What makes the Union African Methodist Church special, and others like it, is its prominent place in history in the development of leadership of African Americans. Early in our history, these churches were necessary In order to participate fully in the experience of the religion preciselybecause they were led by those who had common bonds and who could encourage freedom of expression,even if it was only within the four walls of a church.The African Methodist Episcopal Church was formed 1794 as a response to discrimination lead by Richard Allen, who later became the first Minister of the African American Methodist Church. Many of our great African American Leaders who helped and still work to dissolve the restraints of discrimination started as leaders of churches. Famous Orators such as Martin Luther King and Jesse Jackson both started their careers as Pastors. Leadership training under the tutelage of an African American Church no doubt helped our current president, Barak Obama with his refined skills as a speaker.
The Union AME church was built in 1906 by several prominent African American citizens in the Town of Warwick, and is pictured above as it was built. The church took a little over a year to build. The church’s stained windows were obtained by the congregation from the Methodist Episcopal Church in Middletown, and were not installed until the late 1930s. The building was added to somtime later to accomodate a growing congregations needs. However, the building was expensive to heat, and was in need of yet another expansion.
The project to save this church began when the Warwick Historical Society (WHS) learned of the Union African Methodist Episcopal congregation's plans to build a new church. After an extensive earch for new property, the congregation finally knew that in order to stay in Warwick they would have to demolish the original gothic styled wood church. The WHS approached the congregation with the idea of moving the church onto on Forester Avenue next to the Shingle House property owned by the WHS. Appeals were made to Orange and Rockland Utilities to remove and reinstall lines in order to allow for the path to be cleared for its short journey to its new home where it appears in the picture above. Once the physical obstacles were removed, money was raised by a local telethon. Warwick residents responded generously and in three hours there was enough money move the church onto a newly constructed foundation. The ongoing preservation of the Union AME Church is a reminder that residents of Warwick understand that buildings worthy of preservation sometimes are not attributable architects or the high styles of the day. Value can also come from the legacy provided by those hard-working people that believed that they could be more. The WHS is currently seeking funding for the ongoing restoration of this church, and plans to use it as an African American history museum and auditorium. To donate to this important project, please contact the Warwick Historical Society.
Note: Historical Picture courtesy of the Warwick Historical Society.
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