[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 9, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE CELEBRATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. JOHN AFRICAN METHODIST 
                            EPISCOPAL CHURCH

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                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 9, 2018

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor St. John African 
Methodist Episcopal Church of Cottageville, South Carolina, on the 
occasion of its 150th anniversary celebration on the weekend of 
September 14th-16th, 2018. The journey that has brought St. John A.M.E. 
Church to this moment began in 1868 when the Church, originally named 
St. Matthew A.M.E., was established in the Burr Hill community under a 
bush arbor.
  Responding to the need for a more secure structure, the Reverend 
James Nesbitt and the officials of the Charleston District, with the 
assistance of the Church's founding fathers, organized the building of 
a church constructed of lightwood boards, heated by a potbelly stove, 
and illuminated by kerosene lamps. The Church served members from 
several different communities and was the site for a public school.
  In 1912, the Church was relocated to a parcel of land more central to 
the communities it served both in Burr Hill and Mack Village. The area 
is now known as Griffith Acres Drive in Cottageville, South Carolina. 
St. John A.M.E.'s present facility was erected in 1975 where the Church 
continued to flourish and where, with the help of a supportive 
membership, a Fellowship Hall was constructed to serve as a dining 
facility and hub for entertainment and educational activities.
  Since its inception, St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church and 
its congregation have acted as a beacon of light within the community. 
The programs and ministries initiated by the Church have served as 
models for A.M.E. churches in the area and for other denominations as 
well. St. John A.M.E. continues to positively impact the residents of 
Cottageville, a small town west of Charleston in Colleton County, 
through community-oriented programs, including: summer math and reading 
camps, church school, vacation bible school, revivals, bible study, and 
creative and performing arts.
  Always striving to serve God and the community in new and innovative 
ways, St. John has piloted a new program called ``The Iron Sharpeners'' 
to encourage young African-American men to pursue internship 
opportunities and has planted a new community garden which has produced 
a fresh harvest available to members, free of charge.
  Despite the uncertain and adverse climate in which St. John African 
Methodist Episcopal Church was planted, the strength of spirit and 
faith has allowed the Church to blossom and thrive through the years. 
St. John exemplifies what it means to be ``rooted in faith'' and is a 
place that people of various geographic locations and stations in life 
still refer to as ``home.''
  It is my great honor to pay tribute to this fine congregation. I ask 
my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me 
in congratulating St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church on their 
150th anniversary and wishing them continued strength and prosperity in 
the days ahead.

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