The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING REV. E. BAXTER MORRIS
______
HON. STENY H. HOYER
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the late Rev. E. Baxter Morris, who passed away on May 2. His funeral took place on Saturday, May 15, at the church that he led for nearly half a century. Many of us in this House knew Rev. Morris as a gracious host when we traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, on the annual Faith and Politics Institute Civil Rights Pilgrimage. He and his congregants at the historic First Baptist Church welcomed us with a very moving service followed by a home-cooked meal that made us feel like we were part of their community. I spoke with him at those lunches and, like so many others, came to see his wisdom, patience, and grace. I know that Rev. Morris, who was the congregation's longest-serving pastor, will be deeply missed by all who knew him and worshiped with him.
One of my most cherished memories of congressional pilgrimages to the First Baptist Church and other now-sacred places is sharing the experience with my dear friend John Lewis. John would remind us of the time in youth when he helped organize and lead the Freedom Rides. That effort began 60 years ago this spring. In late May 1961, around 1,500 community members, Freedom Riders, and civil rights activists had gathered to worship at First Baptist Church, when they were besieged by a mob of as many as 3,000 white supremacists. Joining John Lewis inside were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Fred Shuttlesworth, Diane Nash, James Farmer, and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, who was the senior pastor of the church at that time. It took a historic intervention by President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, which involved calling out the Alabama National Guard, to break that siege and save the lives of those inside. That incident, known now to history as the First Baptist Church Siege, was a pivotal moment in the effort to desegregate public transportation across the South.
Thus when Rev. Morris became the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in 1972, it already had a storied history. He did his utmost to preserve that history and ensure that his congregants and visitors alike never forgot the important role that First Baptist Church played in the march for freedom, equality, and civil rights in our country. Indeed, at the lunches I attended with John and other Members of Congress, Rev. Morris would remind us that his church had been founded shortly after emancipation by those who had endured slavery. When a fire destroyed their original church building, the congregants banded together to build the current structure, donating bricks for its construction. For that reason, it is also known as the Brick-a-Day Church.
Rev. Morris understood that his pastoral work reached far beyond the walls of First Baptist Church. He regularly volunteered his time as a mentor throughout the Montgomery community, and he served as Chaplain for the Montgomery Police Department for more than two decades. The Operation Good Shepherd program organized with other religious leaders from across the city endeavors to help law enforcement de-escalate encounters with residents and promote cooperation instead of confrontation. I know that his presence and contributions will be greatly missed across Montgomery and its region.
I join in offering my condolences to Rev. Morris' wife, Rebie, and their family as well as the entire First Baptist Church community. I will never forget the wisdom he shared with us or his warm and kind welcome and the wonderful meals we had over the years fixed by the members of First Baptist.
Now, he and John and Martin and Ralph and so many other great men and women of justice and courage march on together in eternal peace.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 91
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