Senate Resolution No. 1953

BY: Senator TEDISCO

COMMEMORATING the 180th Anniversary of the Duryee
Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church of
Schenectady, New York, to be celebrated on May 5,
2017

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
180th Anniversary of Duryee Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church of Schenectady, New York, to be celebrated at a Banquet on
Friday, May 5, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Schenectady was first settled in 1661; in 1795, it was
incorporated as a borough, and three years later, it was chartered as a
city; and

WHEREAS, More than 170 years later, the Duryee Memorial African
Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church was established; initially known
as the African Church, it was the first black church in Schenectady; and

WHEREAS, In the early part of 1837, Isaac G. Duryee, then a young
man and student at Union College, purchased a piece of property on Lower
Franklin Street in Schenectady to erect a small church building and give
it to the people; Reverend Isaac G. Duryee then served as the first
Pastor of the African Church; and

WHEREAS, In 1840, the African Church hosted a public meeting to
discuss the electoral process; in 1855, the Church achieved another
first, becoming home to the first free school for 37 black children; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Isaac G. Duryee, known to his congregation as a
modern day "Paul", died on February 8, 1866; his headstone read "A firm
friend of the colored race"; and

WHEREAS, In 1894, the Church became known as the Duryee Memorial
African Episcopal Zion Church when it joined the African Methodist
Episcopal Conference, connecting it with a Negro religious organization;
the Church became part of the Genesee Conference, which would later be
renamed the Western New York Conference; and

WHEREAS, After the Church was razed in 1907, the Duryee Memorial AME
Zion Church purchased a two-story building on Hulett Street; and

WHEREAS, In 1937, the Church celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a
16-day celebration under the leadership of Reverend A. L. Pierce; five
years later, the parsonage was rebuilt and a garage was added in 1943;
and


WHEREAS, In 1954, the Church was comprised of 115 members, and 55
children attended Sunday School; music was always an important aspect
and the members sang in three groups: a children's choir, a cathedral
choir, and a young people's choir; and

WHEREAS, The Duryee Memorial AME Zion Church became one of the
founding members of the Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM) in 1967;
the Ministry consisted of 58 congregations and 15 denominations; and

WHEREAS, In 1999, under the guidance of Reverend Kenneth Q. James,
Sister Isabelle Brown organized the first after-school academy, where
Sister Patricia Henderson served as the Assistant Director; the school
provided academic support to elementary, middle and high school
students; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, Reverend James D. McCathan was appointed Pastor of
Duryee Memorial AME Zion Church; in an effort to bring the community
churches together and address issues of crime and violence in their
neighborhoods, he established the Ministerial Alliance, a group of
ministers from Schenectady who came together to coordinate different
services and activities for the community; and

WHEREAS, Today, the Duryee Memorial AME Zion Church is led by
Reverend Ruby J. Smith, the Presiding Elder of the Albany District; and

WHEREAS, The Duryee Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion 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 Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 180th Anniversary of the Duryee Memorial African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, to be observed on May 5, 2017, 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 The Reverend Ruby J. Smith, Pastor, Duryee Memorial
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.