A Community with a Purpose
One of the oldest churches on Amelia Island, the Macedonia AME Church in Fernandina Beach is a vibrant, multi-racial community dedicated to serving those in need. BY JULIE SIMMONS • PHOTO BY SHERRY CARTER
T
he corner of Beech and South 9th streets is the humble home of Fernandina Beach’s Macedonia AME Church. You’ve probably driven by and perhaps noticed the bold stained-glass windows or large white bell tower, but I’ll bet you didn’t know that this church is celebrating its sesquicentennial anniversary – or 150 years – in 2022! First, let’s review a bit of history on the AME Church itself. AME stands for African Methodist Episcopal, and the congregation was begun in Philadelphia in 1787 as the first, independent Protestant denomination founded by African Americans. The momentum for the movement came when black members of St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church were literally pulled off their knees while praying. In an effort to escape discrimination and with a vision of free worship, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones founded the AME denomination – the first denomination in the U.S. to be founded for liberty rather than theological distinction.
The AME Church was introduced to Fernandina Beach when Samuel Irving, an official with the AME Church in Philadelphia, arrived in town in 1870 and began prayer meetings for Blacks. In 1872, Irving formed and organized the Macedonia AME Church and laid a cornerstone at the corner of Beech and 7th streets. The community of believers became a significant center in the predominantly African American neighborhood, and the church continued to grow, constructing its current building in 1899, which includes the cornerstone of the 1872 structure. Today, it stands as one of the oldest churches on Amelia Island. On a recent cold January Sunday, I was blessed to worship with the Macedonia congregation, and they welcomed my family with open arms. The beauty of the AME Church is that they welcome and encourage members of all ethnicities, and Macedonia is no exception. It is such a treasure to see continued on the next page
33 AMELIA ISLANDER MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2022
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