“THE AFRICAN MEETING HOUSE: A LIVING ANCESTOR”

 by Regie Gibson

“The African Meeting House: A Living Ancestor”

The African Meeting House, a National Trust Historic Site in Boston, was built in 1806 and is the oldest existing Black church building in the country built primarily by Black artisans. It served as a religious and educational center, a gathering place for social and political self-expression, and a sanctuary. Watch award-winning poet Regie Gibson explain the significance of the space to those who sought refuge behind its doors.

By Femi Lewis

Updated August 31, 2018

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, also called AME Church, was established by the Reverend Richard Allen in 1816. Allen founded the denomination in Philadelphia to unite African American Methodist churches in the North. These congregations wanted to be free from White Methodists who historically had not allowed African Americans to worship in desegregated pews.

 As the founder of the AME Church, Allen was consecrated as its first bishop. The AME Church is a unique denomination in the Wesleyan tradition--it is the only religion in the western hemisphere to develop from the sociological needs of its members. It is also the first African American denomination in the United States.

"God our Father, Christ our Redeemer, Man our Brother" —David Alexander Payne

Organizational Mission:

Since its establishment in 1816, the AME Church has worked to minister to the needs--spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, and environmental--of people. Using liberation theology, the AME seeks to help those in need by preaching the gospel of Christ, providing food for the hungry, providing homes, encouraging those who have fallen on hard times as well as economic advancement, and providing employment opportunities to those in need.