Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church
in New York, United StatesCategory: Attraction
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160 West 146th Street, New York, NY 10039, USA Print route »
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The Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church is the first African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, in Harlem, New York. It has received notoriety as the "Oldest Continung" Black church in Harlem. The church’s first house of worship was erected on East 117th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues in 1843. However, some 20th century celebrations mark the anniversary as 1850 or as early as 1830. A copy of the church's 1840 Articles of Incorporation at the New York County Clerk's Office indicates that the congregation was several years old by mid-century.Other historical sources push for an even earlier date. A letter connected with James Varick, the first Bishop of the AME Zion church, says that Peter VanHas started the church in 1822. Christopher Rush, Varick’s successor, wrote that in May 1825, VanHas was ordained an elder and assigned to the “Society in Harlem”. In 1827 Timothy Eato was assigned to continue the work, followed by Levin Smith in 1830. The fact that Varick and Rush lived during this time, gives support for 1822 as the founding date.
The church relocated several times. On July 22, 1951 a parade through the streets of Harlem celebrated the moving of the church to the new location at 160 West 146th Street, between 7th Avenue and Lenox Avenue. The service began at four o’clock with and was attended by about 1500 people.
The church's mission is to present the Christian gospel to both those who identify as Christians and who identify as unchurched. The church primarily reaches out to the disenfranchised, poor and oppressed. The worship service style is consistent with those of many African-American churches.
