Black History and The Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Buffalo

The Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Buffalo, New York, where the Reverend Paul J. Thomas is currently the Pastor, has the distinction of being the oldest congregation of African descent in the City of Buffalo and Western New York. Organized in the year of 1831, the church has a history that predates, by one year, the corporation of the City of Buffalo. For over 190 years of her existence, Bethel has established an enviable record of community service and spiritual leadership.

During the early years, the Buffalo congregation worshipped in a house on Carroll Street and in 1839 moved to a frame building on Vine Street. The original Vine Street Church was replaced

Vine Street Church and the homes of some of her members were often used as places of refuge for fugitive slaves on the way to Canada. Fredrick Douglas, William Wells Brown and others, including pastors of the Vine Street Church spoke out against slavery and racial caste from the pulpit of the church.

•Vine Street AME Church (Bethel AME) hosted a national convention with the purpose of discussing how to end slavery. Speakers included Samuel H. Davis, George Weir, Frederick Douglass, and Henry Highland Garnet. Garnet called for Southern slaves to refuse to work and resist their oppressors by any means necessary. The gatherings exceeded the church’s capacity and are moved outdoors, where 5,000 attend.

Eagle Street, where she remained for 25 years.

The late Dr. Monroe Fordham, an extraordinary Historian chronicled, in amazing detail, the rich history of Bethel AME. A sample of his account illustrates more of Bethel’s historic significance:

*Rev. George Weir, Sr. was the first regular AM.E. Pastor to be assigned to the "Colored Methodist" Church of Buffalo of Colored Citizens" to consider the political condition of people of color. In 1841, he chaired a mass meeting in Buffalo which was called to organize a petition drive for the purpose of securing equal voting rights for New York State's Colored citizens.

*Stories of the Vine Street Church's involvement as a station on the ''Underground Railroad" have become legendary. The Black Rock section of Buffalo was one of the key points where fugitive slaves crossed into Canada. Stories of fugitives being sheltered in the Vine Street Church while waiting to be slipped across the Black Rock channel have been passed through Bethel Church families and members for generations. By the mid continued page 13