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Quinn AME Church turns 200, hosts 3-day celebration

STEUBENVILLE -- The bicentennial of Quinn Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church was commemorated with a three-day celebration featuring fellowship, a banquet and visiting speakers, among them being a bishop of the AME Church.

Quinn Memorial, which traces its roots back to 1823, kicked off its celebration on Friday with a reception at Murray Fellowship Hall, 515 North St. The reception offered food and socialization for members of the church and any visitors who were welcome to attend.

The next part of the bicentennial brought the celebration to St. Florian Hall in Wintersville for a formal banquet that honored community members and members of the church community with 50 or more years of service. Attendees at the banquet included members of Quinn and individuals who wanted to support the church and those being honored.

Lula Madison, a member of Quinn since 2004, said before the banquet, "It's a wonderful feeling understanding that people have been in this church for 200 years, and it's still going."

Madison attended the banquet with two of her grandchildren who are also Quinn members: Elijah Smith, 8, and Aaliyah Smith, 10.

Four community members were honored and given awards for their service to the community at large. Being honored were Angela Kirtdoll Bates, former Steubenville 4th Ward councilwoman; William Hendricks, former and current member of the Steubenville City Schools Board of Education; Daniel Keenan, retired superintendent of Steubenville City Schools; and Vanessa Palmer, a doctor of nursing practice who worked on breast cancer awareness.

Quinn members of 50 years or more were also specially honored. Those members included Ilana Chester, Herbert Crossland, Patricia Fletcher, Jacqueline Lyles Gibson, Soundra Palmer, Sylvia Thompson and the late James Williams, who was represented by Mazie Williams.

A video presentation featuring interview clips of the 50-year members highlighted each member, bits of their personal stories and their messages for Quinn as it moves into the future. Messages included exhortations to avoid discouragement and become involved at the church.

In her message, Fletcher said, "Come be with us on our 200th anniversary, because we want to make it a day of love."

Following the 50-year members was an address by the Rev. Timothy Liggins, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Columbus. He is the son of former Quinn pastor Thomas Liggins, and Timothy Liggins attended Quinn for a time as a young boy.

"I came to Quinn (when I) just finished kindergarten," Liggins said at the banquet, "and we left in the middle of my sixth-grade year. ... The one thing I do remember is the love, the nurturing that I received (at Quinn), and I count it as ... how I have been able to become the man that I am."

Liggins preached on the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, reflecting on how members of the church must persevere and emphatically pursue Christ, not looking back at one's past sins.

Earlier, Dudley introduced the banquet's master of ceremonies and friend of Quinn, Tyler Madden. Currently, Madden is an anchor for WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, but until recently he reported for WTOV-TV in Steubenville, during which time he became acquainted with Quinn and its members.

After introducing Madden, Dudley offered an invocation prayer, saying, "We thank you (God) for an opportunity to join together to lift up your name and say, 'Thank you, Lord,' because you brought us a mighty long way."

Next, Mayor Jerry Barilla told the crowd of plans the Steubenville Visitor Center has to place a historical marker at Quinn, saying, "We have gathered information, and it's only fitting to honor the church in that fashion."

Fletcher, who holds a doctoral degree in education, gave a presentation on historical highlights for the church. She was aided by fellow Quinn member Terry Jennings.

Jennings said Quinn was officially founded in 1823 by the Rev. William Paul Quinn, an itinerant deacon who became the church's pastor. Fletcher said an educational facility for Black youth was "started on the part of Quinn Church," and it used the Bible as its textbook.

Musical selections punctuated the banquet, featuring vocal pieces from Linda Brown and an instrumental duet.

The banquet concluded with a comprehensive round of thanks and appreciation being given to members of Quinn and the bicentennial event's coordinators who made the celebrations possible.

The next event was a worship service that began Sunday morning. It featured a sermon and benediction by the Rev. Wesley Reid. Food was served to attendees afterward.

Quinn member Lisa Mason said the morning service was a success and added that one woman in attendance had grown up in the area and was visiting from Baltimore. Mason said, "She was really just happy to be home."

In the afternoon was a worship experience featuring music and a sermon from Bishop Errenous E. McCloud, presiding bishop of the Third Episcopal District of the AME Church.

At the service's beginning, Dudley said, "You are free at Quinn Memorial -- free to worship, free to love the Lord, free to love your neighbor."

"Here at Quinn AME," said Fletcher in a welcome address, "we are so happy to share God's love for you and to tell you how much we love you, and to invite you to come back. You don't need an invitation because this is God's house."

A proclamation by Bobbyjon Bauman, executive director of the Sycamore Youth Center, preceded a flute solo piece performed by his wife, Pamela Bauman. Also, Elijah and Aaliyah Smith sang for the church as part of the Quinn Memorial Youth Praise Team.

Other musical pieces during the service seemed to speak directly to Quinn's history. The hymn "Gratefulness" allowed attendees to express their gratitude for the gift of the church, and the hymn "We've Come This Far By Faith" speaks for itself.

McCloud's sermon served as the climax of the weekend's events.

"Two hundred years is a lot of years," McCloud said, "and I dare not think myself to be anything compared to those who have gone before us."

His sermon contained exhortations to not let the fire of faith die out and not become too comfortable in the world during one's tests in the "wilderness."

At the service's conclusion, thanks were once again offered for the Quinn Memorial Bicentennial Committee, which organized the celebration.

In his final remarks, McCloud said, "If you're going to have much longer, you have to join each other's hands in making this church part of this community. Open it up to the NAACP, to the police department, to the fire department, to teachers -- everybody -- and people will come, but the church needs you to light the fire.

"God knows the AME Church ... has to start looking toward its future rather than celebrating the past, and if you do both of them, that's a wonderful thing."