The African Union Methodist Protestant Church (AUMPC), abbreviated as A.U.M.P. Church, is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

denomination. It was chartered by

Peter Spencer Peter or Pete Spencer may refer to: *Peter Spencer (religious leader) Peter Spencer (1782–1843) was an American freedman who in 1813 founded the Union Church of Africans in Wilmington, Delaware. The denomination is now known as the African Un ...

(1782–1843) in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, in 1813 as the "Union Church of Africans", where it became known as the "African Union Church".

History

The formation of the African Union Methodist Protestant Church is a part of the

history of Methodism in the United States The history of Methodism in the United States dates back to the mid-18th century with the ministries of early Methodist preachers such as Laurence Coughlan and Robert Strawbridge. Following the American Revolution most of the Anglican clergy w ...

; in 1866, the First Colored Methodist Protestant Church merged with it. This was a Maryland offshoot of the A.M.E. Church, which was based in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The Delaware-Maryland denomination renamed itself, combining names, as the ''African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church and Connection'', usually called the A.U.M.P. Church. In the 1860s, a schism resulted in some of the congregations forming the " Union American Methodist Episcopal Church" in 1865. The two denominations are now referred to collectively as the "

Spencer Churches The Spencer Churches (less commonly called the Union Churches) are two African-American Christian denominations in the United States that resulted from a 1860s schism in the Union Church of Africans (also known as African Union Church). That denom ...

" (or, less often, the "Union Churches"). Although a decentralized Methodist Protestant church in its earlier years, the A.U.M.P. Church in the 1880s began to consider adopting an episcopal structure. In 1922 it consecrated its first bishop,

Daniel J. Russell, Jr. Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the activi ...

But it was not until 1967 that the Church fully changed to an episcopal structure and consecrated its two leaders as bishops. The A.U.M.P. Church has a total of about 40 congregations in the area of the mid-Atlantic and Upper South: the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

Notable churches

* Hosanna Meeting House, built in 1845 in the free Black village of Hinsonville,

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States ** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania. * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

St. John's Church (Ruxton, Maryland) St. John's Church is a historic A.U.M.P. Church, A.U.M.P. church (building), church located in Ruxton, Maryland, Ruxton, Baltimore County, Maryland. History J. Aquila Scott, a free African-American, moved to the Bare Hills Historic District, Ba ...

, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP) in 1982 * St. John's African Union Methodist Protestant Church,

Goshen, New York Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 14,571 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report Goshen, Orange County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/goshentownorangecountyne ...

, listed on the NRHP in 2010 *

Saint Paul African Union Methodist Church Saint Paul African Union Methodist Church is an historic structure located in the Navy Yard section of Washington, D.C., United States. It is the only congregation in the District of Columbia of the oldest incorporated, independent African- A ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, listed on the NRHP in 2011 *Mt. Zion A. U. M. P., Marshalltown, NJ, mother church of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania districts. This is the base of bishop and historian Daniel James Russell. It is classified as a contributing resource in the

Marshalltown Historic District Marshalltown is an unincorporated community located within Mannington Township, in Salem County, New Jersey. It has also been known as Frogtown. The community is centered at Marshalltown Road and Roosevelt Avenue, located southeast of Glensid ...

, which was listed on the NRHP in July 2013

References

External links

Official site
''Documenting the American South'', University of North Carolina * ttp://docsouth.unc.edu/church/aump/aump.html A.U.M.P. ''Book of Discipline'', 1871 ''Documenting the American South'', University of North Carolina
St. James African Union Methodist Protestant Church Mount Calvary African Union Methodist Protestant ChurchMount Pleasant African Union Methodist Protestant Church
African-American history of Delaware Historically African-American Christian denominations Religious organizations established in 1813 Methodism in the United States Methodist denominations in North America Methodist denominations established in the 19th century 1813 establishments in the United States {{Methodist-stub