MAYFIELD, Ky. – Days of arctic cold left layers of ice and frozen snow on roads and unshovelled sidewalks, but the sky was blue as the eye of eternity Saturday morning. Undeterred by the weather, scores of people showed up for the long-awaited dedication of the restored St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church on South 8th Street in Mayfield, Kentucky.
They came from near and far to celebrate what Lead Project Contractor Chris Black of the Paducah firm, Ray Black and Son, described as a “dramatic transformation.”
Throughout the day, others called it a miracle – one of many – that led to the repair and reconstruction of the historic church that was nearly demolished when a deadly EF4 tornado swept through Mayfield’s downtown in December 2021.
Sheila Mason left Frankfort before dawn to attend Saturday’s dedication service. Despite the long drive, she and other representatives from the board and staff of Kentucky Historical Society were determined to make the trip. “We wanted to show our appreciation for what this church went through to preserve its history,” she explained.
A fourth generation, lifelong AME, whose ties to the denomination go back to her great-grandparents, Mason also remarked, “I’m so proud of AME’s resilience.”
Pastor Gloria Lasco was a newcomer to St. James on Dec. 10, 2021. She had been in town barely two Sundays. “We were just coming out of Covid,” she said. “And then the tornado.”
Remembering the verse she had learned as a child, the reverend held up her hands to demonstrate: “Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the door and see all the people.”
She also recalled a more somber variation: “Close the doors, hear them pray. Open the doors, they all go away.”
“But the people remained,” Lasco went on. “They kept working and serving this community, distributing food, clothing, whatever came their way.”
In the shadow of splintered walls and mountains of rubble, “The church maintained its position as a place of refuge. The steeple endured. The people remained,” she reported.
A sincere chorus of “Amens” followed her remarks.
Within two weeks of the disaster, the National Trust for Historic Preservation contacted her.
Leadership support from Lilly Endowment Inc. helped solidify rebuilding efforts supported by teamwork of The Trust with Preserving Black Churches (PBC) and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
According to speaker, Brent Leggs, executive director of the Action Fund, “Black churches are a living testament to generations of achievement and resiliency and their preservation is critical so that they can continue to serve as the epicenters of community and heritage.”
Kenneth Golphin, presiding church elder, briefly chronicled its history. Just three years after Emancipation, founding members of St. James AME Church organized in Mayfield’s Black Bottom neighborhood to address the community’s social, spiritual and physical needs. When it burned down a few years later, the congregation purchased land on South 8th Street and constructed a brick church with a central bell tower that still stands today, testimony to the faith of the congregation and their commitment to hard work.
Completed in 1923, St. James played a leadership role in the Western Kentucky AME district, hosting conference meetings and community gatherings. Its membership included local business owners, educators and notables such as renowned artist Helen LaFrance, whose powerful mural of the Garden of Gethsemane miraculously survived the tornado.
“Our weeping has not lasted as long as our rejoicing,” Mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan declared in her presentation.
Coordinator of Disaster Response, Dr. Dave Adams and his wife drove to Mayfield from Memphis every day except Sunday to pitch in. This grueling routine was bearable because of its uplifting impact. According to Adams, St. James “was a place of comfort” and “a beacon of light” that beamed even in the aftermath of loss and tragedy.
Extolling the power that comes from teamwork, Tiffany Tolbert, Senior Director for Preservation for African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, explained, “Perseverance is what we do. God’s work is best done together.”
Another aspect of the restoration was a series of oral history interviews by students from Murray State University. Guiding the process, MSU’s David Pizzo, Ph. D. emphasized the importance of documenting church history. Quoting Psalm 122, Pizzo said, “May there be peace be within your walls” as he invited members of the audience to become part of the interview process.
The last phase of Saturday’s celebration was a dedication by Bishop Jeffrey B. Cooper, Sr.,
based on a quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Preaching with spirited energy, the bishop listed the many miracles that happen in a routine day, starting with just waking up and having food to put on the table.
“They’re all miracles,” he roared. “Don’t let the chaos and confusion and injustice happening now, don’t let it discourage you!”
There are always reasons to feel discouraged, times when giving up seems like a good idea, he reminded the gathering, “But every time you walk through these doors, it is a miracle,” he concluded.
