[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 126 (Tuesday, October 1, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H6789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMEMORATING THE 136TH ANNIVERSARY OF BETHEL AFRICAN METHODIST 
                            EPISCOPAL CHURCH

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday our family was 
honored to be special guests for the 136th anniversary service of 
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina.
  Bethel has a rich history that is interwoven into the history of the 
city of Columbia, as well as the State of South Carolina. The church 
was organized 1 year after the close of the Civil War. It has built 
several historic sanctuaries, and during construction in 1921, the 
Bethel congregation worshipped in my family's home church, First 
Presbyterian of Columbia, ARP.
  Reverend Ronnie E. Brailsford, Sr., with his first lady Carolyn, has 
been pastor of Bethel AME Church since 1992, inspiring a renaissance 
and revival. The membership has quadrupled to over 1,100 members, and 
the campus of sanctuary and support buildings make it one of the 
largest African Methodist Episcopal-owned campuses in the world.
  The anniversary address was presented by Bethel native son Bishop 
John Hurst Adams, senior bishop of the 11th Episcopal District of 
Florida.
  God has truly blessed this dear congregation, but a beloved hymn 
during the service was prophetic, ``The Best Is Yet To Come.''

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