Norwalk church taking second shot at honorary road renaming

NORWALK, Conn. — An honorary road renaming may happen soon under the Common Council’s new ordinance.

It would be for the church that Councilman David Watts (D-District A) made the topic of much commentary at the Oct. 28 Council meeting.

The Land Use and Building Management Committee is scheduled to discuss on Wednesday a request from the House of Prophecies and Prayer to give Berkeley Street the commemorative name, “Pastor Sadie Miles Way.” The request to do this came on Nov. 12, shortly after the Council approved a new road renaming ordinance Oct. 28.

The ordinance allows the Council to rename a road in honor of a living person if a “super majority plus one” votes in favor – 11 yes votes on the 15-member Council. Mayor Harry Rilling said this was the reason the matter has been delayed.

“The letter was sent in November, but there was a question raised about the ‘super majority plus one’ issue and whether or not it was in compliance with Council rules. Therefore, until that issue was resolved and until the ordinance was in effect, it was not put forward,” Rilling wrote in an email.

Land Use and Building Management Committee Chairman Rich Bonenfant (R-At Large) said Rilling asked him to put it on a meeting agenda two weeks ago. Land Use will consider it and then send it on to the Public Works Committee if it’s deemed appropriate, he said.

The letter from House of Prophecies and Prayer President Lonnel Lee explains why church members feel the road should be given the commemorative name, which would be in addition to the name Berkeley Street:

“Pastor Miles founded House of Prophecies and Prayer in Stamford in 1972.  She began with only three members, but today, House of Prophecies and Prayer has over 500 members, with approximately 200 who regularly attend Sunday services at 2 Berkeley Street. Pastor Miles began House of Prophecies and Prayer in a Stamford storefront, but moved to Norwalk in 1995 when the Church purchased the building at 2 Berkeley Street. Pastor Miles established a second Church, also known as House of Prophecies and Prayer, in her home town of Williamston, North Carolina. By 2013, House of Prophecies and Prayer had paid in full the mortgages on both the Norwalk Church and the North Carolina Church.

“For many years, Pastor Miles has been well known for her generosity, giving both her time and her resources to help others. She has assisted people In Halfway Houses, Emergency Shelters, Rehabilitation Programs, Prisons, Housing Projects, and Hospice. She has used her own funds to pay funeral and burial expenses for needy families. She has donated money to numerous other churches in the tri-state area. Pastor Miles started a First Home Owner Assistance Program to provide down payment funds for Church members who are purchasing homes. She established savings accounts for all of the children in House of Prophecies and Prayer. She bought six large vans so that Church members could attend Sunday services, and she purchased automobiles for single mothers. Pastor Miles has assisted many Church members who attend school to further their education, and has encouraged and assisted others to enlist in the military.  Pastor Miles sponsors annual drives to provide food baskets, coats, clothing, toys, and Christmas gifts for residents of the Norwalk Shelter. In the past, she established a program to provide Christmas presents for every resident of a Bridgeport Housing Project. Every month, Pastor Miles sends money to Senegal, in West Africa, to help support five families. After Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Pastor Miles led Church members in providing comfort, counseling and financial assistance to victims and their families. Pastor Miles inspired Church members to set up a site on Google plus which now has nearly 2000 followers, and which has been visited almost one million times. At the age of 83, Pastor Miles continues to preach and lead Sunday services at House of Prophecies and Prayer, sometimes lasting for seven or eight hours.

“On October 20, 2013, Pastor Miles and members of House of Prophecies and Prayer celebrated the 41^st anniversary of the Church with a Mortgage Burning Ceremony, commemorating the payment in full of the mortgage on the Church at 2 Berkeley Street as well as the earlier payment in full of the mortgage on the North Carolina Church. At the Mortgage Burning Ceremony, former Mayor Richard Moccia presented Proclamations on behalf of the Mayor and the Common Council of the City of Norwalk honoring Pastor Miles. She received similar honors from Governor Dannel Malloy, Representative Bruce Morris on behalf of the Connecticut Legislature, the Mayor of the City of Stamford, the Human Relations Officer of the Norwalk Board of Education, Darnell Crosland, President of the Norwalk Branch NAACP, and Barack Obama, President of the United States. In 2012, Pastor Miles received similar honors, including Joint Legislative Resolution from the Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, a Proclamation from the Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey and a Certificate of Special Recognition from the Paterson City Council, a Proclamation and Award from the Mayor of Williamston, North Carolina, and a Resolution of Appreciation from the Commission of Martin County, North Carolina. All of these awards were given to Pastor Miles in recognition of her many years of service to the citizens and residents of Connecticut, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

“The members of House of Prophecies and Prayer believe that adding the name Pastor Sadie Miles Way to Berkeley Street would provide an enduring honor as well as public recognition for Pastor Miles, for all that she has done.  We ask that you support our request, place our request on the Agenda for the Norwalk Common Council, and convey your support of our request to members of the Common Council.”

Watts, on Oct. 28, said the church’s prior request had been turned down by insensitive Council members. “It left a bad taste in my mouth,” he said. “That just was wrong.”

Planning Committee Chairman Doug Hempstead (R-At Large) said in reply that Watts was badly distorting a conversation that happened at a committee meeting. There had been no ordinance in place to allow for a street renaming, he said.

Bonenfant said he did not yet have an opinion on “Pastor Sadie Miles Way.”

“All I have is a letter of request. It’s better to listen to all sides before making a decision,” he wrote.

Councilman Bruce Kimmel (D-At Large) wrote in an email, “I have not gone through the backup yet, but from what I have heard, I have no problem with that commemorative plaque.”

Other committee members did not respond to an email.

“It wouldn’t affect the real name of the street, Berkeley Street because that would create another set of problems,” Bonenfant wrote. “For instance, changing listings at the post office, emergency responders, mapping services, and all the residents who would have to buy new stationery and business cards, and then notify contacts like banks and other companies.”