St. Paul’s African Mission started as a self-organized group of 6 members. According to Butler, services were conducted by “readers”. When the membership grew in 1875 the congregation decided to ask the Church Mission Society for assistance in purchasing a church building. Their request was granted and this Black Methodist congregation was officially organized on October 15, 1903, under the leadership of Reverend J. W. King. For two years, it held services at 740 Mississippi Street in the Mt. Airy neighborhood. The organization’s name changed to St. Paul Industrial Mission, and as the congregation failed to grow larger than 25 members, in 1906 the church officially disbanded.
Sources
- Butler, Jon. "Communities and Congregations: The Black Church in St. Paul: 1860‐1900." The Journal of Negro History 56 (1971): 118-134. Taylor, David Vassar. Pilgrim’s Progress: Black St. Paul and the Making of an Urban Ghetto: 1870‐1930. Vol. PhD. 1977: University of Minnesota, 1977.
Category: Church Neighborhood: Downtown St. Paul