[Pages H5952-H5954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Cleaver) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by stating some very related 
facts.
  First and foremost, I am a proud United Methodist. In fact, I am an 
ordained United Methodist elder. I served one church for 38 years as 
pastor. The church, St. James United Methodist Church, is located in 
Kansas City, Missouri. I followed the Reverend Phillip J. Lawson as the 
pastor.
  Phil Lawson was a very prominent social activist in Kansas City. In 
terms of his activism, he followed his big brother, the inimitable 
James Lawson. James Lawson was the civil rights iconic pastor of the 
Centenary United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.
  It was Jim Lawson who, upon returning from India spending 3 years 
working under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi, met Martin Luther King, 
Jr., and began to talk about this theory of nonviolence.

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  Dr. King invited him to move to the South and work with this 
fledgling organization called the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference.
  Jim Lawson also remained in Memphis where he began to tutor 
individuals who were going to participate in the freedom rides.
  Jim Lawson was a major human being, and he is someone who helped give 
me the guidance I needed as a young person becoming involved in not 
only the United Methodist Church but the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference. Jim Lawson was so prophetic to all of the young people, 
including our own John Lewis, who served here with us for many years, 
for several decades.
  It was a pleasure of mine when I left the mayor's office in Kansas 
City to be given a radio program that was broadcast live in Kansas City 
from Union Station.
  I brought in various guests. My first guest was the Reverend James 
Lawson. I talked about things that I thought people wanted to know. He 
is the pastor who invited Martin Luther King to Memphis when Dr. King 
was killed. He is also the first layperson to go in and meet with James 
Earl Ray. He is the person who after the assassination of Dr. King 
created all of the national attention not only on the assassination but 
on the movement.
  James Lawson died a few months ago at the age of 95. We thank God for 
giving him those years.
  When I decided to run for Congress, Jim Lawson said: I hope that you 
will call and see if there is some kind of way that you can stay in the 
United Methodist Building.
  Of course, my first question was: What is the United Methodist 
Building?
  At that time I did not have a full knowledge about the United 
Methodist Building here in Washington, D.C.
  Decades ago, there was a man with tremendous vision in the early 
1900s, the Reverend Clarence True Wilson who had this vision of a 
building right across the street from the United States Capitol. This 
building was initially supposed to be the headquarters of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church's efforts to pass the laws relating to Prohibition. I 
guess I should say first that it didn't work. However, I don't think we 
Methodists should be upset because the prohibition God gave Adam and 
Eve didn't work either.
  I do think, however, that the building of that building located right 
across the street from us here has been not only a place for United 
Methodist witness but a place where people from all over the world have 
been able to come and hold meetings. It has also been a place where 
people who were demonstrating could find a place where they could get a 
cool sip of water. It was a place where people in emergencies could 
come in. It was a place of refuge. Frankly, it still is a place of 
refuge.
  I think a part of the definition of what that Methodist building 
became was a result of the March on Washington in 1968. People came to 
the March on Washington, mainly Methodists, gathered around the 
Methodist building and in the Methodist building.
  It was a place where Native Americans were able to gather later for 
demonstrations and where they could come and discuss the major issues.
  I was fortunate enough to bump into Jim Winkler who responded to my 
inquiry about living in the Methodist building. I am proud and pleased 
to say that was 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, I came to Washington 
and moved into the United Methodist Building at 110 Maryland Avenue, 
NE, right across the street from this Capitol.
  I will have to say that many of my early mornings were started before 
I wanted to start my early morning because it is also right across the 
street from the United States Supreme Court, and the protesters will 
quite often ignore my sleeping pattern and will begin to protest in the 
wee hours of the morning. I would say 6 o'clock is wee hours of the 
morning for me.
  I think that people have come now, and here we are all these years 
later, over 100 years. Now, after 100 years, the Methodist building 
stands as a monument not only to a denomination but for a large piece 
of the United States population. That is the population of people who 
believe that we all have the right to worship as we please. It is a 
part of the legislative and founding articles of the United States.
  People will be able to come by the Methodist building. Some people 
say that we sometimes have controversial messages out in front of the 
building, and I like to tell them that if you stay around long enough 
and walk by here long enough, you will finally see something that you 
like. There will be some kind of sign there that you can embrace.
  All of those messages that are placed there are messages that we 
believe help to create the kind of government that all of us in reality 
would like to have, which is a free and just system of government and 
the right to worship as we choose.
  We are not keeping that building open for the purpose of 
proselytizing and trying to convert people to the United Methodist 
Church.

                              {time}  2015

  It stands, therefore, as the United Methodist Building, but it is 
open to every single person who desires to come into those doors.
  There are coalitions. For example, Jim Winkler, who I spoke of 
earlier, chaired a coalition opposing the Iraq war during President 
George W. Bush's administration. There were people who, at the same 
time, understood that George W. Bush was the son of a person who had 
been a part of another denomination, but the President at that time, 
President Bush, was a United Methodist. One of the places that was 
considered for his daughter's wedding was the United Methodist 
Building, performed by the Reverend Kirbyjon Caldwell, the United 
Methodist pastor of Houston, Texas.
  In the United Methodist Building, there are, of course, apartments, 
and there are offices of many different denominations. In fact, in that 
building, one can find just about any denomination actively involved in 
the affairs of this country officing in that building.
  During the whole process of the Affordable Care Act, which brought 
tens of thousands of people from around the country to Washington, 
D.C., that place did two things. One, it was a place where this 
coalition that had formed around the Affordable Care Act could come and 
meet, but it was also a place where those many people stopped when they 
needed water or needed some other emergency service. I was here. I saw 
it. I witnessed it. I was inconvenienced by it because I couldn't get 
to my apartment for several days.
  We look at the United Methodist Church as just a religious 
organization, but the United Methodist Building, which is representing 
the United Methodist Church, is much more than just a religious 
organization.
  I also have to say that it is not a perfect location, but it is about 
as good as you can get. We don't have any parking. There is no parking 
there.
  I have to tell a story that may be true. The Senate was trying to 
decide whether to build another office building. It was decided that 
the best location was on the lot that we now know as the 110 Maryland 
site. The United States Government, of course, through eminent domain, 
can take property and give a fair amount for that property.
  As the story goes, the Methodist bishop for this area knew about this 
plan from a Member of the United States Senate, and this Senator, 
giving the bishop that information, told the bishop he wished that 
there was something he could do to prevent this from happening, but it 
was going to happen.
  This bishop began to think: What can we do? He got a list of all the 
members of the United Methodist Church who were Members of the United 
States Senate. He sent them all a letter inviting them to come over to 
the building. When they came to the building, he said: Look, we have 
been thinking about converting some of these offices into apartments, 
and we just wanted to make sure that the Members of the Senate who were 
a part of the United Methodist Church would have the first opportunity 
to get an apartment.
  Needless to say, the eminent domain faded and faded away. From that 
point on, as the story goes, those apartments have been there. When I 
first moved into the United Methodist Building, my next-door neighbor 
was Al Gore's mom, who was a Baptist. I lived there for about a year 
during the time that she was there, and then she passed.
  The reality was I knew Al Gore through politics, so I could always 
tell

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when I was very secure in the United Methodist Church. Those were the 
days that Al Gore visited his mom, coming into the church with Secret 
Service. I told my wife and family back in Kansas City that those were 
the safest moments of my life, when there were 12 or 13 Secret Service 
agents running in.
  I also am very proud that when they came to clean up her apartment 
after she had passed, she forgot one thing. I walked in there during 
the last few hours of the cleaning, and there was a yard placard which 
read ``Al Gore for President.'' I have that in my apartment right now. 
I kept that as a point of remembering not only Mrs. Gore but also my 
friendship with the Vice President, Al Gore, also a former Member of 
the United States House.
  Let me just say in conclusion that, on January 6, I was here in 
Washington. In my office, I had no idea of what was going on. When we 
turned on the annunciator and found out what was going on here at the 
Capitol, my great fear was that I would not be able to go home.
  Then, of course, about 3 a.m. in the morning, after we took care of 
business in here by confirming the electoral college's report, I walked 
out of the building and began to walk to the fence and go to my 
apartment.
  I was met by several police officers who said they had to accompany 
me. The police were from the Capitol Police force. Also, most people 
don't realize this, but there is a Supreme Court Police force. I 
mention that because I tell people that the United Methodist Building 
is one of the safest places. There are actually three police 
departments taking care of the whole area. The Capitol Police, the 
Supreme Court Police, and then the Metropolitan Police are all taking 
care of this area.
  It is safe for anybody and everybody to visit the United Methodist 
Building. If you see that there are activities over there that you 
would like to participate in, feel free to contact the United Methodist 
Building. The building was there for one purpose. Since that purpose is 
no longer an issue in the United States, it serves many other purposes, 
one of them being a place of refuge.
  I have performed three weddings in the building. I baptized two 
people, including one Member. The Methodist Building is a point of joy 
not only for me but for a number of people here.
  I baptized the children of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's chief of 
staff and felt really good about performing weddings there because I 
have a 100 percent record there. Everybody who I married in the United 
Methodist Building is still married. That is a hint to those of you who 
are watching this. Get married in the United Methodist Building.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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