Selemeng Molupe’s Tshepo

By Selemeng Molupe

THE STORY OF JESUS – Ka TUMELO re lelapa Signs, Wonders and Miracles

Tshepo is the Sesotho word for “hope.”  Sesotho is one of some 2000 different languages spoken in Alkebulan, now known as Africa.  Each of these languages also has different dialects peculiar to certain people. The word “Alkebulan” has a long history and indigenous roots. This word does not appear in Hebrew versions of the Bible, though it was widely used throughout Alkebulan, especially by the Ethiopians, Nubians, Moors, and Numidians. Translations of this name include “mother of mankind” and “the garden of Eden,” respectively.

FAS2, July 25, 2025 Maseru, Lesotho – I am Selemeng Molupe.  At Age 13, I am one of 100 Generation Alpha believers applying for #EconomicInclusion in a replicable $100 million USD reparations trust.  I follow Jesus The Christ, through whom all things are possible. I am bi-lingual.  I speak English as a second language to my mother-tongue, which is Sesotho.  KEA LUMELA is Sesotho for I believe.   I believe #NoPoverty2030 is #MissionPossible. 

The name Selemeng has different meanings. According to some sources, it means "stars."  It is of African Alkebulan origin and can also mean "To plough or plant." Other interpretations suggest that Selemeng is associated with love and emotional intelligence.

I have invested a 7-part vision of my future as one whole heir of salvation.  I pray that you will join me and other Generation Alpha followers by investing your Money-n-the-Bank goals to make #NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible.

Spiritual Goal: To know more about Jesus, read the Bible

Physical Goal: Exercise and be well

Social Goal: Be nice and polite to people

Financial Goal: Knowhow to make money for pursuing my studies

·         How Money Smart Are You?

Educational Goal: Pass well to achieve my dream career

·         LEARN-2-EARN (L2E) 

Professional Goal: To be a medical doctor

Recreational Goal: Well being of my family

My Community Asset Manager, The Reverend Maselemeng Molupe pastors the Holy Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church.  Her vision of “church” is a common vision for believers on six of seven continents worldwide.  She has asked me to account for an investment in my future valued at 878,380.00 (879,252 1800 days x 24 hours = 43,200 hours) Lesotho lotis.  She has asked Jesus The Christ to be with me for the rest of my life. 

My LEARN-2-EARN assignment is to account for $50,000 US Dollars on the way to my home in the #MountainKingdom.  By June 9, 2030, My estimated “cheerful giving” between today,  July 4, 2025 and June 9, 2030 is $1 million USD (approximately 17,567,600 Lesotho lotis).

I need more faith, more hope and plenty of love to believe I can achieve whatever I believe I can achieve. 

Faith: The name Tumelo means "faith”. It is derived from the Sesotho language and represents belief, trust, or confidence in something greater. In Sesotho culture, Tumelo reflects the importance of faith in God, oneself, or others to achieve success and overcome challenges.

Hope: The name Celeste is of Latin origin and means "heavenly" or "celestial." It is often associated with qualities such as beauty, grace, and purity, reflecting the celestial connotations. It is also seen as a name of hope and optimism.

Love: Jesu o rata bana ba banyenyane is how we say Jesus loves little children in Sesotho.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children.”  So, for anyone who HOPES for #KingdomFellowship can do for me what Jesus does for all little children.

According to the Gospels, Jesus performed 37 miracles, with some scholars estimating the number to be between 24 and 37 documented in the gospel accounts. Each miracle served a specific purpose in God's plan of salvation for humankind.  One of the children Jesus loved was a 12 year-old he called Talitha cumi, which is said to mean, “little girl.”  Her name may as well have been Celeste based on the signs, wonders and miracles on their way to her home. 

In Selemeng’s story, Hope is on the way to Ramolefi.’  A father hoped Jesus would come heal his dying daughter.  On the way to Jairus’ house a woman, we’ll call her Veronica Haemorrhoissa, had blood issues for as long as young Celeste had lived.  Veronica is said to have pressed through the crowd of needy folks, falling down in front of the early responder for medical attention.  She had no Medicaid because her government did not value her life.  Veronica’s emergency required TUMELO, but she didn’t know because she didn’t speak Sesotho.  A bi-lingual spirit, flowed from #BlackJesus as she touched the hem of his garment. 

Veronica was made whole, but #BlackJesus was now behind schedule because of the distraction.  Little Celeste was believed to be dead.  Folks at the house needed Hope to get them out of grieving and back to believing.

The Gunny's Bride of 31 Years

 By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS July 1, 2025 Day 1803 of 1827 days for Signs, Wonders, and Miracles #ThePentecostProject

The bride of Christ is a metaphor used in Christian theology to describe the church and its relationship within the “True Family” of #BlackJesus. 

This imagery symbolizes a deep and intimate connection, akin to that of a husband and wife, emphasizing love, unity, and commitment between Christ and his followers. 

The concept is rooted in various biblical passages, particularly in the New Testament, where the church is portrayed as the beloved bride awaiting the return of Christ. This relationship signifies the church's legal standing in #KingdomFellowship with the #KingofKings and the eternal celebration of the union between Christ and the church.

The “True Family” of #BlackJesus includes, but is not limited to #HeirsOfSalvation.   #BlackJesus loves little children and values them individually and collectively as The Kingdom of God. 

For the purpose of demonstration, today, Stephanie Antoinette Walker is celebrated as  “The Gunny’s Bride” of 31 years.  She awakens to celebrate either her first anniversary or “OOOH HAPPY DAY” for retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Eric Stradford.  

The Gunny is vetting Estate Planning Professionals for contract employment.  ENGAGED professionals will execute the donors’ intent for a replicable reparations trust.  THE ANNUAL YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS provides an established process for ensuring DIVERSITY, EQUITY and INCLUSION.

The Gunny’s First Call is for attorneys and accountants with an interest in a $50,000 contract to restore trust in #OneNationUnderGod.  The successful candidate must respond correctly to the question, “When does a U.S. Marine bugler sound FIRST CALL?”

 

#NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible Alkebulan

 By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS June 12, 2025, 1827 – 3 = 1824 days Alkebulan -- The National Council of Churches marks the third of a 3-day action with the enduring question, “Where do we go from here?”   

At the same time, members of the World Council of Churches are banking on the power of Pentecost for a miraculous global shift from CHAOS to COMMUNITY.  WCC’s gathering in Alkebulan empowers some 2.4 billion believers to make United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1 of 17 #MissionPossible with #BlackJesus.   

The WCC mission of peace and justice aligns with the African Union’s 2025 theme: “2025 Year of Reparations—Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”

The African Union’s 2025 Reparations Agenda aims to address transatlantic slavery, colonial exploitation, and structural underdevelopment.  Faith and government leaders have called for reparatory justice through global governance reform, debt relief, climate action, and the return of looted heritage in partnership with CARICOM and the recent focus of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

Fiduciary Trustees for the Free African Society (FAS2) have called on the African Development Bank to assist historically disadvantaged  #HeirsOfSalvation in developing Reparations Trusts for the benefit of qualifying youth.  The call is not only for reflection but for clarity, courage, and a strategic reframing of the reparations discourse and reparatory justice vision.  FAS2 FAITH FAMILY TRUSTS is a replicable model to engage stakeholders in the African Youth Charter.

Generation  Z  Stakeholders are encouraged to explore the AUC Internship program.

1827 Days - 1 #ThePentecostProject

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired 

AMWS June 9, 2025, 1827 – 1 = 1826 days Maseru, Lesotho --  If you missed Pentecost Sunday 2025, the anointing of the Holy Spirit may have descended on somebody else’s familytrust.  If you are a leader in the Historic Black Church, you may have influenced two or three followers of #BlackJesus to deny their inherited value as #HeirsofSalvation in Christ.

Today, Generation Alpha accountants are calculating the time you wasted as lost money.  For them, #NoPoverty2030 is #MissionPossible with #BlackJesus.

 The Creator Spirit, whom we invoked in the motherland – Tlo, Moya wa Mmopi – is the Spirit of the Free African who descended upon Jesus as the quiet driving force of his mission: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Lk 4:18).

“When we ask the Spirit to enlighten our minds, to multiply our languages, to awaken our senses, to instill love, to strengthen our bodies and to grant us peace, we become open to God’s Kingdom,” said Pope Leo XIV.

The historic Black Church in the United States has been called upon to pair meaningful social action within an emerging reality of #KingdomFellowship. 

The Kingdom of indigenous Free Africans predates the introduction of Christianity to the Basotho peoples also known as "San" which comes from the Khoekhoe language. Sans means "foragers" and is used in a derogatory manner to describe people too poor to have cattle.

Imagine being a rightful heir to “cattle on a thousand hills,” and growing up too poor to have cattle.  The church in Lesotho began with the establishment of the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA) in 1833 by the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society. The church received support from the local king and developed under its protection. The first mission station was established in Morija, and the church gained independence in 1964.

On Pentecost Sunday, 2025, Holy Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church declared independence from poverty.  The first of 100 Generation Alpha #HeirsOfSalvation is a named beneficiary of a replicable FAITH FAMILY TRUST to be maintained at the African Development Bank.

ACCOUNTABILITY

1 Generation Alpha beneficiary with Money-n-the-Bank.

20 Caring Adult stakeholders

1.     TheEnterpriZe, LLC is the contracted corporate co-trustee for FAS2 Faith Family Trusts. The U.S. Veteran-Owned trust administration company develops and manages succession plans for a replicable Faith Family Trust enterprise.

2.     Youth Achievers USA Institute is a U.S. Delaware incorporated 501c3 public charity. It develops and fund economic inclusion programs for the “whole village” raising the 21^st Century #HeirsOfSalvation.

3.     The African Development Bank – The #BlackJesus card is a secured credit card, funded from select AFDB Multi-Donor Trusts.  #ThePentecostProject immediately establishes AFDB accounts for the Tumelo Family, Soulafilai Family Trust and replicable FAITH FAMILY TRUSTS of the Free African Society.

4.      The Association of Black Estate Planning Professionals is a 501c3 partner with Youth Achievers USA Institute. The GrandMentors Trust partnership establishes a program for certification of trustees by estate planning professionals.

5.     The World Council of Churches - "We believe that the challenge of fighting poverty does not lie solely with governments, but that faith-based organisations are ideally positioned to address it, with their human and financial resources. Loving God, challenge us to see ways in which we can work against poverty."

a.     The World Council of Churches receives Free African Society (FAS2) as a youth-led enterprise in the family of Reformed Institutions.  Five-year development of FAS2 supports inclusion in #ThePentecostProject  as an advocate for #BlackJesus.

6.     The Family Church Serving The Family of God in “in 10 days”

a.     Penelope Vails Williams - Vails Gospel Music Fellowship

b.    Celeste Jonson - Voices of Hope

c.     Donna Davis - Veterans Whole of Government Security

 

#NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible in 1827 days

By Stephanie A. Walker Stradford and Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired.

AMWS, June 8, 2025, Maseru, Lesotho -  The first of 100 Generation Alpha secret millionaires is celebrating the promise of Pentecost today as the 27-member Holy Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church here declared United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1, #NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible with #BlackJesus.

Yesterday, Generation Alpha needed heat.  In case you didn’t know, it’s cold in Lesotho.  Poverty in Lesotho affects a significant portion of the population. 28% of the population live on less than US$1.90 a day, while 50% live below the national poverty line. People living in rural areas, women, and children are disproportionately affected. Despite efforts to reduce poverty, it remains a challenge in the country.  

Two or more #heirsofsalvation believed #PrayerChangesThings.  Fiduciary trustees for the Free African Society (FAS2) are rising from bended knees, believing their 1827 day social action could inspire meaningful reform  for any of 2.4 billion followers of Jesus The Christ.   

#ThePentecostProject promotes capacity building to support United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1 of 17, #NoPoverty2030.  Multinational engagement promotes outcomes from an historic event described at Acts 2. FAS2 has called on the World Bank, African Development Bank, World Council of Churches and The Vatican to partner for the beginning of an end to poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Who  : The Free African Society for the 21st Century (FAS2) is a youth-led venture with a mission to engage young social entrepreneurs in supporting United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1, #NoPoverty2030.

What: #ThePentecostProject is an interfaith partnership committed to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.  The declaration identifies a shared global vision calling for increased engagement toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

When: Today (June 8, 2025) through Pentecost Sunday, June 9, 2030.  Each year since 2016, as many as 2.4 billion Christians seek to develop a “whole of government” response to the United Nations commitment to human rights.   

Miracle of More Time

There are 1827 days from June 8, 2025 to June 9, 2030. A 1827 day timeline for engagement, based on the aphorism “Time is Money,”  promotes an extended timeline for achieving global goals by simply starting earlier #2gether.  

Where: The least developed countries (LDCs) are developing countries listed by the United Nations that exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development.  32 of the 44 LDCs are on the African continent.  They include: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

Why: To counter security threats where our families live, learn, work and or worship.

How: LIVE EVERY DAY for 1827 days (June 8, 2025 to June 9, 2030).  

START NOW! BELIEVE #NoPoverty2030 is #MissionPossible with #BlackJesus.

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“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”

 Aramaic is believed to have been the language recorded at Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 when #BlackJesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”   Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. 

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, and Stephanie A. Walker Stradford

April 18, 2025 – In the midst of chaos and confusion over the future of the American family, there is good news from Mother Africa. Ka TUMELO re lelapa: By faith, we are family.

Good Friday ends the Lenten Season for 2.4 billion heirs of salvation. Each year, Jesus’ True Family celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion (DEIty) over a period starting Ash Wednesday and lasting for 40 days (excluding Sundays).

Select factions within The Black Church of Jesus The Christ have invested wisely in things hoped for, while others frantically react to perceived threats on their temporal existence.  Meanwhile, the Black Family has been asked to believe “trouble don’t last always” by religious leaders and government officials who deny #BlackJesus as undisputable evidence of things not seen. 

In the biblical context, “signs, wonders and miracles” refer to divine indicators of God's power and presence.  Approximately 37 phenomena are recorded in the four Gospels of Jesus The Christ.  These reports of “miracles” justify one’s own belief of God's intervention in human affairs.

The Gospel of Mark, captured faithfully by John Mark acting as Peter's scribe, records 18 miracles of Jesus. They include calming a storm, feeding 5,000 plus women and children, walking on water, and cursing a fig tree. 

While Mark did understand Jesus as the Son of God, he typically made sure that people understood his humanity as being a part of the unique personhood of Jesus. “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then Jesus looked at those sitting around him. He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  My true brother and sister and mother are those who do the things God wants.”  Ka TUMELO re lelapa: By faith, we are family.

Mark’s report on Family, included in the fourth of seven last words of #BlackJesus, comforts the world’s historically disadvantaged.  In this Word of Abandonment,  'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' -- which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Jesus was fully God and fully human at the same time.  He was not some less powerful demigod as the Romans or Greeks would have understood. He had and has the attributes of God and humanity fully expressed and fully powered. 

Mark was believed to have been born in or around 5 AD in Cyrene. Perhaps by coincidence, or family relation, Mark records at 15:21, the role of another brother from Cyrene. 

“There was a man from Cyrene coming from the fields to the city. The man was Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus.”  According to the Coptic tradition, Cyrene is a city in the Pentapolis of North Africa, which is now Libya. Aristopolus was believed to be his father, and his mother’s home was believed to be in Jerusalem, which served as a center for Christian life.  

Aramaic is believed to have been the Afroasiatic language recorded at Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 when #BlackJesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”   Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They include Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya, Aramaic, Hebrew, Maltese, and numerous other ancient and modern languages. These languages are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, North Africa, and parts of the Horn of Africa. Semitic languages are divided into three major branches: East Semitic, West Semitic, and South Semitic.

The Semitic languages of Ethiopia are believed to have been influenced by a range of Cushitic languages, and vice versa. 

While the Chadic and Cushitic languages are diverse and poorly studied, the Semitic languages have a more well-studied history and are part of a wider linguistic family called Hamito-Semitic.

To understand the languages Jesus might have used on the cross, it’s crucial to picture the linguistic melting pot that was first-century Judea within a broader dynamic of “family migration” by Noah’s sons Shem, Ham and Japeth.

The primary languages in the region studied as Judea were:

Aramaic: This was the vernacular language, the language of the people. It was the everyday tongue spoken in Galilee, where Jesus grew up, and likely the language he used most often in his daily life.

Hebrew: While no longer the primary spoken language, Hebrew remained the language of religious scholarship, the synagogue, and the sacred scriptures. Educated individuals, especially those involved in religious life, would have been familiar with it.

Greek: Following Alexander the Great’s conquests, Greek had become the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean, the language of commerce, administration, and higher education. Many people in Judea, particularly those in urban areas, would have been able to understand and speak Greek.

Latin: While less common, Latin was the language of the Roman administration and the military. It’s plausible that some individuals, particularly those who interacted with Roman officials, would have had some knowledge of Latin.

Followers might note here, the number of languages natively spoken in Africa is variously estimated at between 1,250 and 2,100, and by some counts at over 3,000.  In every generation, the Free African must reclaim his or her own value. 

Ka TUMELO re lelapa: By faith, we are family.

A kingdom that fights against itself cannot continue. And a family that is divided cannot continue.  And if Satan is against himself and fights against his own people, then he cannot continue. And that is the end of Satan.

#BlackJesus a Christmas Story

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

@YourBlackSmithShop promotes 21^st Century reform of the historical Black Church.  It invites any of 2.4 billion followers of Jesus The Christ to engage as heirs of salvation in an unprecedented recovery of Stolen Peoples Equity.  The network promotes the common value, “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE,”   within a sustainable framework for global repair and reconciliation.

The social action supports inclusion in United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1, #NoPoverty2030 with under-valued assets of the planet’s historically marginalized.

The Truth About #BlackJesus  - A Letter To The Church At Philadelphia

In Conflict Resolution, truth is assessed through informed opinions based on facts and findings.  The Gospel of Jesus The Christ is an established narrative based on reports by Jewish authors starting somewhere between 400 BCE and 4 CE.  These four centuries are summarized through linear evidence in Matthew and circular evidence in John.

Sixteen prophets—Isaiah to Malachi—whose writings have come down to us lived during four centuries, from about 800 to 400 B.C. Most of them left chronological data by which the duration of their ministry can be determined, at least approximately.  The intertestamental period covers roughly four hundred years, from the last Old Testament prophesy Malachi 4 (c. 420 BC/BCE) to the New Testament appearance of John the Baptist in the early 1st century AD/CE.  The period is known by some accounts as the "400 Silent Years" because it was a span where no new prophets were raised, and God revealed nothing new to the Jewish people.

Findings about #BlackJesus are derived from three chronological timelines dating back to Noah’s sons Ham, Shem and Japheth. Individual belief in #BlackJesus bridges findings to facts.

The Shem version depicts #BlackJesus as a “Jew, called out of Africa.”    This version of truth includes chronological narratives in Matthew and Luke and faith-based perspectives in John and Revelation. 

The Japeth version reveals an enduring history of conflict seeking resolution.  Over time, they clashed with kin-folk and some landed in servitude to others.

Slavery has long been part of the human experience. For instance, the Israelites (Shem) were slaves in Egypt (Ham) for a time. The Israelites (Shem) then conquered the Canaanites (Ham). Later, the Babylonians (Ham) conquered the Israelites (Shem) only to subsequently be conquered by the Persians (Japheth). Noah's curse should not be used as an excuse for treating any people group more poorly than another.

Conversely, the fact that "the people of the whole earth" descend from this one family should encourage readers to view all people as fellow brothers and sisters in this one family of humankind.  Atonement for racism, poverty and war might be achieved through the reconciliation of God and humankind. 

The Ham

Ham’s narrative picks up after the deployment of Noah’s sons to populate three regions.  Ham’s assignment was to northern Africa in the region corresponding to modern-day Sudan. The larger region around Kush (later referred to as Nubia) was inhabited c. 8,000 BCE but the Kingdom of Kush rose much later. The Kerma Culture, so named after the city of Kerma in the region, is attested as early as 2500 BCE and archaeological evidence from Sudan and Egypt show that Egyptians and the people of Kush region were in contact from the Early Dynastic Period in Egypt (c. 3150 - c. 2613 BCE) onwards to about 350 BCE just after the end of the Malachi 4 in the Shem narrative.

Historically, The Bible leads one to believe that Noah built the ark in 2,348 BC. The Bible does not give the exact date when Noah built the ark. However, from the generational timelines in the book of Genesis 5 and 11, the ark may have been built 1,656 years from creation, which perhaps occurred in 4004 BC. Therefore, Noah could have built the ark in 2,348 BC.

Christmas 2024 A.D.

The Free African Society for the 21^st Century (FAS2) is an emerging youth-led enterprise.  It originated as a social action of the Lay Ministry at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, Fort Washington, MD, USA.  Developing Consultants for the start-up FAS2 brand, advised church leaders at the 1999 Lay Biennial, Syracuse, NY; AMECONVO VI, Philadelphia, PA and the historic 2000 AMEC General Conference, Cincinnati, OH.  Agreement to partner with Generation Alpha Heirs of Salvation may offer one last chance for the Christian Church to be or not to be.

The Free African Society (FAS), founded in 1787, was a benevolent organization that held religious services and provided mutual aid for "free Africans and their descendants" in Philadelphia. The Society was founded by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. It was the first Black religious institution in the city and led to the establishment of the first independent Black churches in the United States.

The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas

Originally established as the African Church, The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas was founded in 1792 by and for persons of African descent to foster personal and religious freedoms and self-determination. The original African Church was an outgrowth of the Free African Society, a mutual aid organization established in 1787 by Absalom Jones, Richard Allen and others, to assist the Black population in Philadelphia.

Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA

The Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972. The congregation, founded in 1794, is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the nation. 

The historic church building is located at 419 South 6th Street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The  current structure, completed in 1890, is the oldest church property in the United States to be continuously owned by African Americans.. 

The church was proposed in 1791 by members of the Free African Society of Philadelphia, including Absalom Jones, out of a desire to create a space for autonomous African-American worship and community in the city.

The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Baltimore, MD

The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church congregation is the oldest independent black institution in Baltimore. Its origins date back to the late 18th century, when blacks withdrew from the parent Methodist Church in protest against racially segregated seating and lack of representation in church hierarchy.

To exercise control over their own spiritual affairs, the dissenting blacks formed a "Free African Society," congregating for prayers and meetings in private homes. They soon adopted the name "Bethel," (a Hebrew word meaning house of God), and in 1817, acquired their first church building, the old German Lutheran Church on Fish Street (now Saratoga).

The African Methodist Episcopal Church

In 1816 an organizing conference in Philadelphia formally established the national independent The African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Daniel Coker, an eminent orator and educator who later became the first recognized missionary of the Church, joined the colonization party that went to Liberia in 1820. Coker hosted the 1^st Quadrennial Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church where he was elected the new denomination’s first bishop.  He declined the post, however, and Richard Allen was appointed the following day.

The historic denomination grew out of the Free African Society (FAS) which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. When officials at St. George’s MEC pulled blacks off their knees while praying, FAS members discovered just how far American Methodists would go to enforce racial discrimination against African Americans. Hence, these members of St. George’s made plans to transform their mutual aid society into an African congregation.

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or the AME Zion Church (AMEZ) is a historically African-American Christian denomination based in the United States. It was officially formed in 1821 in New York City, but operated for a number of years before then. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology.