The African Methodist Episcopal Church

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, is a United States Methodist Church, not affiliated with the United Methodist Church governmentally, that was formally organized in 1816.

It developed from a congregation formed by a group of Philadelphia-area slaves and former slaves who withdrew in 1787 from St. Georges's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia because of discrimination
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They built Bethel African Methodist Church in Philadelphia, now fondly known as Mother Bethel. In 1799, Richard Allen was ordained minister of the church by Bishop Francis Asbury of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1816, Ausbery consecrated Allen bishop of the newly organized African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Confined to the Northern states before the Civil War, the church spread rapidly in the South after the war.

The Church is Methodist in doctrine and church government, and it holds a general conference every four years. It has about 1,200,000 members.

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RICHARD ALLEN
A Man of Courage

Richard Allen was born on February 14, 1760 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, a slave to a Quaker lawyer, the Honorable Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1774-1777.

Richard Allen, his parents and three other children were sold to a Mr. Stokeley in Delaware, near Dover. Allen recorded that Stokeley was a very tender and humane man who was more like a father to his slaves than a master.

As Richard and his brother grew older, they were permitted to attend meetings of the Methodist Society.

In 1777, at the age of seventeen, Allen was converted by the preaching of free-born Garrettson and joined the Methodist Society

He later bought his freedom for two thousand dollars in Continental money. He commenced traveling in 1783 and later returned to Philadelphia and joined the white congregation at St. Georges's Methodist Episcopal Church. He was licensed to preach in 1784 and was permitted to hold services in the morning about 5 a.m.

As the attendence of colored people at St. George's increased, the hostile attitudes of the officers and members also increased and on a Sabbath morning in 1787, the sexton met them at the door of the church and sent them to the gallery.

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The African Methodist Episcopal Church Is Born
Oppression launches the new church

One morning, at St. George's, while prayer was going on Allen heard considerable scuffling and low-talking. As he raised his head, he saw the trustees pulling Absalom Jones and William White off their knees telling them that they could not kneel there. When the prayer was over, the black people, led by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, withdrew from the St. George's Church

Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, William Gray and William Wilcher were appointed to find a lot to build a church where the worship of God could be carried on without interference.

A lot was selected on Sixth Street near Lombard, in Philadelphia, and Richard Allen was authorized to negotiate for its purchase. The lot belonged to Mark Wilcox.

This lot, purchased by Richard Allen in 1787, is the oldest parcel of real estate owned continuously by black people in the United States. All church buildings of Mother Bethel have been erected on the same ground.

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The First Bethel
Up From A Blacksmith's Shop

A frame building formerly used as a blacksmith shop was purchased from a man named Sims and hauled to the lot at Sixth Street. Carpenters were employed to repair it and fit it for a place of worship. The building was dedicated as the first church in July 1794 by Bishop Francis Ausbury, who preached the sermon. Reverend John Dickins, pastor of St. George's, sang and prayed that the house be called "Bethel" for the gathering in of thousands of souls

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The Second Church

The frame building was used for eleven years, until 1805, when the roughcast church was erected. The latter was used for 36-years until 1841. The Convention of independent African Churches was held in this building in April of 1816, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. Richard Allen was elected and consecrated the First African American Bishop.

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The Third Church

The third church building was erected in 1841 of brick. The last service was held in this building on June 16, 1889 during the pastorate of the Reverend Cornelius T. Schaffer, M.D., D.D.

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The Fourth Church

The demolition of the brick church began on August 7, 1889, and on August 24 ground was broken for the new church at 9:15 a.m. by Bishop Henry McNeil Turner, Reverend C. T. Schafer, pastor, officers, members and many visitors.

The cornerstone of the new church was laid on Thursday, November 7, 1889, at 2 p.m. by Bishop Henry McNeil Turner and Alexander W. Wayman, Pastor C. T. Schaffer, the Presiding Elder, and officers of the church in the presence of a large assembling of the congregation.

The new church was dedicated on Sunday, October 26, 1890 by Bishops Henry McNeil Turner and Daniel A. Payne, the Reverend William H. Heard, Pastor, the Reverend C. T. Schaffer, Presiding Elder, with many ministers and civic leaders present.

Rev. Dr. Richard F. Norris, currently pastor of St. Matthew's A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia and a candidate for Bishop in the church, completed a massive 3.5 million dollar restoration of Mother Bethel in 1991. This work brought the roman revival structure to its original glory.

Mother Bethel is continuing its growth and restoration under the dynamic Godly directed pastorage of Rev. Jeffrey Leath.