“Don't mistake activity with achievement.”
John Wooden (Basketball coach)

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

At the July 20 meeting, Rev. Catherine Brownlee, Pastor talked about “Over 100 Years of Resiliency” at the Wesley African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Swarthmore. In addition to Pastor Cathy, 7 other members of the congregation attended the Rotary meeting, including former pastor Gray and his wife. Joyce Shin of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church also attended because the churches support one another and some of the Swarthmore members attend church at AME on the second Sunday of every month.

The AME Church grew out of the Free African Society (FAS) which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. When officials at St. George’s MEC pulled blacks off their knees while praying, black members made plans to transform their mutual aid society into an African congregation. Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first AME Church in the nation, was founded in Philadelphia in 1794 by Richard Allen, a former slave. With financial assistance from individuals such as Dr. Benjamin Rush and President George Washington, Allen purchased a piece of land at 6th and Lombard streets in Philadelphia. He also bought an old blacksmith shop and moved it to the 6th and Lombard location. The Blacksmith Shop Meeting House, as the structure came to be called, was remodeled into a house of worship and dedicated on July 29, 1794. The pastor of St. George, the Reverend John Dickins, suggested that the new church should be called “Bethel” for the gathering of thousands of souls. The church still carries this name today. The AME church has since grown to include over 7000 churches in 39 countries and around 2.5 million members.

The AME Church in Swarthmore serving the historically black 3-block community around Kenyon, Union and Bowdoin Avenues started meeting in 1921 in a building called Jones Hall. The church is thus 102 years old. Most of the original congregants worked at the College or as domestics. The present building at 232 Bowdoin Avenue was built in 1927 and life in the close-knit community revolved around church activities. The church has continued serving the black community through 29 pastors over the years and presently has about 45 active members. Members run a crafts-for-children event at the Farmer’s Market. The building was closed during the pandemic and no one noticed that water was infiltrating through the walls into the basement meeting area. The cost to address this problem is estimated at over $160,000. Pastor Cathy noted a famous hymn says “we have come this far by faith” and has faith the resiliency of the church will continue long into the future.