[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 214 (Friday, December 29, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN RECOGNITION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. PAUL AME CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 29, 2017

  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate the 
St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church of Winchester, Virginia, on 
the celebration of its 150th anniversary. In 1867, only two years after 
the end of slavery, a small group of devout Christians in Winchester 
met in the home of Jacob Randolph and Mary Catherine Martin to begin 
organizing one of the first 50 chartered AME churches in the nation. 
The initial concept of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church 
grew out of the Free African Society that was established in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787. In response to ``unkind treatment'' 
and discriminatory practices at St. George's Methodist Church in 
Philadelphia, Richard Allen, Absalom Jones and other African Americans 
withdrew from the church to eventually form the national AME Church in 
1816, providing people of African descent, who have the same potential 
and worth as anyone else, the self-respect, dignity and freedom to 
worship God that they deserved. The history of St. Paul AME church is 
the story of a close-knit African-American congregation of Christian 
disciples located within the Fort Loudoun community of Winchester. 
Because of its close ties with black and white families in the 
community, the church has been a spiritual center of the society, 
regularly ringing its massive 650 pound bell on important days of the 
Christian calendar and important occurrences, such as weddings and 
funerals, for the St. Paul congregation, itself. In fact, St. Paul was 
the first church in Winchester to recognize the end of World War I with 
the ringing of its bell on Armistice Day.
  Despite hardships brought on by the impacts of slavery that had 
recently ended, and the destructive impacts of segregation that 
continued for decades into the 20th Century, St. Paul AME Church has 
been an important force for good and for justice in the Winchester 
community. As leaders in the civil rights movement, the congregation 
hosted the Pastor's Alliance of Winchester as it began the first 
Winchester chapter of the NAACP in 1915. In collaboration with other 
churches, the St. Paul congregation has consistently done good works in 
the northern Shenandoah Valley, such as supporting the ``Showers for 
Souls'' program for the homeless at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and with 
its emphasis on education, the church has a long tradition of 
supporting the Freemont Street Nursery and giving scholarships to high 
school seniors as they embark on higher education and providing 
financial and spiritual support for these scholars throughout their 
years in college.
  In 2004, a remarkable thing happened in the history of the church. A 
significant leap of faith, similar to the one that started the church, 
was taken by the church's pastor, Rev. Kevin Wilson, and the leadership 
of the congregation. After more than a century of use, the church 
building was in significant need of repairs. Overcoming their own 
pride, the congregation let the surrounding community know about their 
predicament and was surprised by the amazingly generous response of the 
residents of the northern Shenandoah Valley, both black and white. 
Through the raising of significant funds, the generous volunteering of 
time and effort and the excellent leadership of contractor Shockey and 
Sons, in collaboration with members of the congregation, such as Mr. 
Bill Buckner, a beautifully renovated church, that is a historic 
landmark of the City of Winchester, was reopened in 2005. Over the 
years, the abundant goodwill that had been created by acts of faith and 
love of hundreds of Christian disciples at St. Paul AME Church, 
resulted in an incredible outpouring of love and generosity in return.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Reverend Kevin Wilson and the congregation of St. Paul 
AME Church, and all those pastors and lay members who preceded them, 
for being the strong, loving body of Christ that God intended them to 
be. As the next 150 years unfold, may the bell of St. Paul AME Church 
toll again over the community that it has served so faithfully.

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