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About Bethel A.M.E. Church of Pompano Beach
Our History
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Pompano Beach, Florida
The congregation began in 1908 with a small group of God-fearing believers gathering for worship. In 1909 it registered as a church during a time when prayers, sweat, and tears were a major part of life, as they earned $0.50 per day. They worked long hours from sunup to sundown, sowing and harvesting the farmed crops, sharecropping, working as house servants: underpaid and under-appreciated. Yet they managed to raise and provide for their families, inspiring their children on to better lives.
During these trying times, segregation laws, and hearts of hatred this small group of believers sustained a God-fearing faith that inspired them to continually and consistently worship God in tool sheds and farmhouses. The leader of the faithful few was Parson Elia Rolle, a local minister from the West Indies.
Frequently, the group would send for different ministers to render services. Among them were Reverend Flanders, F. D. Hall and Reverend Baker. By 1911, the group of worshippers had grown considerably, so much that they felt that they should be organized and taken into the African Methodist Episcopal denomination. Upon appealing to the presiding elder, Reverend F. D. Hall was sent as the first pastor. While his tenure as pastor was short-lived, he was able to organize the group into a congregation known as the Salter Temple A.M.E. Church. The first church building (20 x 30 feet) was erected near the present site. The first Steward Board consisted of: William Brookins, Elijah Russell and Pampey Cooper.