By Frank Mustac, Contributor
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year and is commemorating the milestone some with several events this weekend.
Founded in 1816, the congregation had its church built in 1847 and rebuilt in 1876. As such, Bethel is the third oldest church in Pennington and is the oldest church of African descent in town.
For 31 years prior to the construction of the church, the congregation held services in members’ homes with the Rev. Elijah Hammitt serving as the first pastor. In 1865, the church was used as a day care for children of color under the direction of Civil War veteran William Boyer.
Since then, the church has had nearly 30 pastors serve the community.
At the Oct. 5 Pennington Borough Council Meeting, Mayor Anthony Persichilli presented a proclamation congratulating the church on its bicentennial to its pastor, the Rev. Dr. Angela Battle.
“We’re very happy and excited to be celebrating 200 years,” the Rev. Battle said. “I wanted to personally come and thank the mayor and council for all that they do, and just to get on the record some of the things that we’re doing for our celebration.”
According to the Rev. Battle, a series of special events will be held on Sunday, Oct. 16, that will be open to the public.
Celebrations will start with a gathering at the African Cemetery on Main Street in Pennington at 1 p.m. on Sunday with a short historical skit, followed by the the Legacy of Excellence Walk to Bethel Church at 246 S. Main St.
A Living Tree Dedication and a tour of the historic Bethel Church will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by a proceeding to Pennington Presbyterian Church at 13 S. Main St. for an ecumenical service at 2 p.m. and gospel concert featuring the Capital City Gospel Singing Group at 3 p.m.
“The Presbyterian Church was kind enough to offer cookies and punch,” the Rev. Battle said.
At the African Cemetery, she said, attendees will hear a “talk about the history of the people who are buried there that served in some wars, but who were also members of our church.”
After arriving at the church, “everyone is invited to come inside Bethel. It’s a small church, but we have a lot of photo exhibits and some historical artifacts that we want the community to take a look at,” the Rev. Battle said. “Hopefully the church will be here for another 200 years.”
