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St. John AME Church History
"The Mother Church of African Methodism in Tennessee"
In 1987, the African Methodist Episcopal Church celebrated the bicentennial of its conception as a denomination. Ministers and members of the Church used this time to reflect on the past of African Methodism and devised plans to retool for the Church's third century. It was appropriate, then, that the Mother Church in Tennessee should review and trace its history briefly, mentioning the connectional background and milieu.
The connectional background takes one back to the year 1787. Despite the fact that Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love, the relations between whites and blacks during that period were somewhat hostile--even in the church. Because black churches per se did not exist, many slaves attended the white churches whose doors were open to them. Richard Allen and his friends Absalom Jones, Darius Jennings, and William White attended St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church until their numbers so increased that the whites became annoyed by their presence. It was at this point that the event occurred which changed black American religious history for all time (Gregg 16). While at prayer, these black worshippers were pulled from their knees and told they were not to kneel there. Repelled by this act of racial discrimination this little band led what has been described as the first protest by walking out of St. George's. Subsequent events resulted in the formation of the Free African Society on April 12, 1787--a mutual aid society--whose mission also became that of the AME Church. One purpose is "to seek out and save the lost, and serve the needy..." Following his disenchantment with the Free African Society in 1788 and 1789 when the group decided to organize a church that would be affiliated with the Church of England rather than Methodism, Richard Allen purchased a plot of land and later bought a blacksmith shop and reconstructed it on the site. Dedicated on July 29, 1794, this church known, known as Bethel, was the beginning of the AME denomination. It became a connectional church in 1816.
What was the milieu when St. John was born, 47 years later in 1863? In that year, the United States had been embroiled in the Civil War for two years. In 1863, however, the tide of the Civil War had turned. The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued on January 1, even though more than 800,000 slaves in border states were untouched by it and hundreds of thousands in the Confederacy did not hear about it until nine months later (Franklin 284). On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered to the Union forces, while on the same day, Robert E. Lee began his retreat at Gettysburg.
It was also during that year that able-bodied blacks were eligible for military employment in such strategic states as Maryland, Missouri, and Tennessee. By October, almost 4,000 blacks in Tennessee had enlisted and become organized into separate units (Lamon 32). This separateness carried over into all aspects of black live. According to Lester C. Lamon, before the war most blacks had attended white churches, but with an end to slavery, blacks began to feel unwelcome in these churches. It was perhaps providential that the African Methodist Episcopal Church had begun its program of expansion in a number of areas, including sending its first missionaries to South Carolina and a bishop to Tennessee.
On the fifth of December, Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne arrived in Nashville, bringing with him letters of introduction from the nation's Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Treasury. These he presented to the Honorable Andrew Johnson, who was then Governor of Tennessee. Receiving him cordially, the Governor granted Bishop Payne permission to organize African Methodist churches in the State.
At the same time, some officers and members of Capers Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, the first Negro meeting house in Nashville built with the help of the members of McKendree Methodist Church, became dissatisfied with their connection with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, because of its stand on slavery. Led by Reverend Napoleon Merry, a 39-year-old free black, they decided to make application to become a part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Bishop Payne accepted the application, received the officers and members, and organized St. John AME Church. Rev. Merry became the first pastor. Their first house of worship was at Spruce (now Eighth Avenue) and Gay Streets.
The small band of members thus became part of a connectional church which had by this time and in less than five years accomplished many "firsts" for black people. The African Methodist Episcopal Church published the first Book of Discipline and the first hymn book; purchased Wilberforce University which became the oldest coeducational university owned and controlled by blacks; organized a missionary society; converted a monthly magazine to a quarterly journal; and established The Christian Recorder. The philosophy which gave rise to this growth and development likewise motivated the newly-born St. John.
From 1863 to the present, St. John has had 37 pastors whose tenures ranged from five months to 11 years. History is vague on the length of time served by the first three ministers, Rev. Merry, Rev. Rickett, and Rev. Asbury. The present pastor is in his third year.
Nine years after the founding of St John, Rev. J. W. Early assigned to it. He found a divided membership and a debt of $1,300. Within five months he had united the members and eliminated the debt. At the Annual Conference of 1873, St. John reported 536 members, four preachers, two Sunday School superintendents, and a Sunday School attendance of 579.
This growth of the church made it apparent that a larger church building was needed. The site as Spruce and Gay was too small to accommodate a larger structure; therefore, that site was sold and the funds were used to purchase the property on the corner of Cedar and Spruce Streets, the purchase price being $3,200. The pastor, at this time, was still Rev. J. W. Early.
The year 1956 brought a drastic and unsettling change to St. John. The Capitol Hill Redevelopment Program displaced many churches and residents of the area near the State Capitol. St. John was forced to sell its historic church and relocate. As is always the case when such occurs, there was a great concern of where to build and what kind of church to build; where to worship during the interim, and how to maintain unity and solidarity. Under the leadership of Rev. J.M. Granberry, Jr. (1950-1959), the old church was sold for $87,500, which was used to purchase a new site at 1822 Formosa Street and erect a new building at a cost of $125,000. The new St. John was formally dedicated on July 6, 1958, in a ceremony which included Bishop E. L. Hickman and Dr. Frederick D. Coleman, Jr., Presiding Elder.
The services of the church were expanded during the pastorate of Rev. William P. DeVeaux, Ph.D., (1975-1980) through the development of a "Bus Ministry." A van was purchased to provide needed transportation for the elderly and for youth activities. In addition, a Building Fund Committee was appointed which landed a drive, raising an initial amount of $12,183 and having plans drawn for the addition of an Educational Building. The sanctuary was also improved through the installation of a new lighting system.
Rev. Charles E. Jenkins, Sr., was assigned to St. John in 1980 as the 35th pastor. Under his leadership, the church sold the old parsonage at 1402 South Street and purchased a modern one, valued at $84,000, at 3828 Dunbar Drive. The beauty of the sanctuary has been enhanced and the historic heritage of the church preserved by the installation of ten recreated stained-glass windows from Old St. John at 8th and Cedar. A loyal trustee, Pearlie Gasaway, provided for this gift in memory of her late mother and sister, Elnora and Sadie Gasaway.
In 1991, Rev. Louis C. Adkins became the 36th pastor of St. John. During his two-year tenure, he increased the financial stability of the church, purchased major items of equipment for the church office, and improved the parsonage through the installation of a new air conditioning and heating system, and by replacing other major appliances.
In 1993, Rev. Charles A. Jones was assigned to the church. Improvement of the physical plant continued with the equipping of an office for the Minister of Music. An analysis of the capital improvements for the church has been presented for future implementations. In addition, several new ministries have been initiated, including Health Awareness, Food Source, Tutoring, and St. John Scholarships to be awarded to each graduating senior.
From its humble beginning, from the toil and labor of its first members, some of whom were former slaves, through the trials and tribulations of an impoverished and unlettered people, St. John has indeed attempted to fulfill the dream of the founder of the AME Church whose philosophy of self-help and theology of liberation have through the years permeated the life of the members. With the thousands of churches across the face of America, on the continent of Africa, and in the isles of the Caribbean, St. John looks forward to a third century of service.
Jayme C. Williams
February 11, 1987
Revised March, 1997
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