Mother Bethel African Methodist Church: A Beacon of Hope and Resilience in a City Divided by History

Two historic Philadelphia churches, Christ Church and Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, continue to serve as the spiritual home for hundreds in the city. Both churches have a complex history, marked by both contributions to the freedom movement and struggles with racial inequality. Christ Church, founded by colonists as the first parish of the Church of England in Pennsylvania, has faced controversy over its involvement with slavery and the burial of figures like Franklin and Frederick Douglass. Mother Bethel AME, established by freed slaves and their descendants, has played a crucial role in the fight for equality, providing a safe haven for Black people fleeing slavery and becoming a major gathering point for the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the AME Church has more than 2.5 million members and thousands of congregations worldwide, and its pastor encourages his congregation to vote and reminds them of the importance of defending the rights and the respectability of those who are withheld the full opportunity of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.