A Heritage on St. Antoine
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church stands on St. Antoine at Frederick on Detroit's near east side, between East Warren Avenue and the I-75 Chrysler Freeway. The current modernistic structure, dedicated in December 1974 and designed by the renowned Black architect Nathan Johnson, replaced an earlier edifice that occupied the same corner before the city cut a boulevard through the property in the early 1970s. Nearly two centuries after fifty Black Detroit citizens known as "The Colored Methodist Society" first organized themselves, Bethel remains one of the most historic AME congregations in the state and a steady presence in the life of its neighborhood.
From "The Colored Methodist Society" to the Mother Church
The story of Bethel begins with fewer than five hundred people of color in 1839 Detroit. The Detroit Common Council, known for encouraging religious worship, donated a site on Congress Street near Woodward Avenue for "The Colored Methodist Society" to meet, and a few weeks later donated a second building on Hastings and Coghan (Monroe) Streets. On May 10, 1841, the society formally chose to be governed by the principles of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination and became the founding members of Bethel A.M.E. Church.
By 1847 the growing congregation had built a new edifice on Lafayette and Fort Streets for $2,300. By 1889 it had constructed another house of worship on Napoleon and Hastings Streets for $24,500. Members of the society took part in the workings of the Underground Railroad, and in 1871 Ebenezer AME Church emerged from Bethel to become the second AME church in Detroit. By the early 1920s membership had grown to over 2,000, and Bethel was being used not only for worship but as a forum for prominent speakers and advocates, a concert hall for popular entertainers, and a meeting place for civic organizations. A third building on Frederick and St. Antoine Streets was dedicated on June 7, 1925, at a cost of $250,000.
In 1930, under the pastorate of Rev. William H. Peck, the Booker T. Washington Trade Association was founded in Detroit to promote African American businesses, and the Fannie B. Peck Credit Union, the first Black state-chartered credit union in the United States, was chartered and served the Bethel community for seventy-nine years. By 1974 the congregation had moved into its present home. Bethel counts one Bishop and three Presiding Elders among those nurtured within its walls.
Sunday Worship at Eleven
Bethel's Sunday morning service begins at 11:00 a.m. and is held in person at the church, on Zoom (Meeting ID 87361301977), and on Facebook Live. The Rev. Dr. Alfred E. Baylor, III serves as Pastor, the Rev. Dr. H. Michael Lemmons as Presiding Elder, and the Right Reverend Frederick A. Wright, Sr. as Presiding Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. A printed Sunday Morning Worship Guide is available for visitors, and the service runs in the time-honored AME pattern with congregational singing, scripture reading, prayer, choral and solo music, the proclamation of the Word, and an invitation to Christian discipleship.
Midweek Bible Study, Prayer, and Pastoral Teaching
Three regular weekly gatherings round out Bethel's teaching life. Morning Bible Study meets at the church on Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. Pastor's Bible Study meets on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom (Meeting ID 873 7055 2733). Empowerment Prayer meets every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom (Meeting ID 851 9439 3914, password 404001) or by dialing 312 626 6799. Theologically, Bethel holds to the AME Church's stated mission: to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ's liberating gospel through word and deed.
Food in the Parking Lot
Twice a month the church's parking lot becomes a neighborhood grocery store. Community Food Distribution is held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., with nutritious groceries provided through Forgotten Harvest and other partners. The distribution is one of the most visible expressions of Bethel's commitment to the city around it, and an easy way for neighbors to connect with the church.
A House of Prayer
Prayer is described by the congregation as "the heartbeat of the Christian life." The Empowerment Prayer Ministry gathers each week on Wednesday evenings and organizes a Prayer Partner Ministry in which church members are matched one to one, a Women to Women Bible Encounter in which the women of the church meet monthly to pray Scripture, and a yearly Prayer Revival and Prayer Conference. The ministry prays for Bethel, its ministries, families, youth, the Pastor and First Family, the clergy team, the community, the nation, and the world.
H.O.P.E. and the Ministry of Mental Wellness
One of Bethel's most distinctive ministries is H.O.P.E., which stands for Hope and Outreach = Powerful Expectations. The ministry is built on the conviction that mental illness is something the body of believers can address with the same seriousness as physical illness, and that those living with Alzheimer's, dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, developmental disabilities, and other conditions need to know they are still part of the church.
Trained facilitators lead voluntary and confidential support groups. A Depression Support Ministry Group meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and a Family Support Ministry Group meets on the fourth Saturday of each month from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The H.O.P.E. Ministry also hosts quarterly fellowship luncheons after Sunday worship, inviting community resource agencies to speak on mental health topics and to distribute printed materials.
Beyond the Walls
The Beyond the Walls Outreach Ministry takes its name from Ephesians 2:10, "we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Its goal is to be a loving, Christian presence in the neighborhood by moving outside the church building to serve the physical and spiritual needs of the surrounding community. The ministry names three commitments, love, engagement, and care, and partners with a long list of local projects including Angel Tree, the NAACP, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Forgotten Harvest, the William H. Peck Scholarship Committee, Health Fairs, and the annual Noel Night celebration.
The Women of the House
Three women's ministries carry much of the church's relational life. The Ruth Missionary Society is Bethel's chapter of the Women's Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, operating at the Michigan Conference level. It meets on the fourth Saturday of each month at 11:00 a.m. in the church parlor and via Zoom, and runs Thanksgiving gift card collections, winter outerwear drives for nearby schools, the Baby Shower for Zeta Phi Beta's Stork's Nest, and other year-round outreach.
Daughters of Deborah is the Women's Intergenerational Ministry, designed to promote spiritual growth, raise educational attainment, and provide resources on contemporary issues affecting young women while building closer fellowship among members of different generations. Daughters of Deborah meets on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Birth Month Auxiliaries is a fellowship of members organized by the month they were born, with each month led by a club president. The auxiliaries give members a built-in reason to gather and to extend care across the congregation.
Lay Organization, Greeters, and the Boards
Bethel's laity are organized through the AME Lay Organization, which meets on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. Its stated mission is to teach, train, and empower members for lay ministry, global leadership, and service. The Greeters Ministry welcomes worshipers into the sanctuary and is described by the church as "the catalyst that helps to bring souls to Christ," the first voice many visitors will hear at Bethel.
Three Usher Boards serve on Sunday mornings, Usher Board 1, Usher Board 2, and the Cora B. Shepherd Board, along with a Youth Board for younger ushers. Choir rehearsals take place on Saturdays at noon and feed three musical groups, the Praise Chorale, the Praise Team, and the Male Chorus. The Stewards Board, Trustees Board, and Official Board meet monthly on a rotating schedule tied to the first Sunday, keeping the business of the church in the hands of elected lay members.
The Pastor and First Lady
The Rev. Dr. Alfred E. Baylor, III was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Forest Heights, Maryland. A triple board-certified surgeon, he serves as Chief of Surgery at Detroit Receiving Hospital, Associate Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of DEI at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and a longtime U.S. Army Reserve military surgeon with multiple wartime deployments. He accepted his call to ministry in 2012 at Oak Grove AME Church, was ordained an Itinerant Elder in the AME Church by Bishop John R. Bryant in 2015, and was assigned to Bethel at the 140th Session of the Michigan Annual Conference by Bishop Frederick Alan Wright.
First Lady Rev. Michelle R. Baylor is a Registered Nurse, a graduate of Georgia Southwestern College and Wayne State University (BSW and MSW), a U.S. Army veteran of Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated since 1992. She accepted her call to ministry in 2011 at Oak Grove AME Church, was ordained an Itinerant Deacon in 2014 by Bishop Bryant, and joined her husband in the assignment to Bethel at the 140th Session of the Michigan Annual Conference.
Visiting, Giving, and Getting in Touch
Visitors are warmly welcomed. Sunday worship begins at 11:00 a.m. in person and online. The church office is open Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Bethel A.M.E. Church is located at 5050 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 48202. The main phone line is 313 831-8810 and the church email is bethelamedet@gmail.com.
Tithes and offerings can be made online through PayPal and Givelify via the church's giving page. Prayer requests can be submitted through the online form, and a Sick and Homebound list is kept current by the office so the congregation can keep members in prayer and in contact.
For more than 180 years Bethel A.M.E. Church has stood at the corner of Frederick and St. Antoine, raising up bishops and elders, feeding neighbors from its parking lot, praying for the sick, training laity for service, and gathering a Detroit congregation that has never forgotten where it began.