St Paul AME church - 1st AME church west of the Mississippi

Last went: 2023
Will go again: 2033
Cost: As with all non-profits, I do ask that you bring at least $5 to donate to the church if you are able.

Unlike most churches, because they are celebrating their history, the history talk is built into the service. If you want to hear the history, come to the service! This is the 185th church anniversary and Founders Day for the St. Louis AME church.

Cara Spencer, Mayor of St. Louis, will be a guest and speaker at the service.

After the service, we will be able to explore the church building - they have some rooms showcasing their history.

This church has an extensive history in St. Louis and many well-known St. Louis residents have called St Paul AME their church home.

From the church website: https://stpaulamestl.net/church-history

"St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church has the second oldest black congregation in St. Louis and is the oldest AME church west of the Mississippi River. The date on the cornerstone of the Lawton-Leffingwell building places the formal organization of St. Paul AME Church at 1841.

"In the year of 1836, Rev. William Paul Quinn was sent on a missionary ... to work in the west. He came to Illinois, and was not permitted at that time to preach in St. Louis, as Missouri was still a slave state. By 1840, Rev. William Paul Quinn conceived the idea of standing on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River and preaching across the river to the men and women, many of them slaves; on the Missouri side in (St. Louis).

"St. Paul A.M.E. Church was the initial birthplace of the St. Louis Chapter of the NAACP in 1913."