[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE JOHNSON CHAPEL A.M.E. CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JEB HENSARLING

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 3, 2007

  Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor the Johnson 
Chapel A.M.E. Church in Malakoff, TX, as they celebrate more than a 
century of worship.
  The Johnson Chapel A.M.E. Church has a very storied past. It was 
first organized in a creek bottom on Abe Johnson's Farm in 1897 and has 
experienced many changes in more than a century of existence.
  Six months after its inception, the congregation constructed their 
first permanent structure. Oak planks nailed to blocks were used as 
benches and lighting was provided by kerosene lanterns. The Church 
would move to a new location on a nearby farm in 1915 and continue to 
meet in that location until 1926. In that year the congregation was 
forced to divide due to the threat of flooding as well as poorly 
constructed roads, which made travel to the church difficult. The 
remaining members stayed until 1938, when they moved to their present 
location. In 1944 and then again in 1968, the church was destroyed by 
inclement weather; however, after each misfortune the congregation was 
able to band together and rebuild.
  Today, the Johnson Chapel A.M.E. Church continues to worship and 
serve the community of Malakoff. In September of 2005, the congregation 
saw another milestone when they appointed the Reverend Cynthia Cole as 
their first female pastor.
  Madam Speaker, as the representative of Malakoff, TX, it is my honor 
to congratulate the Johnson Chapel A.M.E. Church for its more than one 
hundred years of existence as a place of worship.

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