[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CELEBRATING 120 YEARS OF SERVICE AND SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

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                          HON. HEATHER WILSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 11, 2002

  Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share the 
story of the Grant Chapel Church in my hometown of Albuquerque, New 
Mexico. The church was founded in 1882 as the ``Colored Methodist 
Mission'' by a group of local African Americans. It was built as a 
place for them to worship in dignity and respect. As one of the oldest 
African American churches in the Southwest, the church has provided 
spiritual guidance and refuge to Albuquerque communities for many 
years.
  In 1883, the New Mexico Township, Inc. awarded several plots of lands 
to businesses and churches to promote development in the town that has 
become the Albuquerque we know today. The Colored Methodist Mission was 
only one of five churches to receive this gift from the city.
  The Grant Chapel Church has changed hands over the years and has had 
some fifty ministers serve its congregation throughout the 120-year 
history. In 1905, the church was renamed for Bishop Abram Grant, the 
presiding prelate of the 5th Episcopal District. The faithful members 
of this congregation built a church house in a Southwestern style in 
1952 and served the community there for nearly fifty years before 
moving to a new location in 1990, where it remains today and continues 
to serve.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating this church for 120 
years of service and spiritual guidance to the Albuquerque communities.




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