[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 60 (Wednesday, May 13, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO QUINN CHAPEL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

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                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 13, 1998

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Quinn Chapel 
African Methodist Episcopal Church of Sumter, South Carolina. This 
Church has provided a means of worship to the Sumter community for one 
hundred and fifty years, an anniversary which underscores the important 
role the Church plays in the Sumter community. It was my great honor to 
worship with the congregation March 15th as they celebrated this 
momentous occasion.
  The precise date of the Church's construction is unknown. The 
building was originally erected in the first half of the nineteenth 
century, but Quinn Chapel African Methodist Church was burned to the 
ground a few years ago later when the adjacent school building caught 
fire. In the absence of a physical church building, members used a 
``bush shed'' for worship. Rebuilt in 1864, the Church stood for the 
next 98 years until 1962.
  A new sanctuary was erected in 1964 under the leadership of the 
Reverend B.J. Johnson, and in 1993, the Memorial Hall was added under 
Reverend H.H. Felix. Family and friends of the Church provided 
leadership and funds for the initial building phase, and the Hall was 
dedicated in September of 1993. In January 1996, renovation of the 
sanctuary and bathroom facilities was completed under Reverend F.J. 
Gadson, whose vision of an enlarged sanctuary and new educational 
building was realized in October of 1996.
  Throughout the physical changes, Quinn Chapel African Methodist 
Episcopal Church has held true to its mission to be an outreach 
ministry that provides support and relief to the disheartened, 
disadvantaged, and disenfranchised. The Church continues to serve the 
Sumter community by being a loving ambassador for Christ.
  I ask that Congress join me in showing true appreciation for Quinn 
Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church as it continues to play such 
an important role in South Carolina, guiding Christian men, women, and 
children in their daily lives. The Sumter community is indebted to the 
Church, as the gift of love is difficult to repay. I congratulate the 
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church as it reaches a 
landmark One Hundred Fiftieth Anniversary.

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