From humble prayer meetings in their home, Paul and Mattie Brown helped birth one of Minnesota’s oldest Black churches. Despite setbacks and exclusion, the congregation built St. James AME in Minneapolis – leaving a lasting symbol of faith and freedom.
—–Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Amira Warren-YearbyEditorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
Paul Brown and his wife Mattie loved God. Former enslaved people, the couple saw themselves reflected in Bible stories about justice and liberation. It was 1860. As the American Civil War emerged, Paul and Mattie believed their country needed divine intervention. So, they opened up their St. Anthony home for prayer meetings. And after 3-years of war, their prayers were answered. The Emancipation Proclamation became law, declaring those enslaved free at last. By this time, their gatherings had grown. The faithful organized themselves as a congregation but needed a building. This is when the real work began: Paul and Mattie started praying for a church to call home. They received the keys of an abandoned building that belonged to a former white congregation. Unfortunately, they had no clear deed and were forced out of the building soon after. Not welcome in most Minneapolis neighborhoods, they finally secured land and, in 1958, built St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the oldest black churches in the state.