On Sunday, July 26, 2009, John Wesley A.M.E Zion Church will hold its last worship service at 1923 Ashland Ave. where it has served God and the East Baltimore community since 1927. To accommodate the growth of its congregation and desire for more space, the church is moving to a new location at 900 Church St. in Brooklyn, Md. A fresh vision of the ministry, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, presented an opportunity for the church to move to its new location, a five-acre lot in the Brooklyn community with a fully equipped church, community center and commercial garages.
Along with the move, John Wesley A.M.E Zion Church will become Freedom Temple A.M.E. Zion Church. By changing the name, the church hopes to signal an attitude of embracing its vision to become a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-generational church dedicated to creative community outreach, on-going service to families and youth and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
“As pastor for the past seven years, I have enjoyed serving the Middle East Baltimore community, especially those who were directly affected by the surge of redevelopment in the area,” said Dr. Draper. “As strong community advocates, John Wesley A.M.E. Zion often supported residents as they sought fair and equitable treatment around issues related to relocation.”
Its devotion to the Middle East Baltimore community included a youth entertainment recording studio, GED classes, substance abuse counseling, marriage enrichment seminars and an annual harvest festival.
Several of the community driven programs initiated at the former location will be implemented in the new Brooklyn community -- one of which is the church’s annual Outdoor Community Festival scheduled for September 12 from noon until 5 p.m. on the grounds of its new location.
Pastor Draper expressed, “Although we are moving to a new area, we will continue our affiliations with many of the organizations that we have strong relationships with, including the Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD), the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the Baltimore Urban Leadership Foundation and Partners for Transformation. We also are looking forward to forging new partnerships with the people and organizations in Brooklyn, Curtis Bay and the surrounding communities. It is a wonderful, vibrant area with a lot of potential for meaningful ministry.”
Opening Celebration for Freedom Temple A.M.E. Zion will be held August 2nd with worship beginning at 10:45 a.m.
Weekly activities at the new Brooklyn location will include Tuesday early Morning Prayer from 6 a.m. – 8 a.m. and Tuesday evening Bible Study from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information, email freedomtempleamez@gmail.com, visit the Freedom Temple website at www.freedomamez.org or call 410-636-4747.