“The History & Legacy of African American Churches” will be presented by the Rev. Matthew Brown on Sunday, February 26, at 3 p.m., in the Walker Theatre of Patrick & Henry Community College, 645 Patriot Avenue, Martinsville, Virginia. Gospel music will be part of the presentation.
African American churches rose among the horrors of slavery to allow African Americans a safe place of spiritual equality and self-expression. The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was the first African American denomination organized in the United States (1816) and, unlike most other American denominations, was formed because of racial issues rather than theological differences.
In Martinsville, Grace United Presbyterian Church began with a meeting in 1882 at the home of Peggy Redd. Her home would also be the starting point for High Street Baptist Church in 1885.
Brown has been Pastor of St. Paul High Street Baptist Church since 2016. He received his formal education through Liberty University and Shaw University Divinity School, earning his Master of Divinity degree. He currently serves as second vice president of the Young Ministers and Pastors Ministry of the Virginia Baptist State Convention. He also serves on the Grace Network Board of Directors and as Chaplain of the Tau Omicron Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He and his wife, India, have one daughter.
Honoring Black History Month, this free event is sponsored by the Fayette Area Historical Initiative, Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society, and Patrick & Henry Community College. Visit https://fb.me/e/2rCg4ftpE for more information.
