United Methodist Church

Floor Speech

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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.

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.

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 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.

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