[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11239-11240]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING ST. PAUL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

 Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I am proud to stand before you 
this evening to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the 
St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. First built on Court 
Street in Charleston, WV, St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church 
has served as a bedrock of faith since its founding in 1892.
  With humble beginnings, St. Paul AME first organized in the basement 
of the old Charleston courthouse under the leadership of Rev. Lewis 
McGhee, Sr. One year later, construction began on a permanent home, and 
in 1897, that home was completed.

[[Page 11240]]

  The St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church has been a leader of 
the community for its entire existence. In the early 1900s, Rev. 
Francis Herman Gow formed the first African American Boy Scout troop in 
Charleston. Reverend Gow's trailblazing did not just end there, and in 
1915, Reverend Gow established the Mattie V. Lee Home to provide 
housing for African-American women who travelled to Charleston in 
search of work.
  The Mattie V. Lee Home still stands today under the direction of the 
Prestera Center, where it serves as an addiction treatment facility. 
Just as the Mattie V. Lee Home continues to make a difference in the 
Charleston community so long after its founding date, so too does the 
St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church.
  Today the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church works to 
provide both healing and spiritual guidance in Charleston. Under the 
direction of Rev. John Sylvia, the church serves free weekly dinners 
for all interested, and associate pastor Rev. Roberta Smith was 
involved in creating RESET, a group to foster positive dialogue between 
law enforcement, clergy, and community of Charleston, WV.
  It is through these acts of positivity and spiritual guidance that 
St. Paul AME has flourished in the Charleston community. I would like 
to thank Rev. John Sylvia and the entire congregation at St. Paul 
African Methodist Episcopal Church for their commitment to the 
Charleston community. I am proud of the work done by St. Paul AME, and 
I know that the church will continue to spread the Word of the Lord for 
many more years to come.

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