From Bethel A.M.E. Church:
This Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, at 10:30 am, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church of Morristown is excited to celebrate Black History month by wearing African attire, sharing the stories of Black inventors and allowing the youth of our church to lead in worship.
Kyle Northern, a 2016 Morristown High School graduate, will give the sermon. Nicole Williams, also Morristown High School graduate, will lead in praise and worship. All are welcome to participate in person or online (www.bethelmorristown.org)
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the author of Miseducation of the Negro, the celebration of “Negro History Week,” (the precursor of Black History Month) began in 1926. The focus of the celebrations is primarily on the achievements of Africans in America.
Bethel was founded in 1843 by Frances Freeman Ray, who withdrew her membership from the Presbyterian Church of Morristown.
Since its incorporation in 1843, Bethel has been a house of worship and fellowship for thousands of families in Morris County. Every worship service and activity throughout the year includes the singing of hymns, anthems, gospel, spirituals, poetry, preaching, guest speakers and contemporary Christian music.
Let the Church Say Amen, by Andre’ Crouch, is among the congregation’s favorites and is usually led by Charles Craig, who also serves as a Trustee of the historic church.
Bethel has significantly contributed to the civic and social life of the community as well. Bethel’s former pastor – Rev. Alexander White (1937-1948), also served as the first president of the Morris County Urban League.
Other pastors have led the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, the NAACP, Morris Area Clergy Council and most recently, pastor Sidney Williams Jr. founded the Spring Street Community Development Corporation as well as the Sankofa Heritage Collective of Morris County.
A part of the mission of the historic Black churches, as well as churches in general, is recording and maintaining the history of the local congregation and community. This mission has not always been carried out well. The Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams says that Bethel is committed to honoring the past, while becoming increasingly attentive in addressing the present needs throughout Morris County.
Bethel AME Church and the Morris Educational Foundation are raising funds for a scholarship to honor Estelle Walker Hinkins, who graduated with honors in 1897 from Morristown High School, where she was voted Class Prophet.
In 2018, the church created an exhibit that explores 300 years of race relations in New Jersey through the lens of Morris County, New Jersey. This is the first comprehensive exhibition to trace the sometimes fraught history of the relationship between blacks and whites in Morris County.
It traces early days of slavery to visits from civil rights pioneers including Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The exhibition, The Ties That Bind: How Race Relations Shapes Morris County and New Jersey, 1688-2018, asks visitors to take a hard look at the history of race relations in the past and consider ways of moving forward in the current climate of racial tension in America.
The exhibition is now on view at County College of Morris.
Bethel is also a Pathways site with the Morris County Historical site. Visitors are welcome to stop by read about our history on the panels in front of the church.
