[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 142 (Saturday, October 10, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2034-E2035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TRIBUTE TO REID CHAPEL AME CHURCH OF SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 1998

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Reid 
Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Sumter, South Carolina. 
The Reid Chapel A.M.E. Church was organized as a Mission in the spring 
of 1952. The original founders of the church were: Rosa Bell Guess, 
Carlos Guess, Julia Banding, Evons Banding, Hester Jenkins, David 
Jenkins, Robin Cabbagestalk, Herbert Isaac Sr., Alice Gaines and Willie 
Gaines.
  After meeting every Sunday for approximately two years, Mr. and Mrs. 
Guess approached the Presiding Elder of the Sumter District, the late 
Rev. Marcellus F. Robinson and then pastor of Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church 
in Sumter, former Bishop of the Seventh Episcopal District the Rt. Rev. 
Frederick Calhoun James, who took their wishes to purchase property for 
a church to the late Bishop Frank Madison Reid, Sr. Bishop Reid agreed 
and shortly thereafter purchased the land and had a ground breaking 
ceremony. Within a year, the church was built and the dedicatory 
service was held in October 1955.
  The first stewards were Rosa Guess, Julia Banding and Robina 
Cabbagestalk and Hester Jenkins. The first trustees were Carlos Guess, 
Evons Banding, David Jenkins and Gus Allen. The first superintendent of 
the Sunday School was Gus Allen. The first church sextons were the 
Guess and Blanding children. Rosa Guess served as the church secretary. 
Thelma Guess and James Linton were the musicians and Choir directors. 
The first Sunday School teachers were Marguerite Guess, LeAnn Jenkins, 
and Annie Lee Green. The first pastor to be assigned to the church was 
the late Rev. Ben L. Burroughs of Kingstree, S.C.
  During the first revival services held at the church, nineteen youths 
came to Christ. Vacation Bible School was held during the summer. The 
first teachers were Marjorie Robinson, E. Mitz Pringle, Ruth Robinson, 
Deloris Ham and a few others. Softball and basketball games were 
sponsored by Reid Chapel, and sewing classes were conducted by Rosa 
Guess and the late Hallie B. Hampton.

[[Page E2035]]

  All Sunday School books and the other materials were donated by Mt. 
Pisgah A.M.E. Church. The piano, which is still being used, was given 
to the church by the late Elder Robinson. Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church 
family under the leadership of Rev. F.C. James donated the first set of 
pews and hymnals. During the 1970's, the church's attendance declined 
to less than five, and it became impossible to maintain a full time 
pastor. The church doors were closed. In the 1980s, Reid Chapel's doors 
were reopened. And in 1987, the Annual Conference connected Reid Chapel 
and St. Michael to form a circuit under the pastorate of Rev. Vermell 
Humes. After Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the mission closed again.
  At the 1991 Annual Conference, Bishop F.C. James appointed Rev. Eliza 
E. Black to pastor the closed mission. This new ``Venture of Faith'' 
began on September 19, 1991. The doors of Reid Chapel opened at 8:30 
AM. Arriving with the new pastor was her faithful and supporting spouse 
Theodore, her youngest daughter Antonia Black, two of her grandsons 
Michael and Renard Black, and a niece Amanda Johnson. By ten o'clock, 
twenty odd adults and children had come to welcome the new pastor and 
to share the first morning service ever in the 39 year old history of 
the mission. When the invitation to membership was extended, Reid 
Chapel received its first member, Willie M. Martin.
  In the Spring of 1994, Reid Chapel purchased a house adjacent to the 
church's property. Isaac Wims, a member of the community and supporter 
of Reid Chapel, completely renovated the two bedroom home as a special 
gift to the church. This property became Reid Chapel's Resource Center. 
Ground was broken for the Educational Building. It took the 
congregation only two years to complete the 2560 square foot edifice.
  The worship service was moved from the small original block sanctuary 
to the multipurpose room to the new Educational Building in November, 
1995. Church records reveal that there were times that more than 100 
worshipers packed into the pews of that little chapel. Many 
conversions, baptisms, weddings and funerals are logged in the church 
files. It took less than one conference year to complete the work on 
the sanctuary.
  Officially, Pastor Black was the contractor on record and provided 
the administrative functions. Her son Randolph Black, a Trustee of the 
church, a highly skilled brick mason and contractor, directed the work. 
He also laid many of the blocks himself. The building committee 
consisted of the faithful Stewards (Henry Murray, Rebecca Hall, Kenneth 
Black, Rosa Guess, and Marguerite Jones) and Trustees (Randolph Black, 
Debra Bradley, Almeta Murray, Margie Bradley, Christopher Hall, Rachael 
Madison, Elizabeth Mack, Besena Bradley and Collette Bradley). It was 
Randolph Black who received the vision and the plan to build the 
sanctuary furniture. Matthew Jones and Billy Olden assisted in 
executing the vision. These men literally built the chancellor rail, 
communion table, offering table and the flower stands. Margie Bradley 
assisted Billy Older in finishing the furniture. Most of the wood was 
donated by Debra Bradley. The decorative work was donated by Williams 
Furniture Company, Inc. Henry Murray continued to be the dutiful 
steward and helper.
  While the community has called this church Reid Chapel, the founding 
fathers legally identified the church as ``The Walnut Hill Community 
AME Church'' which remained the official name of the church until 
December 1997. At that time, proper documents were drawn up and 
presented to the Rev. Robert L. McCants, Presiding Elder of the Sumter 
District and the Rt. Rev. John Hurst Adams, the Presiding Bishop of the 
Seventh Episcopal district of the African AME Church to legally claim 
the known name, and the ``legal'' name Walnut Hill Community AME Church 
was officially removed from all documents.
  Today the Reid Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church stands ready 
to serve all of the citizens of the Walnut Hill Community, and the City 
and County of Sumter. I appreciate my colleagues joining me in honoring 
this great church and its outstanding leaders.

                          ____________________