[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12768]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  ON THE OCCASION OF THE NEWMAN AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH'S 
                            SESQUICENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 1, 2011

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the leadership and 
congregants of the Newman African Methodist Episcopal Church in the 
City of Pontiac and to celebrate with them as the Church commemorates 
its sesquicentennial.
  As the first African American church founded in Oakland County, 
Newman A.M.E.'s celebration of 150 years in the community is a 
testament to the vision and determination of its founders, the 
Reverends Augustus Green and George Newman, and other determined 
congregants. Established during a time of great strife and adversity, 
the founders sought to create a congregation where the negative social 
and theological tenants of the day would be left behind as members came 
together in fellowship to worship and perform great deeds in their 
community. After many years of uncertainty, with services moving from 
house to house in Pontiac, the congregation acquired its first home on 
Auburn Avenue in 1872 and received its first full time pastor, the 
Reverend Benjamin Roberts, in 1882.
  Throughout its history, the leadership and congregants of Newman 
A.M.E. have always heard and answered the call to serve their 
community, in spite of whatever adversity lay before them. In 1920, 
facing the challenges of a world where equality was still scarcely more 
than a dream, the Men's Club of Newman A.M.E. founded the Oakland 
County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People to fight for greater equality. In the 1960s, even as the 
Church was displaced from its home, its leaders came together to 
establish the Newman Non-Profit Housing Corporation, devoted to making 
affordable housing available to area residents. Just five years after 
the Church was forced to relocate, the congregation was able to 
construct and pay off the mortgage on its new and current home.
  Under the Church's current leader, the Reverend Lila Rose Martin, the 
congregation has continued its commitment to the principles of service 
and egalitarianism on which it was founded. Among its outreach 
programs, Newman A.M.E. has added a cancer survivor's ministry to help 
those who have been victims of this terrible disease, and re-instituted 
a summer program to provide area youth with the tools necessary to 
develop into productive members of the community.
  Newman A.M.E.'s rich history is a true testament to the enduring 
success that can be achieved when strong bonds of fellowship are tested 
in the face of trial and tribulation. Even in moments of great 
challenge and sacrifice, the congregation of Newman A.M.E. has remained 
dedicated to serving Pontiac and the greater Southeast Michigan 
Community. The sesquicentennial of Newman A.M.E. is a truly momentous 
occasion and I wish its leadership and congregation many more years of 
success in spiritual fellowship and service to our community.

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