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Congressional Daily Record
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April 27, 2026
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
of georgia
in the house of representatives
Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heart heavy, gratitude, and memory to pay tribute to Mulberry Street United Methodist Church on the occasion of its 200th anniversary. A bicentennial that reads like a hymn of endurance, an extended prayer answered by faithful hands across generations. A worship service to celebrate this remarkable milestone was held on Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Macon, Georgia.
frontier courthouse on the west bank of the Ocmulgee River. They cleared forest and laid beams, and in 1828 built a simple house of worship where, the gospel's promise was first made visible in Macon. From that modest beginning grew a congregation that hosted the first meeting of the Georgia Conference, birthed Sunday Schools that became new churches, and reached into neighborhoods with a compassion that always began at the foot of the altar.
Mulberry's history is punctuated by triumph and trial. In seasons of growth, it raised white columns and expanded its sanctuary; in lean seasons it answered cries for help with Sunday School classrooms, youth centers, dining
halls, and ministries to the hungry. The Great Depression tested the congregation's resolve in ways that measured not balance sheets but character; families who had pledged generously found livelihoods gone, yet members scrimped and sacrificed until the building debt was paid. A devastating fire in April 1965 gutted the sanctuary, but stained-glass windows were preserved and later installed in the rebuilt sanctuary opened in 1968—glass that now shines as a symbol that beauty and faith can survive flame. More recently, during the global pandemic, Mulberry became a lifeline: volunteers fed neighbors when jobs vanished; pastors and members made calls, left meals on porches, and sustained the isolated with prayer and presence.
certificate signed by Francis Asbury, night caps, a Darley Bible—but the true archive of Mulberry is the ledger of lives: the child fed, the student mentored, the widow comforted, the immigrant welcomed. The Youth Center that once teemed with young people, Macon Outreach's soup kitchen and pantry, global mission partnerships, and the many ministries that compose “The Mulberry Way” testify to a congregation that turns calamity into compassion.
We remember the silent sacrifices: the volunteers who mended roofs and hearts, the pastors who shepherded trembling souls, the families whose small gifts kept a mission alive. We honor the courage that rebuilt after storms, repurposed spaces for service, and answered every call with steadfast love.
its pastor, the Reverend Jack Varnell, whose pastoral tenderness and clear vision guide the congregation into this new century of witness. We are also blessed that Bishop Robin Dease served as the guest preacher for this commemorative service—a fitting voice to celebrate a congregation whose reach has spanned local streets and global fields.
Mr. Speaker, in honoring Mulberry Street United Methodist Church on its bicentennial, we honor an ethic: that faith is not merely spoken but lived; that worship must be joined to works of mercy; that a community's true wealth is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable. For 200 years this congregation has lived that ethic faithfully—surviving the Great Depression, rebuilding after fire, weathering wars, and answering when a modern pandemic called forth every compassion.
more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in congratulating Mulberry Street United Methodist Church on this bicentennial milestone. May Mulberry's lights continue to shine, its doors remain open, and its table welcome all who are weary. May God bless Mulberry Street Church, bless Pastor Jack Varnell, bless Bishop Robin Dease as she continues her work and may God bless the city of Macon, Georgia.