Vincent, Alonzo E.
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Vincent, Alonzo E.
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ANN WHITING
Advocate editor
When Flint: Bethel United
Methodist Chu rch celebrates
its 80th anniversary Nov. 1OI l , it will recall a past that
reflects both the history of
racism in American Methodism and strong leadership from
African American churches in
the Detroit Annual Conference.
Bethel was formed in the
fall of 1921 by a small group of
F AQs
about American Methodism ...
The name Methodist Episc.opill reflected the church's
policy, with bishops as its
leaders, until the 1939 merger
that brought together three
Methodist denominations:
the Methodist Episcopal
Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South and the
Methodist
Protestant
Church. The nvo Methodist
Episcopal Churches split in
1844 over slavery and other
racial issues.
The 1939 merger included
a compromise to suit southern Methodism . All African
American Methodist churches, no matter where they were
1ocaredJ became ,2art of a
Central Jurisdiction, rather
than part of the five geographic jurisdictions also created in the merger. The segregated Central Jurisdiction
continued
in
American
Methodism until the 1968
merger of the Methodist
Church with the Evangelical
United Brethren (EUB )
Church.
-Ann Whitittg
Flint residents who had been
members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church before
migrating to Michigan.
Origina~y a "home" church,
the congr~gation - then called
Trinity ~ethodist Episcopal
Chur<f -was or7anized by the
Rev. E.A. Watsor·. By 1924, the
church was renamed Bethel
(or Beth-El) Methodist Episcopal Church. A temporary
building was moved to the present site, and the congregation
wofSlllped there until the
building was demolished in
1939. After a basement was
built on the site, the congregation worshiped there until
1949, when the sanctuary was
built and dedicated. The current building was dedicated in
1985, and the church became
debt-free in the mid '90s after
an expansion program .
From 1939 to 1968, it was
part of the Central Jurisdiction
(See FAQs elsewhere on this
page.) and was part of the
Chicago District of the Lexington Conference and the St.
Louis Episcopal Area.
Becoming part of the F lint
District of the Detroit Conference, Bethel was the only
African American Methodist
church north of Oakland
Co~nty in Michigan until 1975
when the E .L. Gordon Memorial UMC was organized-.£Y. the
Detroit Conference. (Gordon
later merged with Flint: Park
UMC to become Charity
UMC.
Bethel continues its African
American "connection" by
participation in Black Methodists for Church Renewal
(BMCR) and the Southside
ecumenical cluster of African
American churches in Flint
Above is the Flint: Bethel UMC, which is celebrating their 80th church anniversary.
that join in Thanksgiving and
Good Friday services, as well
as share resources and programs.
Members of Bethel UMC
were active in the former Lexington Conference and continue leadership in the Detroit
Conference as members have
served as General Conference
delegates, president of Detroit
Conference United Methodist
Men, Detroit Conference lay
leader, chairpersons of other
conference agencies such as
Commission..on Religion and
Race, Board of Higher Education, and BMCR. Members
have also given leadership as
Flint District Committee on
District
Superintendency
chairperson and district lay
leader as well as president of
Flint District United Methodist Women. Others have
served at every level of the connectional system. The congre-
gation also has 17 lay speakers.
The name "Beth-el," or
"Bethel," means "House of
God" in Hebrew. It is the place
where Jacob dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven wi¢
angels ascending and descending. It was at Bethel that Jacob
proclaimed, " Surely the Lord
is in this place."
In that tradition, Bethel celebrates its history with the
theme, "Living the Promise,
Fourscore and Beyond." The
congregation's mission focus
will be "Children Are Our
Future." '
Bethel's three living pastors
will join in the 80th anniversary celebration. The Rev. Dr.
Russell McReynolds, superintendent of the Kalamazoo District of the West Michigan
Conference, will speak at the
Nov. 10 banquet as well as
preach on Nov. 11. McReynolds was p astor from
1973-91. The Revs. Alvin Burton (1934-37) and Alonzo Vincent ( 19 91-present) will also
12.e part of the celebration. _
Information for this story was
provided by William F. Kornegay,
chaitperson of the B ethel 80th
Anniversary Celebration.
Vincent, Alonzo E.