Solomon Chapel AME Church Celebrates 134 Years of Service
By Rev. Dr. Alice H. Crenshaw, 8thEpiscopal District
Solomon Chapel AME Church was organized in 1884 on Catfish Point. In 1885, the church was moved to Cleveland, Mississippi. It is the oldest Black church in the city. The first church building was erected in 1887. The church was destroyed by fire twice in 1920 and later moved to Ruby Street. The new church was completed in 1922. Church history proves that survival was not easy and includes a flood that destroyed the building in 1927.
During 1993, the old structure was demolished and a new larger church was designed for the present site. The new edifice was completed on May 5, 1996. On July 15, 2018, the members celebrated 134 years with the theme, “To God Be the Glory” for the endurance of keeping us together despite the various ups and downs our church buildings suffered. Nevertheless, we are still standing on “Holy Ground.”
The Rev. Dr. Alice Hubbard Crenshaw told the congregation,“We’re a denomination of Richard Allen,who had a vision that was strong for serving God,loving God, and loving for God’s people.” She continued, “We’vegatheredthis afternoon to give God praise andglory for keeping, protecting,and expanding the freedom of a church birthed in a blacksmith shop, having come out of segregated pews,but now standing on five continents… We stand today, looking back at an extraordinary history andrememberingthat we had some pain along the way, evenin our currenthistory.”
To this day, racism remains a major problem in the United States.America wants to live in denial concerningracismbut the reality is that liberty and justice for all is still not a reality for us. Today, AMEsfocuson our 200-year historybut we need to go back to what lasted for 2,000 years. We need to go back to being spiritualaswe’ve become too political.Pastor Crenshaw acknowledged134 years of service in community but asked, “Where do we go from here?”
She said we need to change the attitudesof our people through educationto change our behaviorandthereby enrich our people to transform.Solomon is blessed to have many educatorsand we were chargedto use our education to help others in this community. It is essential to inform others, including our opposition, concerningissues in the Solomon Chapelcommunity.
We need to follow God’s purpose,vision, andmission for the church. We must daily check and affirm our faith in the philosophy and methods of Allen. We must understand our role and mission ofGod for the church in Acts 1:6-8. We mustinvolve ourselves in the ministries of social change andeconomic empowerment.
We must eliminateour hidden motives and prepare ourselvesto accept suffering, if necessary, in our work for justice. We must discuss and negotiateusing grace, humor, and intelligence inconfrontingother partieswith a list of injustices and a plan for addressing and resolving these injustices. Look for what is positive in every action and statement the opposition makes. Wake up people of God, theshackles of slavery and oppression are still invisibly present.
Mississippi State Senator Willie Simmons, amember of Solomon Chapel,and Pastor Crenshaw, presented aproclamation toMrs. Maye D. Martin.Her presence is known through her love and dedication to the work of Solomon Chapel. She is currently the oldest livingmemberof the congregation. She was a secretary/treasurer, steward, and trustee and served as a member of the senior choir, Women’s Missionary Society, Lay Organization, and Sunday School.She also delivered meals to the needy in the community from Solomon Chapel’s Soup Kitchen and trimmedhedges as needed.
A second proclamation was presented toMs. Bennye J. Tharpe,the second oldest church member. Shetook music lessons under the tutelage of Ms. Henrietta Cleggs of Mound Bayou, Mississippi,and was identified as a superior musician and vocalist. She began playing for Solomon Chapel at the age of 12 and was paid $10 a month for her services. Both aremore than justmembers. They’rea part of the bricks and mortar of Solomon Chapel. The preacher of the hour was the Rev. Archie R. Smith, the presiding elder of the Greenville Greenwood District inthe North Mississippi Annual Conference.
