British Methodist Episcopal Church
Encyclopedia
The British Methodist Episcopal Church (BME Church) is a Protestant
church in Canada
that has its roots in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
(AMEC) of the United States
.
The AMEC had been formed in 1816 when a number of black congregations banded together under the leadership of Richard Allen, and by the mid 1850s it had seven conferences in the United States. AMEC preachers began to work in Upper Canada
in 1834, and a conference was formed in 1840.
In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in the United States causing some ex-slave AMEC preachers in the Canadas
to be fearful of attending conferences in the U.S.
Reverend Benjamin Stewart of Chatham, Ontario
proposed that the AME churches in the Canadas separate from the American association and form their own church. At an AME conference in Philadelphia in 1856, Stewart's proposal was adopted and the new church association was founded. The new church was named the British Methodist Episcopal Church in appreciation of finding a safe haven from slavery in British North America.
Its first bishop was Reverend Willis Nazrey of Virginia. When Nazrey died in 1875, Disney was chosen as his successor, and he was ordained by an AMEC bishop that year. His administrative area consisted of Ontario
, Nova Scotia
, Bermuda
, the West Indies, and British Guiana
(Guyana).
By the end of the 1870s the BMEC had 56 congregations with about 3,100 members, most of its members being in the Danish West Indies and British Guiana. However, the mission work outside Canada stretched the church’s funds, and in 1880 Disney negotiated a reunion with the AMEC, which was ratified at a BMEC convention held at Hamilton in June 1881. A referendum of members showed that although a majority in Ontario was opposed, 86 per cent of the membership was in favour. Disney was accepted as an AMEC bishop and was assigned to its Tenth Episcopal District, a region embracing his former territory and some of the AMEC churches in Canada that had not joined the BMEC.
A majority of the Ontario churches and preachers, led by the Reverend Walter Hawkins of Chatham, sought to re-establish the BMEC. This group feared the loss of their distinctive identity, and may have been concerned that the opinions of Ontario members had been overwhelmed by those of the Caribbean groups.
In 1886 this group held an ecclesiastical council at Chatham, at which it was claimed that Disney had defected to the AMEC. At a subsequent general conference that year the BMEC was reconstituted. The conference deposed Disney, agreeing to “erase his name and ignore his authority, and cancel his official relationship as bishop.” The reconstituted BMEC elected Hawkins as its general superintendent, avoiding the title of bishop for several years.
Disney continued with what was left of his AMEC district until 1888, when he was transferred to Arkansas and Mississippi.
By 1898 the BMEC had 27 preaching points and 25 preachers, the AMEC 130 churches in Canada. The two denominations continue their separate work to this day.
Two BMEC churches have been designated National Historic Sites of Canada due to their roles in welcoming Underground Railroad
refugees to Canada and their historic importance to the Black community in the Niagara
region: one in Niagara Falls, Ontario
, named in honour of Robert Nathaniel Dett
, and the Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church
in St. Catharines
due to its association with Harriet Tubman
.
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
church in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that has its roots in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
(AMEC) of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The AMEC had been formed in 1816 when a number of black congregations banded together under the leadership of Richard Allen, and by the mid 1850s it had seven conferences in the United States. AMEC preachers began to work in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in 1834, and a conference was formed in 1840.
In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in the United States causing some ex-slave AMEC preachers in the Canadas
The Canadas
The Canadas is the collective name for Upper Canada and Lower Canada, two British colonies in Canada. They were both created by the Constitutional Act of 1791 and abolished in 1841 with the union of Upper and Lower Canada....
to be fearful of attending conferences in the U.S.
Reverend Benjamin Stewart of Chatham, Ontario
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
proposed that the AME churches in the Canadas separate from the American association and form their own church. At an AME conference in Philadelphia in 1856, Stewart's proposal was adopted and the new church association was founded. The new church was named the British Methodist Episcopal Church in appreciation of finding a safe haven from slavery in British North America.
Its first bishop was Reverend Willis Nazrey of Virginia. When Nazrey died in 1875, Disney was chosen as his successor, and he was ordained by an AMEC bishop that year. His administrative area consisted of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, the West Indies, and British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
(Guyana).
By the end of the 1870s the BMEC had 56 congregations with about 3,100 members, most of its members being in the Danish West Indies and British Guiana. However, the mission work outside Canada stretched the church’s funds, and in 1880 Disney negotiated a reunion with the AMEC, which was ratified at a BMEC convention held at Hamilton in June 1881. A referendum of members showed that although a majority in Ontario was opposed, 86 per cent of the membership was in favour. Disney was accepted as an AMEC bishop and was assigned to its Tenth Episcopal District, a region embracing his former territory and some of the AMEC churches in Canada that had not joined the BMEC.
A majority of the Ontario churches and preachers, led by the Reverend Walter Hawkins of Chatham, sought to re-establish the BMEC. This group feared the loss of their distinctive identity, and may have been concerned that the opinions of Ontario members had been overwhelmed by those of the Caribbean groups.
In 1886 this group held an ecclesiastical council at Chatham, at which it was claimed that Disney had defected to the AMEC. At a subsequent general conference that year the BMEC was reconstituted. The conference deposed Disney, agreeing to “erase his name and ignore his authority, and cancel his official relationship as bishop.” The reconstituted BMEC elected Hawkins as its general superintendent, avoiding the title of bishop for several years.
Disney continued with what was left of his AMEC district until 1888, when he was transferred to Arkansas and Mississippi.
By 1898 the BMEC had 27 preaching points and 25 preachers, the AMEC 130 churches in Canada. The two denominations continue their separate work to this day.
Two BMEC churches have been designated National Historic Sites of Canada due to their roles in welcoming Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
refugees to Canada and their historic importance to the Black community in the Niagara
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...
region: one in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
, named in honour of Robert Nathaniel Dett
Robert Nathaniel Dett
Robert Nathaniel Dett , often known as R. Nathaniel Dett, was a composer in the United States and Canada...
, and the Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church
British Methodist Episcopal Church, Salem Chapel
The British Methodist Episcopal Church , Salem Chapel was founded in 1820 by African-American freedom seekers in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 92 Geneva St., in the heart of Old St. Catharines...
in St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
due to its association with Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; (1820 – 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves...
.
Sources
- Windsor Mosaic
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography
- Ontario Heritage Trust Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church