PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ A Methodist congregation split by racism more than 200 years ago in Philadelphia has reunited for the first time for Sunday services.
In the late 1780s or early 1790s, black congregants at St. George’s Methodist Church were thrown out by white congregants as they were on their knees praying.
The black worshippers eventually formed the nearby African Methodist Episcopal Church, which later became a stop on the Underground Railroad. It is now called Mother Bethel A.M.E.
Mother Bethel congregants were welcomed back to St. George’s for services Sunday morning.
As many as 300 Mother Bethel worshippers packed St. George’s, this year celebrating its 240th anniversary. Most, if not all, of St. George’s 30 remaining members attended.