Bethel A.M.E. Church

Overview

The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is Indianapolis’ oldest African American congregation in Indy. Initially the church was organized in 1836 and was added to the National Registry in 1991. Although the congregation sold their deteriorating building in 2016 for future development, they remain together and strong in their faith with plans to build a new church soon. The Bethel A.M.E. Church was great history with our city’s African American community. The church was also a member of the Underground Railroad and has local chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Indiana State Federation of Colored Women’s Club (ISFCW) was organized in the previous church in the early 1900s.