Established in 1820, Wesley A.M.E. Zion traces its roots to the black self-help and liberation movement of that time, and was formed by parishioners who left Bethel Church to establish an independent all-Black Methodist congregation. This independent group later joined with New York City’s Zion Church in opposition to racism and discrimination.  

Wesley A.M.E. Zion has been involved in religious and social causes from its inception. It served as a station on the Underground Railroad and hosted abolitionist meetings and events with local and national implications, including an 1848 anti-slavery convention attended by Lenox Redmond, Frederick Douglass, Martin Delaney, Henry Highland Garnet, and others. Wesley A.M.E. Zion was instrumental in the founding of Philadelphia’s first Black hospital in 1885 and later became an anchor of the city’s migrating black community as it began to move toward the western area of the city into what became the historic 7th Ward. During the Great Depression, the church helped sustain its neighborhood through food, clothing, and financial assistance, and later became active in the local and national Civil Rights movements. 

Wesley A.M.E. Zion’s current church building was designed in the Gothic Revival Style by Philadelphia church designer George Espie Savage in 1923 and completed in 1926.   

Today, Wesley A.M.E. Zion remains a symbol of heritage in the neighborhood, and its partnership with groups such as Share the Love Inc. shows its dedication to improving the social, cultural, and economic conditions of individuals and communities. 

A National Fund grant of $100,000 with a matching $100,000 to be raised by the congregation will fund the repair of the front facade, including 10 pieces of limestone tracery that support a large compound-stained glass window.