[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 5 (Thursday, January 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E29-E30]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       IN HONOR OF THE REVEREND DOCTOR CAMERON MADISON ALEXANDER

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 10, 2019

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a distinguished 
civil rights leader, an inspirational

[[Page E30]]

spiritual leader, and true man of God, Reverend Doctor Cameron Madison 
Alexander, the beloved Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church North in 
Atlanta, Georgia. Sadly, Reverend Alexander transitioned from labor to 
reward on Sunday, December 30, 2018. He leaves in his wake many heavy 
hearts among his church family, community, and across the world. His 
funeral service was held on January 7, 2019, at 11 am at Antioch 
Baptist Church North located at 540 Cameron M. Alexander Blvd NW, 
Atlanta, GA, 30318. What a celebration of life it was.
  Rev. Cameron Madison Alexander was born to the union of Reverend 
Homer M. and Augusta (Hutchins) Alexander on February 12, 1932. A 
product of the Atlanta Public School System, he graduated from Booker 
T. Washington High School in 1948, where he played football, ran track, 
and played saxophone in the band. After high school, he attended 
Florida A&M University, was in the Marching 100 band, and served his 
country in the United States Air Force. He then attended Morehouse 
College under President Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, earning a Bachelor of 
Arts degree, received his Master of Divinity degree from the Morehouse 
School of Religion, served there as the President and Treasurer as well 
as Trustee of the Morehouse School of Medicine. In recognition of his 
numerous contributions to society, he was awarded Honorary Doctor of 
Divinity degrees from the United Theological Seminary (1978), the 
Interdenominational Theological Center (1991), and Carver Bible College 
(2007).
  His pastoral ministry began at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in 
Cartersville, Georgia. From there he was called to the Flagg Chapel 
Baptist Church in Milledgeville, Georgia, then in 1958 to New Pleasant 
Grove Baptist Church in Macon where he became an activist leader 
against injustice, resulting in desegregation of the city buses, lunch 
counters, the Bowden Golf Course, and Mercer University. In 1965, Rev. 
Alexander was called to St. John Baptist Church in Savannah where he 
took his ministry beyond the church walls and formed a partnership with 
C&S Bank to improve 109 blocks of real estate in Savannah and provide 
affordable housing and jobs.
  In 1969, while visiting Antioch as a guest, Reverend Alexander 
delivered a sermon so powerful that the church voted by write-in the 
next day to call him as Pastor. For almost 50 years, he was the driving 
force behind Antioch Baptist Church North. Under his leadership, the 
church grew from 600 members with an annual budget of less than $40,000 
to 14,000 members and a multi-million dollar annual budget. He 
established over 75 ministries and outreach programs touching 
communities in Atlanta and across the world.
  Rev. Alexander's extraordinary servant leadership was prolific. For 
29 years, he served as President of the General Missionary Baptist 
Convention of Georgia which claims a membership of more than 800 
churches; Vice President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.; 
and Dean for the Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Congress. He 
trained, licensed, and ordained 600 ministers, 150 of whom went on to 
pastor other churches. He established the Antioch International 
Macedonian Missionaries (AIMM) ministry to touch ``the least of these'' 
beyond our nation's borders, addressing issues of inadequate safe 
drinking water, food, and medical care in Haiti, South Africa, Turkey, 
Columbia, and Brazil where AIMM facilitated opening the first 
university for black Brazilians known as Afrobras.
  The City of Atlanta honored Dr. Alexander by naming a street for him. 
He was inducted into Atlanta Business League's Legends Hall of Fame and 
the International Civil Rights Hall of Fame at the Martin Luther King 
Jr. National Historic Site. He was invited to submit one of his 
inaugural sermons to the American Folklife Center at the Library of 
Congress which became part of the oral history and spoken word 
collections that preserve Americans' accounts of and reactions to 
important cultural events.
  On a personal note, I met Dr. Alexander 40 years ago through my 
Pastor and his good friend, Dr. J.H. Flakes, Jr. of the Fourth Street 
Baptist Church of Columbus. His friendship, advice, and counsel were 
pivotal in my political career in The Georgia General Assembly and in 
Congress. I am better for having known him.
  Dr. Alexander accomplished much in his life; yet, none of it would 
have been possible but for the Grace of God and the love and support of 
his family--including his beloved wife, Barbara; their four children, 
Gregory (deceased), Cameron, Kenneth, and Barbara; and his nine 
grandchildren, all of whom will miss him deeply.
  Madam Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with countless others 
throughout Georgia and the nation salute Reverend Doctor Cameron 
Madison Alexander for his outstanding accomplishments in the ministry 
and his service to humankind. I ask my colleagues in the House of 
Representatives to join us in extending our deepest sympathies to 
Reverend Alexander's family, friends, loved ones, and all who grieve 
during this difficult time of bereavement. We pray that they will be 
consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the 
days, weeks, and months ahead.

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