Jason Smith

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Linda McKinnis of Cape Girardeau for her charitable work in Southeast Missouri. An event and wedding designer by profession, Ms. McKinnis volunteers her design expertise to a number of local groups. She has provided design services for the United Way of Southeast Missouri, the Southeast Missouri University Booster Club, and La Croix United Methodist Church. Most notably, Ms. McKinnis founded the International Crisis Aid, Heartland hub dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking in the United States. She has worked to raise money and spread awareness of the issue of sex trafficking by selling ICA's can tab bracelets. She has inspired many more people to volunteer and advocate on behalf of this important issue. I offer congratulations to Ms. McKinnis on her outstanding achievements and look forward to her future work in the Cape Girardeau community.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Julie Metzger of Cape Girardeau, Missouri for her achievements and impact in the community. A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and St. Louis University, Ms. Metzger now serves as the Director of Case Management and Social Services at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She provides education, support, counseling, crisis intervention, and advocacy to patients and their families during difficult times. She has also published educational materials to help other volunteers and professionals in the social work field. Ms. Metzger also mentors and supervises student interns from a number of local universities. In addition to her social work, Ms. Metzger volunteers for many councils and foundations such as the American Cancer Society, Reach to Recovery, American Academy of Bereavement, the American Case Management Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates. Ms. Metzger has managed to achieve so much and help so many people, all the while fighting a battle with breast cancer. Having reached the five-year mark as a cancer survivor, she has used her experience to educate and support other women fighting cancer. Ms. Metzger has provided hope and inspiration for so many women and I truly admire her strength and dedication to helping others.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Dawn Dauer of Cape Girardeau, Missouri for her outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the local community. Ms. Dauer currently works as a Community Bank President for the Bank of Missouri and serves in the Young Bankers Division and on the Government Relations Committee of the Missouri Bankers Association. Outside of work, she is heavily involved in several different community organizations including the Saint Francis Medical Center Foundation Board, the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation Board, the Missouri Innovation Corporation Board of Directors, the Evangel University Alumni Board of Directors, the Old Town Cape Economic Restructuring Committee, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, and Cape First Church. Ms. Dauer enjoys being able to mentor students from Evangel University in their career and life decisions. She reaches out to young women who are right out of college or trying to find a career path, and guides them to be the best they can be. Ms. Dauer sees her volunteerism and work in the community as her own form of ministry. I am grateful that we have such caring and hardworking members of the Cape Girardeau community, such as Ms. Dawn Dauer. It is my pleasure to recognize her achievement before the House of Representatives.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, yesterday people across this country were shocked to learn that families of troops who died in combat are being denied death benefits, including a fellow Missourian. Like so many in my district, I was appalled to see news reports showing so little respect or care for the families of troops who made the ultimate sacrifice. Many issues divide us in this body, but surely Democrats and Republicans can come together to support our troops and to support their families. This issue should rise above any political divide. Troops who lay down their lives in battle should never be forgotten or forsaken by their government. Today, the House will vote on H.J. Res. 91, Honoring the Families of Fallen Soldiers. I am hopeful this legislation will then be taken up immediately by the Senate and then quickly signed into law by President Obama. We must correct this wrong. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I ask every American to join me in prayer for the troops we have lost and for their families who were forgotten by our government.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, President Obama must stop playing politics with our National Park System. The parks belong to every American and should not be held hostage in President Obama's political game. In the 1960s, the Federal Government established the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in south central Missouri under the guise of protecting the rivers and forests for all Missourians. Some 50 years later, President Obama is taking away our access. The riverways do not belong to President Obama. They belong to my constituents. Mr. Speaker, President Obama is working to make his shutdown as painful as possible. The President has barricaded parks and monuments across the country, including the open-air World War II Memorial in Washington. It costs more money to barricade the monuments than it would to leave them open. The national parks do not belong to President Obama. The parks belong to every American. It's time for President Obama to open our national parks. It's time for President Obama to stop playing politics with our parks.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Thank you very much. It's a great honor to be here this evening to talk about the effects that ObamaCare has on the folks in rural Missouri. I also want to thank my colleague and my neighbor just west of me in Missouri, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, for having us and for putting on this Special Order. Just over a week ago, I posted a question on my Facebook page asking the folks back home to give me examples and comments of how ObamaCare has affected them. It's amazing. We were inundated with people and just different story after story. I want to share a few of those stories of real families that are facing the struggles of ObamaCare back home. We have folks all the time that ask, Is the fight worth it? Is the fight worth defunding and delaying ObamaCare? And I'll let you all decide. But let me give you a few examples. Paul from East Prairie, down in Missouri County, in Missouri, wrote on Facebook that he checked to see what his insurance premiums would be next year after ObamaCare completely goes into effect. Paul and his family would be forced to pay $1,035 a month, with a sky-high deductible of $12,700. Paul said he could get coverage from his wife's employer--his wife is a teacher--but with increased costs. The employer's insurance for their family plan would take his wife's entire paycheck because of the new regulations under the Affordable Care Act, which is everything but affordable. Madam Speaker, I ask, Is the fight to defund ObamaCare worth it? Let me give you another example. Another constituent, Noel, said he has worked for 35 hours every year for the last 12 years. But, guess what, his employer now has changed it to where he only works 28 hours a week. Guess why? Because of the new regulations under ObamaCare. Is the fight worth it for Noel? Donald from Festus, Missouri, just south of St. Louis, told me that his health care premiums are rising from $480 to $740 per month. He went on to say that because of his increased insurance costs, he will be contributing $3,000 less a year to our Nation's economy. Madam Speaker, do you think fighting ObamaCare is worth it? These are just a few examples of my constituents. These are real people, President Obama. These are people that are affected and are required to be in this program, which you are not required to be a part of, which the Vice President of the United States is not required to be a part of, which Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are not required to be a part of. This is wrong, folks. This is completely wrong. In the last week, this body has voted to defund and to delay ObamaCare because it is worth the fight. Democrats in the United States Senate must now justify to the American people why the individual mandate is too harmful for businesses and unions, but should still be forced on families and individuals. The Senate must justify why special interests are eligible for waivers and delays while average Americans will be hit with an ObamaCare's tsunami of mandates, fines, and confusion. Madam Speaker, the fight to defund ObamaCare is a good fight to have, and I will keep fighting until folks in my district are treated the same way as big businesses and special interests. Madam Speaker, this fight is about fairness. The fight is about families in my district who are seeing skyrocketing insurance premiums and lost wages and lost jobs. Madam Speaker, this is a fight worth fighting for.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today about fairness. Last night, I sent a letter to our Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives asking that my salary be withheld during this government shutdown. Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress are no better than anyone else in the State of Missouri or the United States. Families in my district and across the country are facing furloughs because President Obama and the Senate Democrats refuse to work and cooperate with House Republicans to stop the negative impact ObamaCare will have on our economy and our health care system. Senate leaders and President Obama must be willing to work with conservatives here in the House. While our government is shut down, I'm refusing my congressional salary because Members of Congress should not be treated any differently than any other American; and I urge every colleague and every Senator to do the same.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Missouri State University--West Plains on 50 years of service to South Central Missouri. September 16, 2013 marked the exact date 50 years ago the university began offering classes at the West Plains campus. Since the campus opened its doors, MSU--West Plains has provided area residents with access to affordable and quality education. I applaud hard work of the university staff and the continued support of the surrounding community that has helped the West Plains campus thrive since 1963. The university has expanded significantly since its founding, with an average enrollment of 2,200 students. This institution has also been recognized as one of the top two-year schools in the nation and as a military friendly school. Transforming the landscape of education in the region, MSU--West Plains has had a significant impact on the lives of many local Missourians. Over 700 community members attended the 50th anniversary celebration, during which a time capsule was created to be opened 50 years from now. I offer the highest congratulations to Missouri State University-- West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett and Missouri State University System President Clif Smart on this accomplishment. I look forward to another 50 years of success for Missouri State University--West Plains.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, Deficit Day is the symbolic day each calendar year when the Federal Government runs out of money and begins adding to the already enormous debt. Despite the $2.7 trillion the government is estimated to collect this year from taxes, tariffs, fees, and other sources on a calendar-year basis, the money ran out this past Wednesday, September 25. As the debt limit approaches in mid-October, the Federal Government continues to spend money it does not have on things that Americans do not want. Washington is projected to spend over $10 billion per day; and from this point until December 31, every dollar that it spends from this point on adds to our enormous national debt, which is already nearly $17 trillion. In the last 4 years, Congress has raised the debt limit seven times; and, today, the debt for every man, woman, and child averages over $53,000 per person. Mr. Speaker, families and small businesses from across the United States are forced to live within their means. The Federal Government should be held to the same standard. If my friends back in my home State of Missouri can successfully balance their budgets each year, we should be capable of doing the right thing here in Washington, D.C. That is why I introduced an amendment to the Constitution to require the government to produce a balanced budget each and every year. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with all my House and Senate colleagues to pass a budget, to balance a budget, and to reduce our national debt. [From the Wall Street Journal, Sept. 24, 2013] Happy Deficit Day, Uncle Sam (By James R. Harrigan and Antony Davies) ``Deficit Day'' is here again, marking the day the U.S. government runs out of money and begins adding to the nation's already-enormous debt. Despite the $2.7 trillion the federal government collects every year from Americans in the form of income, payroll, corporate, estate and excise taxes, as well as tariffs, fees and other sources, on a calendar year basis the money runs out Sept. 25, at around 3 p.m. Washington is spending at the rate of over $10 billion per day and from this point until Dec. 31 every dollar it spends will add to the nation's debt--which is already nearly $17 trillion. (This is a separate calculation from the overall federal debt limit, which will be reached in the next few weeks.) The closer the government comes to balancing the budget, the further it pushes Deficit Day toward the end of the year. So it's good news that the federal government runs out of money 16 days later this year than last. But the underlying reality is much less rosy: Despite the repeal of the payroll- tax cut--a move that cost the average American family $1,000 this year--there are still 97 days left in the year for which the federal government has no income. Income, or no income, the government certainly won't stop spending. This is not fiscal responsibility. Through the payroll tax, the government has simply raised tax revenues at the expense of people who are already overtaxed. Had the government simply held spending constant from last year, Deficit Day would have been shifted 30 days into the future, not 16. But a politician with more money in his hand is a politician who will soon be on a spending spree. In the 54 years since 1960, the federal government has managed to achieve a unified budget surplus only six times. And what, you may ask, is a ``unified budget?'' It's when the government treats the $33 billion that it will borrow from Social Security this year the same way it treats tax revenue, instead of the debt it is. Imagine borrowing from your IRA while you are still working and calling the borrowed money income. The government managed to get by without such a fudge only six times in half a century. This year's Deficit Day of Sept. 25 is the fifth earliest we have had since 1960, which puts current spending in grim perspective. Since 2009, though, Deficit Day has actually crept steadily forward at the rate of about two weeks per year. If that trend continues, we can expect Deficit Day to hit Dec. 31, finally, in about eight years. But that's assuming Washington can go eight years without instituting any new spending. In a fiscally responsible world, the $2.7 trillion in taxes the federal government will collect this year would provide a hard limit on spending. But in the world our leaders have created, the federal government will spend over 35% more than this in 2013. After that it will just keep right on spending money it does not have, passing the debt and the hard political choices to citizens yet unborn and politicians yet unelected. There are only a few possible eventual outcomes if this continues: The government will either print money to pay for its deficits, unleashing unprecedented inflation; it will gut social programs like Social Security and Medicare; or it will dramatically increase taxes on everyone down to, and including, the middle class. The laws of mathematics can't be rewritten by political desires or ``unified budget'' accounting gymnastics. Our leaders need to face the truth and get our country's fiscal house in order before Deficit Day becomes Bankruptcy Day.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Willow Springs High School for being named a 2013 National Blue Ribbon School. Willow Springs was one of just 286 schools selected from across the country to receive this honor. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for high levels of student achievement or for significant improvements in students' academic achievement. Willow Springs was named an Exemplary High Performing School. I am extremely proud of the hard work of the students, as well as the continued efforts of the faculty, parents, and community to ensure that students succeed and the achievement gap is closed. Willow Springs' students have scored at the top of national tests and assessments in reading and mathematics. Concentrated efforts on improving curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment methods have clearly paid off. This prestigious honor proves that every student can succeed and meet the high expectations that are set for them. I hope Willow Springs can serve as a model for other schools in my district and throughout the entire state of Missouri. I look forward to the awards ceremony in November here in Washington, D.C. Again, I want to congratulate Willow Springs High School principal, Mrs. Jimalee James, and superintendent, Derrick Hutsell, for this great achievement.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, when I talk to folks back home in my rural Missouri district, it remains clear that our families and businesses want to defund ObamaCare. As time goes on, the list of problems with the President's health care mandate continues to get longer. The reality of rising premiums, job-killing mandates, and jeopardized patient care are proof that this unworkable legislation must be stopped. Today the House of Representatives will vote to defund President Obama's health care law. The vote will be a victory for my constituents who are adamantly opposed to ObamaCare and the disastrous impact it will have on our rural economy. After the House of Representatives votes to defund ObamaCare today, the United States Senate must justify to the American people why ObamaCare is too harmful for businesses but should still be forced on families and individuals. The Senate must justify why special interests are eligible for waivers and delays while average Americans will be hit with ObamaCare's tsunami of mandates, fines, and confusions. Madam Speaker, I urge the United States Senate to follow the House's lead and defund ObamaCare.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me begin first by saying I fully support increasing the timber harvest on Federal lands, and I'm excited for the opportunity to create jobs and stimulate the economy in my rural Missouri district. The issue that my amendment deals with, prescribed fires within the Mark Twain National Forest, is a symptom of the larger problem that H.R. 1526 seeks to fix. To put it simply, our national forest system could be better managed. Fifty million board feet of timber, with an estimated value of $4.75 million, dies every year in the Mark Twain National Forest. Only 38 million board feet of timber, with an estimated value of $4.37 million, is harvested. There are individuals ready, willing, and able to harvest the timber, but they are prevented from acting by the Federal Government. The Forest Service has made the harvest problem even worse by burning whole swaths of harvestable acreage. While prescribed fire has been used in the past as an effective technique to manage and prevent forest fires, in this instance the fires are being used to change the landscape of the area from its current forested state to pine-oak woodlands. I have personally visited sites where trees that could be harvested for timber are being burned. Folks, it just doesn't make sense to be burning this timber that could be used to bring new jobs and economic prosperity to my district. The forest products industry in my district is alive and well, and we certainly could make use of these trees that are instead being burned. The wood flooring, the barrel industry, and timber and charcoal industries are major employers in my district that will put people back to work turning these trees into valuable finished products. My constituents who have evaluated the impacts of the initial prescribed fires are very concerned about the results. The large size of the burns and the failure to utilize cut hardwoods has created a residual forest condition with scorched trees and bare mineral soil. A number of trees the burns intended to promote were exposed to excessive heat, which has caused these trees to die unnecessarily. The burns have also caused the forest floor to become more susceptible to erosion. As a result of this situation, we need to place a moratorium on these prescribed fires in the Mark Twain National Forest until such time as their effects on the forest can be determined. I wrote a letter to the Forest Service in August, along with five of my colleagues from Missouri, seeking this information and have yet to receive a response. I ask this body to approve my amendment so that we can get more information from the Forest Service about this situation and that in the meantime more of our valuable Missouri hardwoods will not be indiscriminately burned.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I commend the Congressman for recognizing the need to correct a major supply chain vulnerability in the United States, that of critical and strategic minerals. Many of us in Congress only heard of the concept of strategic minerals after we became lawmakers. Most of the time, we hear about exotic elements at the bottom of the periodic table like neodymium and europium, but the fact is that we are facing down potentially devastating supply disruptions for a much more familiar material, lead. In my district, we know a lot about lead because my district produces more lead than any other district in the Nation. We rely on lead for everything from bullets, missiles, ships and tanks, to batteries for vehicles and energy storage, to TV and computer screens, to storing nuclear waste. Almost every one of us drives a car powered by a lead- acid battery. It may be hard to believe that lead could be a strategic vulnerability for the United States because we have used it in so many products for over a century. Over the past generation, we have taken lead out of things like gasoline and paint to help protect human health. But the fact is lead is still crucial as a critical material that we use safely in a vast number of American-manufactured technologies. There is only one primary lead producer remaining in the United States today, and that facility is scheduled to close at the end of 2013. And environmental regulations are making it more and more difficult for lead producers to extract and process economically. Today, China produces three times the lead that the United States produces, and our global market share is shrinking. At the same time, global demand for lead is expected to grow by 5 to 6 percent a year, increasing prices and competition for our domestic resources. American innovators are working hard to improve the efficiency of lead production and make sure as many lead-acid batteries as possible are recycled so their contents can be repurposed. But the U.S. simply cannot meet its national security needs and commercialize important new technologies without a more robust, secure supply. I hope that H.R. 761 will open doors for lead production in the United States, and that any future legislative efforts on critical minerals will also account for lead supplies.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 367, the REINS Act of 2013. As a member of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and a cosponsor, I am pleased to see a good reform bill like REINS come to the floor. Regulations impose hundreds of billions of dollars--in fact, trillions of dollars--on family farmers and small businesses, which significantly affect our economy and job creation in southeast Missouri. Businesses and individuals face an uncertain regulatory future, and this gives them pause as they seek to start or grow their businesses to encourage economic growth and create jobs. The REINS bill adds just a little more certainty to the process. It allows these individuals to hear about regulations and give input to Congress before they vote up or down on an agency rule. As I travel across Missouri, I always run into business owners, family farmers, and individuals who have felt the sting of government and their overreach, with the over 170,000 pages of rules and regulations affecting their lives. The ``pie in the sky'' regulations here in D.C. have real effects back home. The voice of the American people through their elected representatives should be the determining factor in government regulation, not that of a beltway bureaucrat. I urge adoption of the REINS Act.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, as I have traveled across the Eighth Congressional District of Missouri from my hometown of Salem to the Ozark Hills in Wright County, Douglas, Howell County, to the banks of the Mississippi River, one of the largest concerns that my constituents have is the uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act. Individuals are concerned about the relationship with their doctor and what their costs are going to be. Businesses are left with a tremendous uncertainty. They are understaffed because they are afraid to hire additional employees, and they're also firing employees just to fall below the 50 individual threshold. The effects of the Affordable Care Act are adversely affecting health care and the jobs of folks all across this great country. That is why I'm offering my amendment to revise the definition of major regulations to include any regulation under the Affordable Care Act. With over 3,000 pages of Federal regulations already issued, and many more to follow, Congress must prevent this widely unsupported law from causing further damage to our health care system. Mr. Chairman, there is broad bipartisan opposition to the Affordable Care Act. The administration has demonstrated its own certainty through the delays to several key provisions of the bill. Congress must assert its role in oversight and give the American people their voice back in government, away from the bureaucrats. My amendment does just that. I urge adoption of the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the fine gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, this is truly a jobs bill. When you're looking at over 170,000 pages of Federal rules and regulations that affect jobs, this amendment will help alleviate that. As I've traveled across the Eighth Congressional District, I've had businesses, one after the other, that said they had 56 employees. Well, they were going to reduce those employees because of one piece of legislation that was passed out of this Chamber that Congress never even took the time to read until after they passed it, and yet they've even passed it. The problem with the Affordable Care Act is it affects more than one- sixth of our Nation's economy; and because of the burdensome regulations that are being promulgated from the Affordable Care Act, businesses are scared to death to hire additional employees, and they are firing additional employees. I have had restaurant owners in our district that have sold restaurants because they want to fall below the 50-employee mark. Folks, this is a jobs bill. Less government regulation that is breaking the backs of small businesses is what we need to do to turn this country around. Mr. Chairman, I ask this body to adopt this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a Morley, Missouri native--first round Washington Wizards NBA draft pick Otto Porter Jr. Mr. Porter is not only known for his outstanding athletic abilities as a versatile small forward, but also for his achievements off the court. Otto's parents, both of whom won state championships at Scott County Central High School, instilled commendable values in their son. In particular, the importance of education and holding onto his small-town roots has motivated Otto's strong work ethic and his ability to succeed on and off the court. Instead of focusing his time on the national AAU circuit in high school, Otto Porter worked a summer job, advanced his individual game with the help of his father and participated in select events with his high school team. As a Scott County Central high school senior, Mr. Porter led the Braves to a 29-2 record, averaging 30 points and 14 rebounds a game. After graduating, Mr. Porter signed a letter of intent with the Georgetown Hoyas. Although he dazzled fans off the bench as a freshman, it wasn't until his exceptional sophomore season that his name was pushed towards the top of the NBA lottery. After averaging 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds per game his sophomore season and shooting 42.2 percent from the three-point range, Otto was unanimously voted Big East Player of the Year by league coaches. Otto's excellent basketball IQ, high motor skills and improved shooting range make him a strong asset to the Washington Wizards for the upcoming NBA season and years to come.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, the Fellowship General Baptist Church is commemorating the milestone occasion of its Fortieth Anniversary in 2013, having served the community of Poplar Bluff for four decades since its official organization on July 15, 1973. The church traces its beginnings to April 5, 1973, when a group of faithful Baptists met for the first time at the Town and Country Restaurant in Poplar Bluff. On May 2, 1973, Fellowship General Baptist Church was organized into a mission with a charter membership of eighty-one individuals under the pastoral leadership of Kenneth Kennedy, Leland Duncan, Ernie Rogers, John Clanton, and Riley Mathias. The congregation broke ground for a permanent house of worship on July 21, 1974, and celebrated their first meeting in the complete church building on January 5, 1975 and over the years, the congregation at Fellowship General Baptist has been blessed with the leadership of three pastors: Dr. Onis Chapman (1976-79), Dr. Kenneth Kennedy (1978-87), and the Reverend Byron Beck (1987-present). Members of the Fellowship General Baptist Church have consistently been the top financial supporter of the General Baptist Denomination, while successfully participating in outreach programs including Fellowship of Acceptance, Divorce Care, Salt and Light Sundays, Salvation Army, Living Water International and Grief Share. The congregation of Fellowship General Baptist Church, now 781 members strong, prepares to minister to the community for a fifth decade.