H*5176 Concurrent Resolution, By W.D. Smith
 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE OVERWHELMING GENEROSITY
 OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE ADVENT IN SPARTANBURG WHO
 TRAVELED TO NEW YORK CITY AND DEDICATED THEIR TIME AND RESOURCES AT ST. PAUL'S
 CHAPEL AT GROUND ZERO TO HELP THE RESCUE WORKERS AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 11
 ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

   04/24/02  House  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate HJ-35
   04/24/02  Senate Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence SJ-11

TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE OVERWHELMING GENEROSITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE ADVENT IN SPARTANBURG WHO TRAVELED TO NEW YORK CITY AND DEDICATED THEIR TIME AND RESOURCES AT ST. PAUL'S CHAPEL AT GROUND ZERO TO HELP THE RESCUE WORKERS AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

Whereas, a group from the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg opened their hearts after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and traveled to New York to work at St. Paul's Chapel at Ground Zero; and

Whereas, Lyndon Harris, who is a former associate rector at the Church of the Advent in Spartanburg and currently the priest at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City, helped evacuate the chapel nursery the morning of September 11; and

Whereas, on September 12, when Father Harris returned to the chapel, located directly in front of the former World Trade Center buildings, he was stunned to discover that the chapel had not suffered any damage and stood completely unscathed amid the destruction of the previous day; and

Whereas, Father Harris knew that St. Paul's needed to become a relief site, and, by the end of September 12, volunteers had served two thousand meals of barbeque to the police and fire rescue workers; and

Whereas, the health department shut down the relief site at St. Paul's many times, but no police officers would enforce it. The day the health department came back with a signed order from Mayor Guliani, Father Harris moved the relief site inside the chapel and called it "church potluck suppers" to avoid the health department; and

Whereas, since then, St. Paul's has been a twenty-four hour, full-time relief site for the firefighters, police, ironworkers, OSHA workers, and others, providing breakfast, lunch, dinner, and chili or soup throughout the night. Chiropractors, podiatrists, and massage therapists volunteer their services, and there are stations with medicines, warm clothing, new socks and boots, and beverages; and

Whereas, the pews are filled with blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals, and cots are tucked into every corner. The walls of the sanctuary are covered with artwork, letters of thanks and praise, and banners from around the country and the world; and

Whereas, the crew from the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg arrived Monday, February 18, 2002, for their week of service. They were Ruta Allen, Summer Booker, Rob Brown, Grant Calhoun, Shannon Earl, Anne Elliott, David Graham, Kate Haskell, Nancy Holmes, Fergie Horvath, Lynn Jordan, Bennie Larj, Gail McCullough, Glenn McGee, Helen Mitchell, Carla Paxton, Alice Phillips, Kay Powell, Perrin Powell, Ellen Rutter, Marianna Taylor, Doris Turner, Keith Turner, Tim Ward, Holly Watters, Abi White, and Reggie Whitehurst; and

Whereas, to the rescue workers, it was a wonderful new experience eating southern cooking. For breakfast the volunteers cooked sausage gravy and biscuits, cheese grits, eggs, bacon, pancakes, and French toast. For lunch they had gourmet sandwiches donated and delivered by Eli's Deli in New York, and dinner was brought in by various restaurants, including the Waldorf-Astoria; and

Whereas, there was a short service in the chapel every day at noon, and musicians from The Juilliard School came by several times a day; and

Whereas, the volunteers worked in two twelve-hour shifts cooking, stocking the food and beverages, manning the supply tables, keeping track of how many rescue people came each day which averaged about fifteen hundred, keeping the candles lit, arranging the many bouquets of flowers they received, and doing anything else that needed to be done; and

Whereas, the General Assembly is proud to recognize and honor these kind and benevolent souls from the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg who volunteered and helped so many rescue workers and mourners at Ground Zero in New York City. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and commend the overwhelming generosity of the members of the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg who traveled to New York City and dedicated their time and resources at St. Paul's Chapel at Ground Zero to help the rescue workers after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg.