A Bit of History

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion Church) was established in 1821 in New York City but was congregating for many years beforehand.  The roots of the church can be followed back to the John Street Methodist Church of Manhattan which is the oldest Methodist church in North America.  After black parishioners were openly discriminated against by not being allowed to worship in the church, many left and formed their own places of worship.  The first AME Zion Church, called Zion, was erected in 1800.  Although the parishioners were black, ministers were white.  In 1822, after much struggle, James Varick was among the first black ministers to be ordained.

In 1891, an AME Zion Church mission was created in Portland, Maine, after many African-American residents urged church elders to send them one.  The congregation moved around town in the beginning, residing in buildings on Preble, Free, Congress, and Montfort Streets.  After Reverend George F. Green urged members to take their personal spiritual uplift into their own hands, the trustees purchased a lot on 95 Monument Street.  A new church, built in 1914, is located at 46 Sheridan Street, Portland, Maine.  

The mission statement of the AME Zion Church, taken from Green Memorial's Facebook page is:

The mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is to increase out love of God and to help meet the needs of humankind by 'Loving God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves

Implicit in this statement is the belief that the church should have a positive relationship with God vertically, and a positive relationship to humankind horizontally. Therefore, we love God and are obedient to His commandments and loyal to all which He and His Kingdom stand.

We also share in the mission of His Son Jesus Christ, in "healing the sick, helping the blind to receive sight, the lame to walk, the leper to be cleansed, the deaf to hear, the dead to be raised, and the poor to have the Good News preached to them." Luke 4:18

We actualize this mission by praising God, by being obedient to the demands of the Gospel, by telling the story of God's gracious acts in creating and redeeming the world, by inviting persons to commit their lives to Jesus Christ, and by serving as ministers of God's liberating and reconciling grace.

Sunday Service

Wow!  My first experience at Green Memorial was fun, moving, and at times slightly uncomfortable.  I found a lot I could relate to spiritually.  Those pieces that I felt challenged by can be overcome (by me), I think, by changing the language just slightly.

When I first arrived, I felt a little nervous as I always do walking into something I know very little about.  However, I immediately felt welcomed.  Members of the church were very friendly towards newcomers (of which there were a few) and loving toward each other.  Many hugs, smiles and gentle touches were shared as the church goers got settled in.  The service began with a beautiful song that further displayed this welcoming value:

Welcome into this place,

welcome into this broken vessel.

You desire to abide

in the praises of Your people;

so we lift our hands,

and we lift our hearts,

as we offer up this praise unto Your name.

You can hear a version of this song here: https://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=player_detailpage&v=xwCJvAIabGY

Emphasis was also placed on the ability to celebrate.  This was talked about specifically by the Reverend but also through the way the congregation worships.  At times, it was not unlike going to see a show.  We were singing, dancing, shouting, laughing, raising our hands.  People seemed to be celebrating not just their love of God, but being together in community, the the sun shining on our faces this morning, in the simple fact of waking up this morning.  

Another value which relates to the former, is gratitude.  Being grateful for the simplest things such as just waking up to another day, having enough food to eat, having clothes on your back but also for the people in our lives that challenge us, for the obstacles that force us to look deeper within and work harder.

Another value that I could very much relate to is something I call, right livelihood and the Reverend called, doing good work.  The idea being that what you spend your time doing should benefit others, not just put a paycheck in your hands.  

So much was covered in just this one service.  Did I tell you this services was over two hours long?  I may have to save some of my personal insights gained from this experience for another post later this week.  Until then!  

What Am I Getting Myself Into?

After going over a few different options for this cultural immersion project, I think I've come up with a game plan.  I've had contact with many different colors, cultures, religions, etc., but what I kept coming back to was the desire to spend more time with African American people.  Of course, I do have some African American friends, but aside from spending a small amount of time going to a Caribbean club in Boston, my friends are usually the minority in our group encounters, and I am not.

Years ago, I lived in the East End of Portland on Kellogg Street.  On my Sunday morning walk or bike ride to work, I would always go by the Green Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church on Sheridan Street.  Beautiful music was always exploding from the building, and it really sounded like they were having a good time.  I always wanted to go in and never did.  I think this is my chance.  I will be attending a service there this Sunday, May 18th.

I have to admit I am pretty nervous about this.  I am a white, non-Christian (really non-religious) woman.  My father was a non-practicing Catholic.  My mother was a Protestant who sometimes practiced and sometimes did not.  I walked away from religion as soon as I could.  I am very spiritual, however.  I often find myself connecting to Spirit via music, so in that sense, I am excited about this experience, and I think that is a big reason I am drawn to this church.  There is also the color of my skin.  I do worry I will be judged because of it.  I worry that this assignment is just another opportunity for a white person to exploit a person of color.  I only hope my own deep interest and sincerity will overcome that possibility.  How will I convey that, though?  What will I say when asked, "what brings you here?"  Ultimately, it is the assignment that is driving me to it.

Picture of some of the Green Memorial Congregation, taken from their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Memorial-AME-Zion-Church