St. Frances AME Zion Church to Mark 165th Anniversary, Sunday, May 18, 2014

On Sunday, May 18, St. Frances AME Zion Church at 18 Smith Street, will celebrate its 165th anniversary.  The St. Frances is the oldest African-American church and one of the oldest of all the denominations in Port Chester.  The celebration begins with an 11 a.m. service and will go until 3pm.

The Smith Street location is not the original location of St. Frances.  In the spring of 1849, residents began gathering at the home of “Auntie Banks,” located on South Main Street for prayers and testimonial services.  Many of those who attended services at Auntie Banks had to travel to White Plains, Mamaroneck or New Rochelle to find AME Zion churches.  Tired of the weekly treks, this small group met at Auntie Banks’ home until it grew too small for their growing group.  They soon petitioned the Bishop Joseph Jackson Clinton, the presiding bishop of the New York Conference for a minister.  One Father Tappan, a circuit preacher, was appointed to oversee this work in 1850.

The congregation moved to their first house of worship on King Street.  In 1856, the Reverend Jeptha Barcroft was appointed as the first full-time pastor. During the Reverend Barcroft’s administration, the church on King Street was destroyed by fire, the congregation sold the property and purchased land on Pearl Street, where they built a new church in 1875.

After several years of worshipping in this new eddifice, the congregation was dealt another setback when the Pearl Street building was condemned by fire.  With the help of many residents of the village, the members in 1899 replaced an old schoolhouse on Smith Street that had beed their house of worship, with a white-framed church.  The new building was named St. Frances – honoring Mrs. Frances Quintard, a wealthy benefactor who was largely responsible for the completion of this new church buiilding and its furnishings because of her very generous contributions.  The Reverend Mark Bradley was the appointed pastor at this time in the church’s rich history.

St. Frances African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church stands as the oldest religious, fraternal, civic and/or social organization servicing the AfricanA-American community in this and surrounding communities.  Many older members of our sister Baptist churches began their religious life in St. Frances because it was the only church serving people of color when they moved to Port Chester and neighboring communities from the south, other parts of the United States, and the Caribbean Islands.

Reverend Natalie Wimberly has been the pastor at St. Frances since December, 2001.  She's excited for the anniversary and welcomes the public to come and share in the congregation's celebration.

For more information, call 914-939-1056.  "Like" them on Facebook!