Senate Resolution No. 2348

BY: Senator GRIFFO

COMMEMORATING the 50th Anniversary of St. James
AME Church in New York Mills, New York, which was
celebrated December 14-15, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social, and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and

WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the
50th Anniversary of St. James AME Church of New York Mills, New York,
which was celebrated with an open house, offering tours of the building
and its stained-glass windows on December 14-15, 2019; and

WHEREAS, The African Methodist Episcopal church cites its founding
to Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others in 1787; and

WHEREAS, After much adversity, the AME congregation founded its own
independent places to worship; and

WHEREAS, With significant roots in African-American history, Bridge
Street AME in Brooklyn served as a stop on the Underground Railroad; and

WHEREAS, The New York Mills congregation was first created by Edward
Bass, President of the Oneida County NAACP, and Pauline Bass; St. James
AME Church first used the chapel located in the Utica YMCA for worship;
prior to purchasing a church on Main Street in New York Mills, there
were three other locations the church called home; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1969, St. James AME Church stands on the
threshold of tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming
decades while retaining that spiritual resolve which characterizes its
past; and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be
it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of St. James AME Church in New York
Mills, New York, fully confident that this commemoration reflects the
belief in those values which enhance the dignity and purpose of life;
and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church.