LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 105th Anniversary of the Pres-
byterian Church of Saint Albans, New York, and commending its esteemed
pastor, Reverend Dr. Edward Davis for his 35 years of dedicated service

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 takes pleasure in commemorating the
105th Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church of Saint Albans, New York,
and commending its esteemed pastor, Reverend Dr. Edward Davis for his 35
years of dedicated service; and
WHEREAS, To celebrate these auspicious occasions, the Presbyterian
Men's Ensemble of the Presbyterian Church of Saint Albans will perform a
Gala Concert on Friday, April 13, 2012, kicking-off a series of year-
long events; and
WHEREAS, The church destined to become the Presbyterian Church of
Saint Albans, grew out of cottage prayer meetings; in 1898, the year
before the town of Saint Albans was officially named, a group of Chris-
tians started holding Wednesday evening meetings in their houses; and
WHEREAS, They were determined to worship even though there was no
church in their rural community; the need for a place to worship was
great because the farmers in those days had to drive their horses and
buggies either to Springfield or Jamaica, in order to attend services;
and
WHEREAS, In 1903, the Community Hall was built to house the growing
congregation, where it still stands today as First Church of God in
Christ; the Sunday School was organized in 1904, with Mr. Hendrick
Hendrickson as superintendent, and Mrs. Adelia Place as pianist; and
WHEREAS, The church was organized by the Presbytery of Nassau with
three charter members; the plot where the present edifice stands was
donated by Mr. James Nevis and the cornerstone was laid in 1907; and
WHEREAS, The first supply pastor was the Reverend William Hendrickson
who served for more than two years until the regular installed pastor,
the Reverend Frank Lee, was called in 1909; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Edward Davis was installed as the 11th pastor on
February 11, 1985; Pastor Davis took as the church motto: "Ministering
Beyond the Walls."; and
WHEREAS, In 1987, the Session voted for the church to become members
of the Queens Citizens Organization (QCO); the following year, Reverend
Dr. Davis was one of the lead pastors from the QCO who approached Path-
mark Corp. to develop a Pathmark Supermarket in Southeastern Queens
which provided 300 new jobs; and
WHEREAS, A Bible Study Group was organized as well as a Prayer Group
which has been a powerful spiritual arm of the church and its outreach
and internal ministries; and
WHEREAS, In addition, the St. Albans Presbyterian Multipurpose Commu-
nity Center was organized; it developed the Julius Erving Center which
served over 300 youth as an after school mentoring and sports program;
later, the quarter acre plot was purchased as the future home of its
outreaches; and
WHEREAS, The Presbyterian Church of Saint Albans stands on the thresh-
old 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 Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 105th Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church of Saint
Albans, New York, and commending its esteemed pastor, Reverend Dr.
Edward Davis for his 35 years of dedicated service, 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 tran-
smitted to Reverend Dr. Edward Davis, Pastor, Presbyterian Church of
Saint Albans, New York.