[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 101 (Friday, June 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SAINT BARNABAS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JUDY CHU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 9, 2023

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California. 
This historically Black Church has played a vital role in the community 
and has been a beacon of faith, perseverance, and resilience for a 
century.
  The founding of Saint Barnabas Pasadena is rooted in the ``Great 
Migration'' of African Americans from the South in the early twentieth 
century. These individuals sought better lives and opportunities in 
California, but were confronted with racial segregation and 
discrimination.
  Existing Jim Crow laws prevented African Americans from worshiping 
where they wished, including at All Saints Church in Pasadena. 
Undeterred by this adversity, a group of determined individuals met on 
June 16, 1909, at the home of Mrs. Georgia Weatherton on South Fair 
Oaks Avenue to organize a Black Episcopal mission. This mission, known 
as Saint Barnabas Guild, quickly gained support, and the members 
sustained their ministry through food sales.
  By 1911, services were being held in the Grand Army Hall on Colorado 
Street, and the seeds of Saint Barnabas Church were sown. Finally, in 
1923, eight remarkable women, including Ellensteen Bevans, Rosebud 
Mims, and Georgia Weatherton, officially founded Saint Barnabas Church. 
The church had come a long way from its first services, which were held 
in Georgia Weatherston's home on Del Mar Street, with as many as 29 
members in attendance on Sunday mornings. Over the course of the 
following decade, the church grew steadily and in 1932, the Saint 
Barnabas Congregation was admitted into the Episcopalian Archdioceses, 
signifying its growing significance and influence.
  The Saint Barnabas Church helped strengthen and shape the character 
of the City of Pasadena with many of its church leadership playing 
important roles in the community, such as Reverend Jesse D. Moses, II, 
who served as the first Black principal of the Pasadena Unified School 
District. Today the church has become an essential pillar in the San 
Gabriel Valley, transcending racial boundaries and fostering unity. Its 
current congregation is a diverse community that is dedicated to 
serving others. The church supports local youth by sponsoring the 
Northwest Pasadena Little League and granting scholarships to Pasadena 
Unified School District graduates. It also uplifts vulnerable families 
by providing meals to the homeless, maintaining a community food 
pantry, and hosting Alcoholics Anonymous groups.
  Over the last century the Saint Barnabas Church and its congregation 
have overcome racism and adversity to strengthen the Black community, 
build the City of Pasadena, and uplift all communities in the San 
Gabriel Valley. They are a remarkable institution and embody the best 
qualities of the 28th Congressional District.

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