Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor New Light Beulah Baptist Church of Hopkins, South Carolina, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary. Many members of the congregation have traveled here to Washington, D.C., from South Carolina to observe this tribute, and have joined us here in the gallery. New Light Beulah Baptist Church grew out of Beulah Baptist Church, which was a place of worship for Whites and African Americans. In December of 1867, several years after the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation, many newly freed slaves began exercising their new-found freedoms by taking control of their own affairs. Consequently, the 565 African-American members of the congregation began worshipping on alternating Sundays from the 11 White members of Beulah Baptist Church. In 1870, after the dispersal of the White congregation, the African- American members of Beulah Baptist Church further asserted their independence by renaming the church New Light Beulah Baptist Church. After a number of disputes over the church's land, the congregation decided to build a brush arbor on the land of Deacon Pharaoh Smith, a revered leader within the church. Over the following years, this humble brush arbor evolved into the thriving spiritual center that New Light Beulah Baptist Church has become today. New Light Beulah Baptist Church embodies the resilience and service of the African-American community.…”