Bethel AME Church(litograph)
*This date marks the founding of the first Black Methodist Episcopal church in America in 1794.
This took place in Philadelphia, PA where Richard Allen, a minister and notable orator worked extremely hard to ensure a growing church membership. In 1787, Allen, Absalom Jones, and William White were pulled from their knees during prayer by a white usher for being in an area reserved for white members of the congregation.
Seven years later Allen fulfilled his dream by founding the Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church. His efforts continued to produce beyond Philadelphia as other Black congregations developed in Norristown, PA, Wilmington, DA, Baltimore, MA, and Camden, NJ.
Reference:
An Encyclopedia of African American Christian Heritage
by Marvin Andrew McMickle
Judson Press, Copyright 2002
ISBN 0-817014-02-0
