[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE FORD CENTER AND BETHEL A.M.E. CHURCH: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE 
                         ASBURY PARK COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 5, 1999

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, July 10, 1999, the Bethel 
African Methodist Episcopal Church of Asbury Park, NJ, dedicated the 
Bethel Ford Center and Community Development Corporation. The 
successful completion of the major improvements at the center is a 
testimony to the long-standing commitment of both the Bethel AME 
Church, and of the two great community leaders for whom it is named, 
Mr. and Mrs. William Benjamin Ford.
  The Ford Center is a community outreach program serving Asbury Park 
and surrounding communities. Its mission includes decreasing hunger, 
providing clothing and offering education and training to improve 
marketable skills. Dedicated volunteers and professional staff help to 
provide a food pantry, a clothes closet, computer training, academic 
remediation, and advise on employability and life skills.
  Mr. William Benjamin Ford and Mrs. Willie Mae Taylor Ford, native of 
Florida, moved to the Jersey Shore in the early 1930s. The Fords were 
pillars in Bethel AME Church and throughout the community for more than 
25 years. Mr. Ford served as Pastor Steward, Class Leader and member of 
the Lay Organization for many years. He was an employee of the Asbury 
Park Press for 50 years. Mrs. Ford served Bethel as a Stewardess, 
Trustee, Missionary, Class Leader, member of the Gospel Chorus and 
Senior Choir. She operated the Modernistic Beauty Shop in Asbury Park 
for over 25 years.
  The Fords' dedication to serving Bethel lasted throughout their 
lives, and it still lives through their son, Mr. Greeley Ford. In 1998, 
Mr. Greeley Ford, who attended Bethel Church as a child and young 
adult, deeded the property on Atkins Avenue that had been the 
Modernistic Beauty Shop.
  Incorporated in 1879, Bethel Church was one of the first churches in 
Asbury Park. According to the tradition related by the Church's 
founders, the organization took place in 1869 under the direction of 
the Rev. John Cornish. The group had been holding services in a tent at 
what is now known as the 900 block of Lake Avenue when Mr. James A. 
Bradley, founder of Asbury Park, proposed a permanent church home and 
deeded the land, at the southwest corner of Second Avenue and Main 
Street, in 1893. The congregation worshipped at this site until 1949. 
The property was sold to a car dealership, who soon demolished the 
landmark building. The new church home located at the corner of 
Langford Street and Cookman Avenue, was the former Sons of Israel 
Synagogue, also a landmark since 1883. Services were held here for the 
first time on March 6, 1949. The church was renovated in 1954 and again 
in 1990, while improvements have been made and new amenities have 
consistently been added throughout the years. In March 1997, the 
present minister, the Rev. John C. Justice, was appointed to Bethel. 
Pastor Justice's leadership has seen a continued increase in the number 
of members of the Congregation and the Fellowship at Bethel.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join with the members of Bethel AME Church 
and the entire Asbury Park community in welcoming the Ford Center and 
saluting all those who helped make it a reality.

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