[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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