The church building on Telegraph Avenue has sat empty since a 2023 fire. Mayor Barbara Lee was among those who spoke at the weekend ceremony.
By Ashley McBride, Oaklandside
“Up from the ashes” has been Pastor Rodney D. Smith’s mantra since a blaze destroyed the First African Methodist Episcopal Church building at 3701 Telegraph Avenue in February 2023.
That theme was present on Sunday afternoon as the congregation met in the sunny parking lot for a farewell service and deconsecration — a ceremony to decommission a site from spiritual to secular use. The charred, red-tagged building stood in the background as the choir, dressed in all black with orange and gold ribbons pinned to their lapels, sang “We’ve Come This Far by Faith.” The service included other choir selections, skits about the church’s past, a reading of scripture, a praise dance, and brief remarks by church and community leaders.
Parishioners, some of whom have been part of the church for decades and others who have recently joined, made their way to rows of white chairs beneath a canopy. Speakers reminisced about the history of the church, from its early beginnings as the Shiloh AME Church in 1858, just four years after the city of Oakland was founded, when it doubled as one of the first schools for Black children in Oakland, to its move to Telegraph Avenue in 1954. In recent years, the church was known for serving full breakfasts every Sunday and providing meals to the homeless.
“Babies were dedicated, couples joined in marriage, souls were saved and saints were laid to rest in peace,” said Reverend Rosalynn Brookins. “It was a sanctuary of outreach, love, and learning and legacy, as we say to this building, ‘Thank you.’”
The demolition of the building is expected to begin today.
Community leaders, including Pastor Zachary E. Carey of True Vine Ministries, city councilmember Carroll Fife, whose district includes First AME, and Mayor Barbara Lee rose to commemorate the church’s longevity.
Lee, who said her grandfather was a trustee for Friends Chapel AME in El Paso, said returning to F.A.M.E. Oakland always reminded her of sitting in church with her family on Sundays in El Paso.
“I always feel like I’m back home when I’m here,” Lee said. “We gather here not to say farewell to a building, but also to honor the 167 years of unwavering faith and service and leadership that have really shaped the very soul of Oakland.”
Lee and Fife pledged support from the city as the church rebuilds. Smith, the pastor since 2020, said rebuilding plans are still in the works, and that it’s too early to tell whether they’ll identify a new property or return to its Mosswood neighborhood.
“Once the demolition of the building happens, the church will begin plans for a future sanctuary for F.A.M.E.,” Smith said.
Lamarria Coleman, 35, has been coming to the church since she was a kid growing up in West Oakland. Today she’s also a member of the choir.
“If it wasn’t for this church and a lot of the things that I was involved in in my childhood, I don’t think I would be who I am today,” Coleman said. “It’s definitely a pillar in my life. I’m sad to see it go, but I know there’s always something greater, bigger in store for us.”
Coleman said she remembers rushing down to the church on Feb. 16, 2023, the night the fire broke out.
Images of the palatial church building, with a cross affixed to the roof and giant columns rising along its front facade, being consumed by flames in the middle of the night made news across the country. The cause of the fire has remained undetermined.
The church temporarily moved its services to Temple Beth Abraham, a synagogue on Macarthur Boulevard, then to Uptown Station in downtown Oakland. For the last year and a half, F.A.M.E. Oakland has been holding services at North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church at 1030 32nd St. and will continue to do so for the near future, Smith said.
Reverend Harold Mayberry served as pastor of F.A.M.E. Oakland until 2020. He is now the presiding elder, overseeing African Methodist Episcopal churches across Northern California. He stepped down as pastor after serving 24 years — the longest tenure of any F.A.M.E. Oakland pastor.
“When I think about all of the special memories in that building — the people I baptized, the children I held in my arms, the sermons that I preached — it’s bittersweet,” Mayberry told The Oaklandside. “Because I know God has a better plan for the church, I’m confident that they’re going to rebound better than they were.”
Praising God for the spirit of worship and determination to rebuild to God’s glory! Also praying for the manifestation and continued assurance of God’s grace.