The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-04-11
Negro MethOdists Celebrate
Centenary of A. Nj. E. Church

It was just one hundred years ago
today that the organization OF the
African Methodist Episcopal church
was completed by the conservation of
Rev. Richard Allen as the first bish-
op of the denomination. Bishop AL
len was the leader in the movement
for a separate society of colOred Wes-
Ieyans, and as early as 1894 he built
the first church for negro Meth odists
in Philadelphia. This congregation
remained in affiliation with the Meth
odist Episcopal church until 1915,
when Allen called convention In
Philadelphia, to establish a separate
body of co}ored Methodists- There
were then several churches of this
denomination conducted by negro
ministers and exclusively for wor-
shippers of African descent. The dt-
vision from the parent church round
ed by Wesley was carried out in an
entirely friendly spirit. In creed
and polity it was practically identical
with the organization Of white Metho-
dists, and it has remained so in all
essential points, although an entirely
Independent body.
While the African Methodist Epis-
copa1 church is still the largest orga-
nization of colored Wesleyans, it has
a close rival in the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church. The former
organization claims Philadelphia as
it's birthplace, while the latter had its
origin in New York, The negroes of
New York established a separate spir-
itual fellowship of Methodists in 1896,
only two years after the building of
: first negro~Methodist church in Phil
: adelphia.~ It was largely the Jeal-
usy existing between the negroes of
: New York and Philadelphia which led
the former to abandon the African
Methodist Episcopal church in 1920,
/ only four years after the launching of
the organizations and set up a new
deno Inination with exactly the same
name except for the addition of the
word s'Zion' to the official tit1e.-Chris-
| topher Rush and James Varich were
{, the leaders in the division, and both
were made bishops. TRe differences
of the Zion Methodists, with the par
| ent church were on non-essent1al
| points, and it maintains practically
the same rules of faith and practice.
A reunion of the two bodies mas Oh
| ten been considered.
Another considerable body of negro
| Methodists are enrolled under tbs
| banner of the Colored Methodist Ep1s-
IcopaI church, while the African I'm
| ion Methodist church is a compare
| lively Insignificant denomination.
| The African Methodist Episcopal
| church now fhas about 100000 COM
municarts, and supports about 5000
/ churches and 900 ministers. The
| church has f1fteen bishops ztWOt OF
whom are in charge Of missi onar5
| work in Africa, and are stationed. al
! CapetoWn and F'reetown. 90
/ The African Methodist Episcopa
Zion church has about $4,000 com
/ m unicants, or about $4,000 less thar
the parent body and has 3,1S(
churches and $3.50 ministers. The
| zionists have eight bishops. The
| membership of the Colored Methodist
Episcopal church is about 24O, 900
4 with 5000 churches. This denomina-
ton has eight bishops. The African
Methodist Protestants number only
about 4,OOOss and have about 12t
/ curehes and 200 ministers.
The total of colored Methodists is
| about 1,434,Ooo, representing about
! one-fffth of the total of Methodists il
the United States. The Methodist
stand second only to the Baptists> in
the religious allegiance of Afro-Amerf
/ cas-. The Negro Baptists number wei
over two millions, and support 16, 84z
churches and 1896 ministers. These
two great religious divisions embrace
the great majority of the coloreo
Christians of America although there
are a number scattered among other
major denominations, and such small
| er sects as the Church of the Living
| God.