Congratulating Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church on 150 Years of Sharing Christ's Love

Floor Speech

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Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City in the First Congressional District of Tennessee as they celebrate 150 years of sharing the love of Christ in their community and throughout the world. Built of handmade bricks at a cost of four thousand dollars in 1871, Munsey, known then as East Market Street Methodist Church, was part of the heritage of the early Methodist circuit riders that brought the gospel to the pioneer settlements of the American Frontier. Just three decades later, the church had outgrown that initial structure and relocated to their present address on the corner of Roan and Market Streets and, in 1908, renamed the church in memory of their brilliant, self-taught pulpit preacher, Reverend William E. Munsey.

Their new, modern facility attracted many new congregants, so many, in fact, that the church doubled in size in just three years. Growth and expansion continued with the addition of an indoor swimming pool in 1949 and the establishment of a preschool program in 1950. While the pool closed due to structural issues in 2001, the preschool continues to provide a safe and nurturing learning environment for two-, three- and four-year-old children and is the oldest state accredited preschool program in Tennessee,

As the sharing of the good news of Christ continued so did the growth of the church, necessitating the building of a new sanctuary in 1955. Munsey continued to be a beacon of God's love over the next several years. This display of love was never more evident than on Christmas Eve 1989 when a terrible fire at the John Sevier Center, a low-income residential high-rise across the street from the church, claimed the lives of sixteen residents. Services were cancelled as the church became a triage center for those escaping the horror and a location for families to be reunited. Members spent the evening bringing food, blankets, and comfort to victims and first responders. Following that fire, a new ministry, The Melting Pot, was born which grew from providing a Saturday morning breakfast for those residents to working cooperatively with Good Samaritan Ministries to provide breakfast every morning and lunch five days a week. Now, that same Melting Pot offers the Open Door worship service as an outreach to downtown.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church as they celebrate 150 years of ministering to the needs of their community, region, and world. They represent the strong faith of the First Congressional District of Tennessee, and I am proud to represent them and wish them great success in the next 150 years.

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