Church History

Our History and Heritage

Our Name

	African - means that the church was organized by people of African descent and heritage. It does not mean that the church was founded in Africa, or that it is for people of African descent only. It does mean that those Americans who founded it were of African descent and we with joy recognize this fact. All are welcome and encouraged to worship with us
	Methodist - refers to the church's membership in the family of Methodist Churches. Richard Allen, the founder and first active bishop, felt that the form and format of Methodism would best suit the needs of the African community.
	Episcopal - refers to the format of government under which the church operates. The Episcopal form of government means that the chief executive and administrative officers of our denomination are our Bishops. Their authority is given by the General Conference, which consisted of elected representatives of the entire denomination. There are 19 Episcopal Districts and 20 active bishops.

Methodism

At a prayer meeting on Aldergates Street in London, England on May 24, 1738, Methodism began. John Wesley (1703-1791), its founder, a priest in the Church of England, wrote later that it was on that day that he came to know and experience for himself "that man as a sinner is justified before God by faith alone."

African Methodism

A young slave named Richard Allen (1760-1831) was present at some of the outdoor gatherings at which service were conducted by Methodist preachers. Their effort to convert slaves and their strong stand against slavery paid off with many black converts and Richard Allen was an early one. His association with them led to his eventual ordination as a lay preacher at St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.

In 1786, he was the leader of a prayer band and was often assigned to preach at the 5:00 am service. Entering the church one Sunday in the fall of 1787, Allen, along with a group of his friends. stopped to kneel as a prayer was in process. One of the trustees rushed up to them urging their immediate removal to the balcony. Based on a recent ruling of the church officials, the group was threatened with expulsion. When the prayer was over, Richard Allen walked out, followed by Absalom Jones William White, and Dorus Ginnings. This was the beginning of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Brown Chapel AME Church

In 1843, Brown Chapel AME Church came into existence as a mission without a name. This was 22 years before the slaves were freed and 56 years after Richard Allen led the exit from the Methodist Church in Philadelphia to found the first church in America for blacks. The vision of the courageous founders was to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience and without discrimination. In Michigan, it was frontier days for the inward call for peace and solitude was commonplace and many sought to elusive freedoms from oppression and freedoms of religion.

As the second oldest AME church in Michigan, it is likely that Adams at Buffalo Brown Chapel assisted in the safe travel through Ypsilanti of many runaway slaves on their way to the "Promised Land" of Canada. The current Pastor, Jerry Hatter, the 43rd pastor was first appointed in 1991 and has led the congregation to higher spiritual heights as well as into the new church building at 1043 W. Michigan Avenue in November, 1999.