Resolution Commemorating the 157th Anniversary of
the Bethel AME Church
WHEREAS, Bethel AME Church was founded in 1862 and will be celebrating 157 years of continuous ministry and service to Chicago with three separate special events scheduled for June 15 2019, June 22, 2019 and June 23, 2019; and
WHEREAS, According to historian Christopher Reed in "Black Chicago's 1st Century," Bethel AME church was organized as a mission church established by trustees of Quin Chapel, Chicago's 1st AME church, to relieve the severe overcrowding brought on by hundreds of fleeing slaves as Union armies overran the south during the Civil War; and
WHEREAS, To accommodate these new church members, Bethel AME Church opened its first building at Jackson Blvd. and Van Buren St., where the current Chicago Board of Trade now sits; and
WHEREAS, With the massive influx of people to the church, Bethel AME'had to move 15 times and overcome fires, depressions, population migrations, urban riots and other challenges before finding its current home at 4440 S. Michigan Ave; and
WHEREAS; From the heart of Bronzeville, Bethel AME has grown into a spiritual leader for the community and a dynamic force for civic and social justice in the Black Metropolis; and
WHEREAS, Integral to the church's work in the community were illustrious church members like Ida B. Wells and Lou Palmer; Bethel AME also played a foundational role in establishing the historic Wabash YMCA and Provident Hospital; and the church routinely held political education forums, voter drives and voter Plebiscites resulting in the election of Chicago's first African American Mayor Harold Washington; and
WHERAS, For the 157th Anniversary, Bethel AME, led by Reverend Jennifer Tinsley will be honoring those traditions of service and faith by offering payers, recognizing the "bright lights" who have given service to the church and community, highlighting impactful community partners, and throwing a celebratory block party; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago gathered here in assembly this 12th Day of June, 2019 A.D. do hereby congratulate Bethel AME Church on its 157th Anniversary; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Reverend Tinsley and the Bethel AME Church congregation.
Pat Dowell Alderman, 3rd Ward