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St. Paul A.M.E. Church (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

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St. Paul AME Church
 
St. Paul Church (Bent Spire)
 
 
 
 
Location101 N. Merritt Mill Rd.,
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Coordinates35°54′36.13″N 79°03′55.83″W / 35.9100361°N 79.0655083°W / 35.9100361; -79.0655083
Built1892

St. Paul A.M.E. Church is a church building in the second district of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in the United States. Being the first black church in the area, it is the spiritual home to numerous communicants, including numerous students studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[1]

Mission Statement

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"The Mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is to minister to the social, spiritual, and physical development of all people." [2]

St. Paul A.M.E. Church, like other A.M.E. Churches, has the vision to encourage all individuals to become active in church training and practice according to the Free African Society. Each member shall engage in the mission of seeking out the lost and serving the needy along with fulfilling the Church's ultimate purposes: preaching the gospel, enhancing social development, and training in leadership strategies.

History

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Origins

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In 1864, William Thompson, J. Craig, Charles Craig, Kenny Brooks, Charles H. Johnson, C.E.H. Johnson, Green Merritt, and Green Cordal founded a Black Methodist Church, under the leadership of Edwin Allen and Jerry Hargraves.[3] The first service, held by Rev. Green Cordal, was attended by people of African American and Native American descent and took place on Dec 26th, 1864.[4][5]

In 1870, St. Paul was officially accepted into the African Methodist Episcopal Church System, headquartered in Philadelphia.[4] The property on which the church sits today was originally bought on April 15th, 1878, from Benjamin and Dilsy Craig for $55.[3] The purchased land previously housed the Orange Country Training School.[6] The training school was converted into a private freedman’s school in 1968 on a property adjacent to St. Paul AME Church.[7] The original church building was a log cabin constructed by its members on Merritt Mill Road in 1878. A new church building was constructed in 1892.[8]

Renovations

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St. Paul AME Church has expansion plans which expect to take ten years once the proposal is fully approved.[9] The expansion is set to create a village called the St. Paul Village, proposed by Reverend Thomas O. Nixon.[10] The vision for the St. Paul Village is to build in three phases with the ultimate goal of bringing various types of people together; Chapel Hill is a very diverse area and the hope is to unite the numerous groups of people while also preserving the social, economic, and cultural stability of the neighborhood. With this expansion, more housing will be available for Chapel Hill residents, as well as increased job opportunities.

The phases are set to be developed as follows:

  • Phase 1: A new fellowship hall built to seat 600 people, an administrative building, daycare center, gymnasium, sales office, memorial garden, independent living apartments, and 36 independent living apartments
  • Phase 2: A wellness center, sanctuary, youth center, and senior center
  • Phase 3: A village with an assisted living housing development and health center

In 2014, renovations were set to begin allowing the church to expand on a 48,000-square-foot piece of land. The groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for October 2014, with construction expected to begin in late 2015 and an expected completion time of 2025.[10]

Traditions

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Each year St. Paul AME hosts an annual 5K benefit walk/ run with proceeds benefiting the St. Paul Village.[11] This benefit raises money and awareness for the St. Paul Village, while also commemorating the lives of various notable people who have passed within the community each year. There are prizes and awards present each year at the race for who runs the race the fastest overall, the top three fastest runners in the female category, and the top three fastest runners in the male category.[12] Hundreds of people, individuals and families, gather every year for this event.

In 2019, the proceeds totaled nearly $12,000. A remaining $800 was then donated to several nonprofits in the Chapel Hill community.

In 2020, 10% of the proceeds were donated to the community, and the remainder were used to profit the St. Paul Village.

In 2021, the event was virtual due to COVID-19, but individuals continued participating in the 5k. There was an $800 donation to two nonprofit organizations, with the remainder used to profit the St. Paul Village.

In 2022, the event was virtual due to COVID-19, but individuals continued to participate in the 5k.

In 2023, the event was in-person again, but data has not yet been collected on donations and profits towards the St. Paul Village.[13]

Present Day

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St. Paul AME offers in-person Sunday Worship services at 9:30 am, with virtual youth programs at 9:45 am and a virtual workshop at 11:00 am. The 9:30 am service is the adult church school, which is a more cultivated and in-depth approach to the gospel. The youth church school, led by Reverend Mary Jane Palmer, at 9:45 am, is a virtual option for children to learn and grow in their faith in a welcoming environment. Led by Reverend Dr. Michael A. Cousin, the 11:00 am virtual workshop offers. All services at St. Paul AME are offered virtually and can be joined on various platforms such as YouTube, and Zoom.[14] St. Paul AME records and posts all services to Youtube.[15]

Community Outreach

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St. Paul AME Church encourages participation in all aspects of the Church. It has several ministry options and ways to get involved including vacation bible school, young kids group reunions, youth group reunions, women's group reunions, and men's group reunions along with other church activities and gatherings.[14]

As a member institution of Orange County Justice United, a group of religious institutions that are dedicated to improving the lives of their community through working to fight injustices and reduce gaps in power, St. Paul AME Church aims to embody these goals in their community outreach and projects.[16] St. Paul AME was featured in a project to help preserve and engage with the history of the historic Chapel Hill and Carrboro neighborhoods of Northside, Pine Knolls, and Tin Top with the Marian Cheek Jackson Center and their oral history project From the Rock Wall.[8]

Notable Names with Connections to St. Paul AME Church

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Reverend Dr. Michael A. Cousin, Sr. - The current pastor at St. Paul AME Church. Rev. Cousins received his BA in Political Science with an English Minor from Alabama State University where he was involved in Student Government and a member of Alpha Kappa Nu National Honor Society and Phi Alpha Fraternity. Receiving the Martian Luther King Jr. Fellowship, he attended Boston University School of Theology and after earning his Masters in Divinity, he worked as the Youth Pastor at Charles Street AME Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Graduating from Garret-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, Dr. Cousins has served in several congregations throughout the eastern United States and has earned numerous awards and recognitions before joining St. Paul AME in 2017.[2]

Reverend Green Cordal - The first pastor at St. Paul AME Church in 1864. He served before the Church was officially inducted into the AME system and had a permanent building, often holding services under a grapevine.[14]

Dr. Reginald Hildebrand - Associate professor of African and Afro-American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, member of St. Paul AME Church, and is on the advisory board of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History.[4]

See Also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chapel Hill Historical Society". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  2. ^ a b "St Paul AME Church, Chapel Hill". www.stpaulamech.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  3. ^ a b "History". St. Paul AME. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  4. ^ a b c "Reginald Hildebrand · Facing Our Neighbors | From the Rock Wall". fromtherockwall.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  5. ^ Ogle, Mike. "Chapel Hill was half Black". stonewalls.substack.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  6. ^ Admin (2020-11-01). "When Schooling Was Still Segregated - The Local Reporter". Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  7. ^ "Education prominent in black history". The Chapel Hill Herald. 1996-02-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  8. ^ a b "St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church | From the Rock Wall". fromtherockwall.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  9. ^ "Triangle Biz". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  10. ^ a b "St. Paul AME Church celebrates 150 years with new project". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  11. ^ McLendon, Anissa. "St. Paul Village Community Walk and 5K Run". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  12. ^ https://www.stpaulamechapelhill.org/uploads/1/3/3/8/13381279/flier_2023_st_paul_5k_-__2022-09-25_.pdf
  13. ^ "5K Benefit Walk/Run". St. Paul AME. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  14. ^ a b c "St. Paul AME". St. Paul AME. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  15. ^ "St Paul AME Church - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  16. ^ "Members and Leadership". Orange County Justice United. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
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