Reid Temple A.M.E. Church

Reid Temple A.M.E. Church
Country USA
Denomination African Methodist Episcopal
Website http://www.reidtemple.org
History
Founded 1816
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) Dr. Lee P. Washington

The Reid Temple A.M.E. Church is an African Methodist Episcopal megachurch located in Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA to the northeast of Washington, DC.[1] In 2008, Outreach Magazine reported that attendance was 7,500, making it the 88th largest church in the USA at that time.[2] Reid Temple currently has three campuses in Glenn Dale and Silver Spring, Maryland, and in Washington, DC, and a combined membership of well over 17,000 persons.[3]

Background

The parent AME Church is a Methodist denomination founded by the Rev. Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1816. The AME Church now has over 2,000,000 members in North and South America, Africa and Europe, and includes other major churches such as the First A.M.E. Church of Los Angeles with over 19,000 members and the Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York with over 23,000 members.[4]

The Reid Temple A.M.E. Church has its origins in the former Dent Chapel of Bladensburg, Maryland, purchased in 1900 from the Methodist Episcopal Church and named for its first pastor, Reverend Abraham Dent. The Dent Chapel was severely damaged by flooding in the late 1950s and the congregation was forced to find a new location. The new Reid Temple A.M.E. Church was opened on October 4, 1964 on Michigan Avenue, NE in Washington, DC, initially burdened with debt and with limited facilities. These problems were overcome, and with a congregation that had grown to 300 members. Reid Temple relocated to Good Luck Road in Lanham, Maryland in January 1989.

Today

The senior pastor is Rev. Dr. Lee P. Washington, who led the move to Lanham, MD and as the congregation continued to grow led the drive to establish new worship facilities in Glenn Dale, Silver Spring and Washington, DC.[3][5]

The Glenn Dale worship center has a seating capacity of 3,000 and is designed to support a very energetic worship style, including a choir with 300 members backed up by a band with electric guitars, organ and drums. The center has carefully designed acoustics, and has modern sound and video projection systems.[6] The gospel mass choir, led by gospel award-winning recording artist Evangelist Myrna Summers, provides a stirring accompaniment to the preaching and prayers.[7]

The church includes the on-campus Reid Temple Christian Academy, teaching up to Grade 8.[8] Reid Temple annualy awards annually over $150,000 in scholarships to various high school graduates and others that are continuing education to help them in their college and university education.[9] The affiliated Reid Community Development Corporation provides programs and resources to assist socially and economically disadvantaged residents of the area.[10] The church also runs a credit union to provide financial advice and assistance to its members.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "history". Reid Temple A.M.E. Church. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Top 100 Largest Churches". Outreach Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Rev.Dr. Lee P. Washington Senior Pastor". Reid Temple A.M.E. Church. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  4. ↑ "About Us – Our History". African Methodist Episcopal Church. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Reid Temple Inaugurates New Complex". The Washington Post. December 30, 2004. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Reid Temple AME Church". Acoustic Dimensions. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  7. ↑ Hamil R. Harris (October 1, 2006). "How Sweet the Sound: Five Area Gospel Choirs That Hit All the Right Notes". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  8. ↑ "RTCA "The Academy" Overview". Reid Temple Christian Academy. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  9. ↑ Mary Wells (September 7, 2005). "$100,000 in Scholarships Awarded by Reid Temple A.M.E. Church". Washington Informer. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Who are we". Reid Community Development Corporation. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Reid Temple AME Church Federal Credit Union Chartered in Maryland". National Credit Union Administration. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

Coordinates: 38°59′4.7″N 76°48′32″W / 38.984639°N 76.80889°W / 38.984639; -76.80889

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