Experiencing joy from ‘the find’

Pastor sees historic discovery as ‘ray of light’ amid troubles

Pastor Al Smith of San Antonio’s historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church looks into a camera to record his weekly sermon.

Quoting what he calls “one of my favorite gospel songs,” by Marvin Gaye, he pointedly asks his small congregation and online followers: “What’s Going On?”

It’s a question any preacher might ask his flock these days. The nation is reeling from a global pandemic and the protests after the May 25 death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

But along with that, Smith, who leads one of Bexar County’s oldest Black churches, is savoring joy and curiosity over what he calls “the find”: the recent discovery of one of St. James’ original church sites, dating to the early 1870s, during construction of Bexar County’s massive San Pedro Creek Culture Park project.

In a June 28 sermon drawing on biblical passages from Isaiah,

Chronicles and Ephesians, with one reference to Patti LaBelle’s “I’ve Got a New Attitude,” Smith, St. James’ pastor for the past four years, compares the recent unrest to wildfires in his home state of California.

Delivering his sermon, recorded in his apartment with help from his wife, he likens the broad-based outpouring of support for police reform and social justice to firefighters from all over the world coming to extinguish the flames of chaos.

“To my brothers, to my sisters, to our children, to our nation, it’s time to repent. It’s time to restore. It’s time to renew ourselves,” he says.

The February discovery of the historic foundation of one of the earliest worship spaces of St. James’ parishioners, many who likely had previously lived in bondage as slaves, has “put a spotlight on the church,” now located just west of downtown, Smith said.

He describes “the find” — the church foundation unearthed near Houston and Camaron streets, across from the Alameda Theater — as a “ray of light” in a tumultuous period. St. James has always celebrated its heritage as one of the first Black congregations in Texas, having been

Carlos Javier Sanchez / Contributor Al Smith is pastor of the historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of whose original sites, dating to the early 1870s, was recently discovered during construction of Bexar County’s San Pedro Creek Culture Park project.

Source: San Antonio River Authority Mike Fisher/Staff artist