January 10, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 5 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
IN HONOR OF THE REVEREND DOCTOR CAMERON MADISON ALEXANDER; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 5
(Extensions of Remarks - January 10, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E29-E30] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] IN HONOR OF THE REVEREND DOCTOR CAMERON MADISON ALEXANDER ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Thursday, January 10, 2019 Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a distinguished civil rights leader, an inspirational [[Page E30]] spiritual leader, and true man of God, Reverend Doctor Cameron Madison Alexander, the beloved Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta, Georgia. Sadly, Reverend Alexander transitioned from labor to reward on Sunday, December 30, 2018. He leaves in his wake many heavy hearts among his church family, community, and across the world. His funeral service was held on January 7, 2019, at 11 am at Antioch Baptist Church North located at 540 Cameron M. Alexander Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA, 30318. What a celebration of life it was. Rev. Cameron Madison Alexander was born to the union of Reverend Homer M. and Augusta (Hutchins) Alexander on February 12, 1932. A product of the Atlanta Public School System, he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1948, where he played football, ran track, and played saxophone in the band. After high school, he attended Florida A&M University, was in the Marching 100 band, and served his country in the United States Air Force. He then attended Morehouse College under President Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, received his Master of Divinity degree from the Morehouse School of Religion, served there as the President and Treasurer as well as Trustee of the Morehouse School of Medicine. In recognition of his numerous contributions to society, he was awarded Honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from the United Theological Seminary (1978), the Interdenominational Theological Center (1991), and Carver Bible College (2007). His pastoral ministry began at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Cartersville, Georgia. From there he was called to the Flagg Chapel Baptist Church in Milledgeville, Georgia, then in 1958 to New Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Macon where he became an activist leader against injustice, resulting in desegregation of the city buses, lunch counters, the Bowden Golf Course, and Mercer University. In 1965, Rev. Alexander was called to St. John Baptist Church in Savannah where he took his ministry beyond the church walls and formed a partnership with C&S Bank to improve 109 blocks of real estate in Savannah and provide affordable housing and jobs. In 1969, while visiting Antioch as a guest, Reverend Alexander delivered a sermon so powerful that the church voted by write-in the next day to call him as Pastor. For almost 50 years, he was the driving force behind Antioch Baptist Church North. Under his leadership, the church grew from 600 members with an annual budget of less than $40,000 to 14,000 members and a multi-million dollar annual budget. He established over 75 ministries and outreach programs touching communities in Atlanta and across the world. Rev. Alexander's extraordinary servant leadership was prolific. For 29 years, he served as President of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia which claims a membership of more than 800 churches; Vice President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.; and Dean for the Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Congress. He trained, licensed, and ordained 600 ministers, 150 of whom went on to pastor other churches. He established the Antioch International Macedonian Missionaries (AIMM) ministry to touch ``the least of these'' beyond our nation's borders, addressing issues of inadequate safe drinking water, food, and medical care in Haiti, South Africa, Turkey, Columbia, and Brazil where AIMM facilitated opening the first university for black Brazilians known as Afrobras. The City of Atlanta honored Dr. Alexander by naming a street for him. He was inducted into Atlanta Business League's Legends Hall of Fame and the International Civil Rights Hall of Fame at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. He was invited to submit one of his inaugural sermons to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress which became part of the oral history and spoken word collections that preserve Americans' accounts of and reactions to important cultural events. On a personal note, I met Dr. Alexander 40 years ago through my Pastor and his good friend, Dr. J.H. Flakes, Jr. of the Fourth Street Baptist Church of Columbus. His friendship, advice, and counsel were pivotal in my political career in The Georgia General Assembly and in Congress. I am better for having known him. Dr. Alexander accomplished much in his life; yet, none of it would have been possible but for the Grace of God and the love and support of his family--including his beloved wife, Barbara; their four children, Gregory (deceased), Cameron, Kenneth, and Barbara; and his nine grandchildren, all of whom will miss him deeply. Madam Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with countless others throughout Georgia and the nation salute Reverend Doctor Cameron Madison Alexander for his outstanding accomplishments in the ministry and his service to humankind. I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join us in extending our deepest sympathies to Reverend Alexander's family, friends, loved ones, and all who grieve during this difficult time of bereavement. We pray that they will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months ahead. ____________________