The African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church and Connection, usually called "the A.U.M.P. Church," is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

denomination. It was chartered by Peter Spencer (1782–1843) in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christin ...

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

History

In 1866, the First Colored Methodist Protestant Church merged with it. This was a Maryland offshoot of the

A.M.E. Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...

, which was based in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. 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 The Union American Methodist Episcopal Church, which is usually called the U.A.M.E. Church, was formally organized as a separate denomination in 1865 by some congregations of the African Union Church founded by Peter Spencer in 1813. In May 201 ...

" in 1865. The two denominations are now referred to collectively as the " Spencer Churches" (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. 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, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West En ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

* St. John's Church (Ruxton, Maryland), listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

(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 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange Count ...

, 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 ) , image_skyline = , image_ ...

, Washington, D.C., 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, 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
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 Christian denominations established in the 19th century 1813 establishments in the United States {{Methodist-stub