Abyssinian Baptist Church
Encyclopedia
The Abyssinian Baptist Church is among the most famous of the many prominent and activist churches in the Harlem
section of New York City
.
seamen and allied African-American parishioners left the First Baptist Church in the City of New York
in protest over being restricted to racially segregated seating. They named their new congregation the Abyssinian Baptist Church after the historic name of Ethiopia
. Through the years, Abyssinian Baptist Church moved north on the island of Manhattan, as Harlem
became a center of African-American population.
In 1908, Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.
became pastor of the church. In 1920, the church purchased property in Harlem for a new Gothic and Tudor style church featuring stained glass windows and marble furnishings. The congregation's tithing and offerings covered the expenses, and in 1923 the church moved to its current location on West 138th Street in Harlem. By the time Powell handed the reins of the church to his son Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
in 1937, the Abyssinian Baptist Church was the largest Protestant congregation in the United States, with more than 4,000 members.
During the 1930-31 school year, the young Dietrich Bonhoeffer
attended the church consistently for six months while studying at Union Theological Seminary
in New York. He had completed his Ph.D. in theology from the University of Berlin and accepted a teaching position there, but chose to study abroad before he began teaching. This experience gave him insights about the power of the black church and struggle for social justice which informed his later work as a pastor. It helped form his resistance to the Nazis' takeover in his German homeland. He returned to Germany with a collection of recorded spirituals.
. It remains a center of the Harlem gospel tradition. Fats Waller
's father was once minister at the church. Among many important events, the church conducted the wedding of Nat King Cole
and his bride Maria; and the funeral of "The Father of Blues", W.C. Handy, in 1958.
, the church has continued to be a vital political, social, and religious institution in New York. In 1989 Butts founded the Abyssinian Development Corporation
("ADC"), creating a non-profit arm of the church to work on community development
and social services. It has created $500 million in development, including the first new high school in Harlem in 50 years, the first large supermarket, a retail center, and housing.
In 1989, the church was one of the first to respond to Pernessa C. Seele
's call for a Harlem Week of Prayer, started to mobilize the religious community in support of people with AIDS and their families. Seele has since founded the Balm in Gilead, Inc., now an international non-profit providing education and prevention for HIV/AIDS, and developing other health initiatives in the US, Africa and Caribbean.
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
section of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
History
The church traces its roots to 1808, when visiting free EthiopianEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
seamen and allied African-American parishioners left the First Baptist Church in the City of New York
First Baptist Church in the City of New York
The First Baptist Church in the City of New York is a Christian congregation based in a sanctuary built in 1891 at the intersection of Broadway and West 79th Street in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York at the 79th Street subway station...
in protest over being restricted to racially segregated seating. They named their new congregation the Abyssinian Baptist Church after the historic name of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Through the years, Abyssinian Baptist Church moved north on the island of Manhattan, as Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
became a center of African-American population.
In 1908, Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. was a pastor who developed Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York as the largest Protestant congregation in the country, with 10,000 members; a community activist, author, and the father of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr....
became pastor of the church. In 1920, the church purchased property in Harlem for a new Gothic and Tudor style church featuring stained glass windows and marble furnishings. The congregation's tithing and offerings covered the expenses, and in 1923 the church moved to its current location on West 138th Street in Harlem. By the time Powell handed the reins of the church to his son Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., was an American politician and pastor who represented Harlem, New York City, in the United States House of Representatives . He was the first person of African-American descent elected to Congress from New York and became a powerful national politician...
in 1937, the Abyssinian Baptist Church was the largest Protestant congregation in the United States, with more than 4,000 members.
During the 1930-31 school year, the young Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
attended the church consistently for six months while studying at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York. He had completed his Ph.D. in theology from the University of Berlin and accepted a teaching position there, but chose to study abroad before he began teaching. This experience gave him insights about the power of the black church and struggle for social justice which informed his later work as a pastor. It helped form his resistance to the Nazis' takeover in his German homeland. He returned to Germany with a collection of recorded spirituals.
Cultural impact
The church was an important site for religious music in the Harlem RenaissanceHarlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
. It remains a center of the Harlem gospel tradition. Fats Waller
Fats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
's father was once minister at the church. Among many important events, the church conducted the wedding of Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
and his bride Maria; and the funeral of "The Father of Blues", W.C. Handy, in 1958.
Today's church
Under the direction of Rev. Calvin O. ButtsCalvin O. Butts
Calvin O. Butts, III , is the Pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York, President of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, and Chairman and founder of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, an engine for $500 million in housing and commercial development...
, the church has continued to be a vital political, social, and religious institution in New York. In 1989 Butts founded the Abyssinian Development Corporation
Abyssinian Development Corporation
Founded in 1989 by Calvin O. Butts, III of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Abyssinian Development Corporation is a not-for-profit comprehensive community and economic development corporation dedicated to building the human, social, and physical capital in Harlem. The organization is considered to...
("ADC"), creating a non-profit arm of the church to work on community development
Community development
Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
and social services. It has created $500 million in development, including the first new high school in Harlem in 50 years, the first large supermarket, a retail center, and housing.
In 1989, the church was one of the first to respond to Pernessa C. Seele
Pernessa C. Seele
Pernessa C. Seele is an immunologist and the CEO and founder of Balm in Gilead, Inc., a religious-based organization that provides support to people with AIDS and their families, as well as working for prevention of HIV and AIDS. In 1989 she initiated the Harlem Week of Prayer, with 50 churches,...
's call for a Harlem Week of Prayer, started to mobilize the religious community in support of people with AIDS and their families. Seele has since founded the Balm in Gilead, Inc., now an international non-profit providing education and prevention for HIV/AIDS, and developing other health initiatives in the US, Africa and Caribbean.
External links
- Abyssinian Baptist Church - Official Website
- Abyssinian Development Corporation, Official Website
- "New Yorkers Seek Religious Roots in Ethiopia", Fox News