H.R. No. 167
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, Reverend Curtis R. Lucas, the pastor of Mount Carmel
    1-2  Missionary Baptist Church in Richmond, was honored as the Small
    1-3  Community Minister of the Year at the 49th annual Town and Country
    1-4  Church Conference in October 1994, and this special recognition is
    1-5  indeed well deserved; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, In selecting Reverend Lucas as the first recipient
    1-7  of this award, members of the awards committee acknowledged that it
    1-8  was time to pay tribute to a minister in a rural setting whose
    1-9  congregation is faced with many of the same problems as those found
   1-10  in urban settings without the commensurate urban resources to solve
   1-11  them, a criterion that would aptly describe the conditions that
   1-12  were prevalent in Richmond when Reverend Lucas first arrived on the
   1-13  scene; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church is located on
   1-15  the north side of Richmond and has long served as the black
   1-16  community's social, religious, and educational center; in spite of
   1-17  the proximity of this thriving congregation, the surrounding area
   1-18  had fallen into disrepair and become neglected, causing tremendous
   1-19  apathy on the part of area citizens; and
   1-20        WHEREAS, When Reverend Lucas was called to the pastorate of
   1-21  Mount Carmel in 1992, he concluded that the church needed to take
   1-22  charge of its community and address the many serious issues
   1-23  affecting the lives of area residents, and he accepted this
   1-24  significant challenge with characteristic enthusiasm and
    2-1  determination; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, This fine gentleman learned the value of hard work
    2-3  from an early age; he was one of 12 children reared on a farm in
    2-4  rural Louisiana and, at age 10, moved with his family to Las Vegas,
    2-5  where his mother found employment after the passing of her husband;
    2-6  and
    2-7        WHEREAS, Reverend Lucas was graduated from high school in Las
    2-8  Vegas, the city where he met his future wife, Mary, and he earned
    2-9  his bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Nevada at
   2-10  Las Vegas, which had awarded him a four-year scholarship; and
   2-11        WHEREAS, Having worked for a number of years in the field
   2-12  that he chose only because of the availability of a scholarship,
   2-13  Reverend Lucas decided it was time for a new direction in his life
   2-14  and went into the ministry, starting a church in Missouri City; and
   2-15        WHEREAS, After seven years, he was called to Mount Carmel,
   2-16  beginning what would prove to be an exceptionally vibrant and
   2-17  rewarding period of progress for both the church and the
   2-18  surrounding community; since his arrival, more than $1 million in
   2-19  federal funds have been put to good use in north Richmond to
   2-20  improve housing, remove substandard housing, and provide for new
   2-21  drainage; and
   2-22        WHEREAS, The church has met with representatives of the Lamar
   2-23  Consolidated Independent School District concerning minority
   2-24  teachers and school facilities in the neighborhood and has
   2-25  addressed various levels of local government seeking improvements
   2-26  to area streets and lighting; and
   2-27        WHEREAS, Other worthy projects that have succeeded as a
    3-1  result of Reverend Lucas's leadership include the establishment of
    3-2  a computer learning center in the neighborhood, the funding of
    3-3  prevention programs by an $818,000 grant from the Texas Commission
    3-4  on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the organization of a neighborhood watch
    3-5  program, and the provision of an annual meal held by the church for
    3-6  more than 500 people in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King,
    3-7  Jr.'s, birthday; and
    3-8        WHEREAS, With sincerity and passion, Reverend Lucas has
    3-9  inspired all who know him with his ability to organize people in a
   3-10  manner that will make a positive difference in the lives of others;
   3-11  his outstanding efforts have resulted in a new sense of pride among
   3-12  the members of his congregation and community and truly merit our
   3-13  highest praise and commendation; now, therefore, be it
   3-14        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   3-15  Legislature hereby congratulate Reverend Curtis R. Lucas on being
   3-16  named Small Community Minister of the Year and commend him for the
   3-17  many significant contributions he has made to the betterment of his
   3-18  community; and, be it further
   3-19        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   3-20  prepared for Reverend Lucas as an expression of highest regard by
   3-21  the Texas House of Representatives.