE 21ST CENTURY WILBERFORCE INITIATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2016

  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 21st Century 
Wilberforce Initiative for working towards a world of religious 
freedom.
  On October 1, 2014, Dr. Randel Everett founded the 21st Century 
Wilberforce Initiative. Dr. Everett has a long and distinguished record 
of service, which includes establishing the John Leland Center for 
Theological Studies, serving as the Executive Director of the Baptist 
General Convention of Texas, and over 40 years of pastoring all over 
the nation including as my own pastor at First Baptist Church in 
Midland, Texas.
  Under Dr. Everett's leadership, the 21st Century Wilberforce 
Initiative has experienced remarkable growth and has left a lasting 
impact through their work. The organization has now grown to two 
offices: one in the Washington, D.C. area that focuses on the United 
States' engagement in protecting religious liberties and a second 
office in Dallas, Texas, which serves as a headquarters that mobilizes 
and engages with churches to help raise public awareness of people who 
are facing religious oppression around the world.
  Since its conception, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative has 
helped thousands of people worldwide by working alongside policymakers. 
In 2015, members from the organization traveled to Iraq and met with 
Christians and Yazidis impacted by the Islamic State. Their report, 
``Edge of Extinction,'' helped elevate the awareness regarding the 
atrocities of religious and ethnic minorities in the Nineveh Plain. 
Through their efforts, the organization was successful in establishing 
a Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South/
Central Asia within the State Department and in passing H. Con. Res. 
75, which officially declared ISIL's persecution and mass murder of 
Christians, Yezidis, and other groups in Iraq and Syria as genocide, 
war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This bill passed the House on 
March 14, 2016, by a vote of 393-0--a success I was proud to support.
  The 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative has become a leading advocate 
for religious minorities in other areas, such as northern and central 
Nigeria. Throughout 2016, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative has 
traveled throughout areas of Nigeria that the UN describes as the 
world's worst current humanitarian crisis. During these trips, 
Wilberforce spoke with thousands of pastors and victims throughout the 
country and listened to their heartbreaking stories. The group's 
published report ``Fractured and Forgotten'' has been featured at 
numerous conferences and has been used to brief Congressional leaders. 
The group worked extensively with the Nigerian National Assembly to 
help confirm a new U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria in September of 2016.
  In addition to raising awareness, the 21st Century Wilberforce 
Initiative has trained more than 2,700 religious and government leaders 
from across the world on the importance of religious freedom, worked to 
expand religious liberties in Nepal's Constitution, and met with 
leaders within the Taiwanese government to discuss creating a Religious 
Freedom Caucus in the Legislative Yuan. These are just some of the many 
accomplishments the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative has been able 
to accomplish in their efforts to advance religious freedom around the 
world.
  As a nation that was built by those who escaped religious persecution 
in their homelands, we must not forget that thousands of others across 
the globe are facing the same persecution as our forefathers. The 21st 
Century Wilberforce Initiative has given these people a voice and hope 
that one day they can share the same liberties that we all cherish here 
in this great nation. I applaud the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative 
for their hard work and pray that God blesses them and continues to 
provide them with the strength and courage to continue their mission to 
help save their fellow man.

                          ____________________