“God with us” is the meaning of Emanuel. It is a fitting name for the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. This church stands as a beacon of hope. It is a testament to the enduring spirit of the African American community in Charleston.
The Charleston Gospel Church, also known as Mother Emanuel, was founded in 1817. It is the oldest AME church in the Southern United States. The AME denomination itself was the first independent black denomination in the nation. It was founded in Philadelphia in 1816. Mother Emanuel boasts one of the oldest black congregations south of Baltimore.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Great Awakenings saw Baptist and Methodist missionaries evangelize among both enslaved and free African Americans. Blacks were welcomed into churches. Some leaders were licensed as preachers. However, white-dominated churches generally maintained control. They often relegated blacks to segregated galleries. They sometimes held separate services at alternative times.
In Charleston, white-dominated churches increasingly discriminated against blacks. A dispute arose after white leaders of Bethel Methodist authorized a hearse house over its black burial ground. Black congregants were outraged. In 1818, church leader Morris Brown left in protest. Nearly 2,000 Black members followed him. They created a new church.
This new church was first known as the Hampstead Church. It was considered part of the “Bethel circuit” of the AME Church. State and city ordinances limited worship services by black people. They required a white majority in churches. They prohibited black literacy. In 1818, Charleston officials arrested 140 black church members. Eight leaders faced fines and lashes.
Denmark Vesey, a church founder, was implicated in an alleged slave revolt plot in 1822. He and five others were convicted and executed. The original Charleston Gospel Church was burned down by angry whites that year. The congregation met secretly. It rebuilt the church after the Civil War.
In 1834, Charleston outlawed all-black churches. The AME congregation met in secret until the Civil War ended in 1865. After the war, Bishop Daniel Payne installed Richard H. Cain as pastor. Cain later served as a Republican Congressman.
The congregation rebuilt the church between 1865 and 1872 as a wooden structure. Robert Vesey, son of Denmark Vesey, was the architect. An earthquake demolished that building in 1886. President Grover Cleveland donated ten dollars to the rebuilding efforts.
The current brick and stucco building was constructed in 1891 on Calhoun Street. John Henry Devereux designed it. Booker T. Washington spoke at Charleston Gospel Church in 1909. Martin Luther King Jr. and Wyatt T. Walker urged church members to register and vote at a 1962 meeting.
In June 2015, nine people were shot and killed inside Mother Emanuel. The victims included State Senator Clementa Pinckney and eight members of his congregation. Dylann Roof was convicted of federal hate crimes and murder charges.
Built in 1891, Charleston Gospel Church has a well-preserved historic interior. It includes the original altar, communion rail, pews, and light fixtures. The church has a capacity of 2,500.
The Charleston Gospel Church stands as a symbol of resilience. It embodies faith. It represents the strength of a community that has overcome immense adversity. Its story is etched in the very walls of this sacred place. It echoes in the hymns that fill the air. The Charleston Gospel Church is a testament to the enduring power of hope.