Mother Bethel AME Church receives $1 million grant to support preservation
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Mother Bethel AME Church, a landmark of American religious and cultural history, has been awarded a $1 million grant to support preservation and ongoing operations.
The Society Hill church, founded in 1791, is recognized as the nation's first African Methodist Episcopal Church and sits on what its pastor describes as a historic piece of land.
"It is the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans, not only in Philadelphia, but in the United States of America," said Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, pastor of Mother Bethel.
Maintaining the historic building comes with its challenges.
"We're always in need of preservation dollars. How do we care for the windows, the woodwork, the masonry?" Cavaness said.
The $1 million grant funding comes from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund through its Preserving Black Churches program.
Mother Bethel is one of five historically Black churches nationwide selected to receive a $1 million grant. Cavaness called the award "a blessing," noting it is among the largest gifts in the church's history.
Cavaness is also making history herself as the first woman to serve as pastor of Mother Bethel.
"It's creating history, but also there are so many other women in this congregation and beyond upon whose shoulders I stand," she said.
Church leaders say the grant will support a wide range of needs, from building maintenance to accessibility improvements and operations at the church's museum, which is open to the public.
"Taking care of this history, making sure it's preserved for future generations so that it can be told," said Hannah Wallace, the museum and archival manager of Richard Allen Museum, which is housed in the basement of the church with artifacts dating back to revolutionary times.
Cavaness hopes the funding will help the church continue making a difference as a beacon in the community. The grant, she said, is "allowing us to plan and to dream and go forward."
