[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 154 (Monday, September 17, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6184-S6185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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TRIBUTE TO THE REV. DR. GRAINGER BROWNING, JR., AND THE REV. DR. JO ANN
BROWNING
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, this Sunday, I will have the honor
and pleasure of attending services at Ebenezer African Methodist
Episcopal, AME, Church in Fort Washington, MD to celebrate the 35th
anniversary of service to this wonderful church by my dear friends, the
Reverend Dr. Grainger Browning, Jr., and his wife, the Reverend Dr. Jo
Ann Browning.
Ebenezer AME Church's beginning is similar to the origin of many
other AME churches. In 1856, 13 Black members left Mt. Zion Methodist
Episcopal Church in Georgetown because of discrimination and
segregation. They erected a new church at 2727 O Street, NW, not far
from Mt. Zion. They named it ``Ebenezer'', meaning ``stone of help,'' a
reference to I Samuel 7:12. The congregation worshiped in the historic
Georgetown location for well over one century. By 1983, however, many
Black families had left Georgetown. Church membership fell to fewer
than 30 people, with a Sunday offering of only $200 per week.
With the vision, leadership, and support of Bishop John Hurst Adams--
the presiding prelate, Second Episcopal District at that time--the
Reverend Howard C. Wright as pastor, Dr. Joseph C. McKinney as the
African Methodist Church treasurer, and the Washington Conference Board
of Trustees, 17 faithful members moved to Fort Washington, MD, and the
church in Georgetown was sold.
One month following the move to a 500-seat sanctuary with a $3,500
monthly mortgage note and a $300 weekly offering, the Reverend Dr.
Grainger and Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning were called to serve the
Ebenezer family. The congregation soon outgrew the building and began
holding worship services at the Friendly High School auditorium in
1986. In 1994, having outgrown the 1,500-seat auditorium at ``Friendly
Ebenezer,'' members carried their faith pilgrimage to ``Ebenezer the
Beautiful,'' a 2,600-seat sanctuary on 33 acres of land. Many people
call the current church ``The Miracle on Allentown Road.''
The Reverend Dr. Grainger Browning, Jr., is the senior pastor of
Ebenezer AME Church. He is a 1974 graduate of Hampton University in
Hampton, VA, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in history
and education and was a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He was
awarded a master of divinity degree in 1982 from Howard University
Divinity School, where he was awarded the Benjamin E. Mays Theological
Fellowship. He received doctor of divinity degrees from Payne
Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, OH and from the AME University in
Monrovia, Liberia. Before Pastor Browning was called into ministry, he
was a high school educator with the Newton Massachusetts Public School
System, serving as department chairperson in social science. While he
was living in the Boston area, Pastor Browning was also vice president
of the Boston NAACP from 1982 to 1983.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Pastor Browning has ministered
extensively throughout the African continent, including Senegal,
Gambia, Lesotho, Zambia, South Africa, Liberia, and Egypt. He currently
serves as a member of the board of trustees for both Wilberforce
University--after serving as vice chairman from 2002 to 2006--and Payne
Theological Seminary. Pastor Browning is also a member of the board of
directors of the Rainbow/People United to Save Humanity, PUSH,
Coalition. In that capacity, he has traveled on several delegations
with the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., to Israel, Palestine, Sudan,
Libya, Lebanon, Syria, and Ghana, meeting with the heads of state in
each one of these countries.
Pastor Browning is married to the Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning,
copastor of Ebenezer AME Church. She graduated from Boston University
in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in Communications. She
received a master of divinity degree in 1986 and a doctorate of
ministry from Howard University School of Divinity in 1991. While at
Howard, she was a recipient of the Benjamin E. Mays and the Pew
Fellowships.
Pastor Browning immediately began assisting her husband and was hired
as assistant minister in 1985. She originally served as assistant
pastor. In 1998, Bishop Vinton R. Anderson, then presiding prelate of
the Second Episcopal District, made the unprecedented appointment
assigning the Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning as copastor of Ebenezer.
Since 2005, Bishop Adam J. Richardson has continued this groundbreaking
appointment.
In addition to her pastoral responsibilities, Pastor Browning has
preached, taught, and facilitated workshops throughout the United
States, Haiti, Bermuda, Barbados, Germany,
[[Page S6185]]
Israel, and South Africa. She is a widely recognized community leader
and has received numerous awards and accolades. In July 2002, for
instance, Pastor Browning was inducted as an honorary member into Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In 2006, she received an honorary doctor of
divinity degree from AME University in Monrovia, Liberia. In 2007, she
was honored to preach Spelman College's Baccalaureate Ceremony, where
she served on the Spelman College Sisters Chapel Wisdom Center
Executive Board. In 2016, she became a member of the board of trustees
at Wesley Theological Seminary, and in 2017, she accepted the request
to serve on the Board of RISE TOGETHER: The National Mentorship Network
for Women of Color in Ministry, WOCIM.
Pastor Browning has also organized and convened over 30 annual
women's spiritual retreats, attracting thousands of participants from
throughout the United States and around the world. She self-published
her first book, ``Our Savior, Our Sisters, Ourselves. Biblical
Teachings & Reflections on Women's Relationships,'' in 2006. The book
provides teachings that explore the realities of being a Black woman,
wife, mother, and minister. It is designed to empower and bless women
as they continue on their own journeys of faith. Her second book,
``Faithful, Focused and Fearless: Lessons to Fortify Your Future,'' was
released June 2009.
The Brownings are the proud parents of Grainger Browning III, a 2008
graduate of Morehouse College, and Candace Davis, a 2008 graduate of
Hampton University and current graduate student at Howard University.
They are the proud grandparents of Grainger Browning IV and Kaylah
Browning and Imani Davis.
The story of Ebenezer AME Church is much like the Parable of the
Mustard Seed. When Grainger and Jo Ann Browning arrived at Ebenezer AME
in 1983, the church had a membership of 17 people and an annual budget
of $12,000. Under the Brownings' inspired leadership, the membership
now exceeds 8,000 people, and the church has an annual budget of $10
million. Ebenezer AME Church has over 100 different ministries
dedicated to serving the spiritual, educational, political, social,
economic, health, and recreational needs of the community. For nearly
30 years, the Ebenezer AME Church family has donated nearly $2 million
in scholarships to high school graduates and returning college
students. Ever mindful of the multitude of spiritual and physical
needs, Ebenezer AME Church's future plans include the development of a
school, family life center, and senior citizen complex. The Brownings
and Ebenezer AME Church continue to strive to be a source of help and
inspiration within the walls of the church and throughout the
community.
I am proud to celebrate the Brownings' 35th anniversary at Ebenezer
AME Church this Sunday. I call upon all of my Senate colleagues to join
me in congratulating the Reverend Dr. Grainger Browning, Jr., and his
wife, the Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning, for their extraordinary
leadership and dedicated service to their parishioners, the surrounding
community, and all of humankind.
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