The roots of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of York, Pennsylvania, date back to the year 1787 when a small group of African Americans — including founder Richard Allen — was dragged from the altar during worship at Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as they knelt in prayer. Spurred to action by this harrowing event, Allen organized groups of black African Christians in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania into what became known as the “Free African Society.” Wedded to the spiritual doctrine: “God, Our Father; Christ, Our Redeemer; and Man, Our Brother,” the movement officially came together in 1816 to formulate the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, electing and consecrating Richard Allen as its first Bishop.
Twenty-nine years following the separation from the original Methodist Episcopal Church, Bishop Allen visited what locals referred to as “Little York” in Pennsylvania, to plant the seeds of African Methodism.
A humble beginning started with members meeting in private homes, and then a small hall on South Duke Street. Some three years later in 1819, the congregation took up residence on the first floor of 216 West King Street as a place to congregate; the second floor, at the time, was the original home of the Masonic Lodge. Bethel’s membership later acquired the entire building, and it came to be called “Bethel Hall.”
As Bethel A.M.E. Church of York grew, The Reverend J.B. Hill supervised the building of an edifice on the corner of West King and Newberry Streets. While the first floor remained the official meeting place for congregants, the second floor became the parsonage.
Over the years, as membership grew in number, the turbulent waters of three Codorus Creek floods came to ultimately destroy valuable church records. Though the original edifice remained structurally intact, Bethel’s growing congregation decided to move to new, and somewhat higher, ground.
In 1949, nearly 135 years following Bishop Allen’s introduction to York, Reverend Joseph R. Fortune was appointed to pastor at Bethel A.M.E. A stalwart leader, Reverend Fortune led “New Bethel” to its present location at 350-356 West Princess Street in 1953, spearheading many changes and accomplishments during his twenty-two year tenure.
In 1972, the present edifice was also inundated by flood waters. The Reverend John F. Brown led the congregation in rebuilding the destroyed auditorium, which was completed the following year in 1973.
In October 1974, under the leadership of Reverend Terrence Carl Hensford, the members of Bethel acquired 127 Irving Road to be used as the church parsonage. 10 years later on November 11, 1984, during the shepherding tenure of Reverend Robert O. Bailey, the congregation celebrated the burning of the mortgage.
The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of York owes its very existence and succeeding growth to the founding activities of Bishop Richard Allen, and to the following reverends:
– John Hood, J.B. Hill (1873), C.H. Warfield (1896)
– E.G. Hubert, J.H. Bucker, R.J. Williams
– L.W. Stanford, W.S. Drummond, W.H. Harris
– H.H. Cooper, W.J. Johnson, R.L. Cummings
– Paris Haker, F.T.M. Webster, D.V. Kyle (1937-42)
– Clyde H. Wilson (1942-43), S.B. Randolph (1943-47),
– John Dawkins (1947-48), C. Crawford, Joseph R. Fortune (1949-71)
– John Webster, Elijah Boyd, W.H. King
– E.H. Brown, C.C. Williams, W.A. Flamer
– Durrant J. Hilton, A.L. Bouldin, John F. Brown (1071-73)
– Terrence Hensford (1973-77), Anthony Oliver (1977-78),
– Presiding Elder J.E. Walker (1978), James H. Alford (1978-80)
– Robert O. Bailey (1980-87), Joseph F. Walen, Sr. (1987-89)
– James Hill (1989-94), Anthony Jones (1994-2001)
– Johnnie Vause (2001-04), Winifred Lewis (2004-07)
– Katherine E. Rose (2007-Present)
To date, the international African Methodist Episcopal Church has grown to include more than 2.3 million members located throughout the United States of America, Canada, South America, The West Indies, Bermuda, South Africa and West Africa. The churches are overseen by seventeen male bishops and three female bishops.
Bethel A.M.E. Church - York 