First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles

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The First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles 2009.

The First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles (also abbreviated to First AME or FAME ) is a mega-church in Los Angeles belonging to the African Methodist Episcopal Church . The parish, founded in 1872, now has around 19,000 mostly African American believers. The First AME is the first African American church founded in Los Angeles. The Church is led by Senior Pastor J. Edgar Boyd.

history

The church was founded in 1872 by Bridget "Biddy" Mason , a former slave and successful businesswoman, and her son-in-law Charles Owens. The church began with twelve parishioners. In 1904 the parish under Pastor Jarrett E. Edwards had more than 400 parishioners.

In 1977 the FAME Church had 300 active parishioners. That year, Cecil L. Murray was called to serve as the Church's first pastor. Under his leadership, the congregation grew to 17,000 members.

In 1993 there were arrests of so-called Fourth Reich skinheads who had planned attacks against the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, among others. The aim of the attack was to bring about a war between " races ".

Since December 2010, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church has supported Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign against obesity among young Americans.

building

The First African Methodist Episcopal Church congregation first met at Biddy Mason's home. She then got a modest building on Azusa Street. In 1904 the community moved to a more representative building at 801 Towne Avenue. In the 1940s, this building was significantly expanded according to plans by the architect Paul R. Williams . The building was included in the City of Los Angeles' Historic-Cultural Monument List , but was demolished in 1972. The current building was built in 1964 in the West Adams district according to plans by the African-American architect Paul R. Williams . Personalities such as Marlon Brando and Tony Curtis took part in the start of construction .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Albert Greenstein, Bridget “Biddy” Mason ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Historical Society of Southern California. (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.socalhistory.org
  2. ↑ a b c d First AME on www.paulrwilliamsproject
  3. ^ Justification of the City Council of Los Angeles for the naming of the Dr. Cecil L. 'Chip' Murray Circle . (English)
  4. ^ Suspect in Alleged Hate Crimes Plot Released to His Parents , Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1993.
  5. ↑ Plea Bargains Reached in Skinhead Bomb Case , Los Angeles Times, September 16, 1993.
  6. ↑ FAME Supports Michelle Obama's National Let's Move: Faith And Communities Initiative , Los Angeles Sentinel, December 13, 2010.

Coordinates: 34 ° 2 ′ 3.3 "  N , 118 ° 18 ′ 22.2"  W.