Our Beginnings

The Society occupied a small log cabin as our first church on this parcel of land in 1817 at the corner of Cheeseman and McPherson Streets in Attleborough {now Langhorne}.  It appears as Lot #69 on a Plan for the Sale of 91 building lots named “Washington Village” by William Goforth in 1784 coming from the 47 acres taken from loyalist Gilbert Hicks after the Revolutionary War.

For over 20 years, from 1809 to 1834 we were the only deeded Black religious society in Bucks County.

Early records show distinguished preachers of their time including Bishop Richard Allen {1760-1831}, Rev. William Paul Quinn { 1788-1873}, Edward Jackson and John Mefser spoke at this church.

The congregation increased both spiritually and in number had outgrown their place of worship.  A small sanctuary was built of local stone to reflect the typical design of a traditional county church in 1851 that continues to display its historic features.  Again by 1918 plans for building a new larger church were made and completed by 1922 to integrate with the older structure.

A graveyard can be seen at the side of the Flowers Avenue entrance.

The Attleborough Methodist Society met together in members houses served by circuit preachers coming from Bristol, Bucks County to marry and baptize at this small congregation.  Social and political prejudice had widened the gap between races even in churches and as a result, this small group of African-American Christians decided to withdraw to start a church under their own in the Methodist Society.  The Society of Colored Methodists was then established on December 9, 1809 prior to its alliance with Bethel African Methodist Church by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia.

About the same time Richard Allen, founder of African Methodism called a meeting of the Black societies to Philadelphia in 1816 to form a union that became the first independent Black denomination in the United States.  At that meeting of sixteen, three men from Attleborough were among the delegates from five Black congregations.  Since the AM.E. Church is a family of the Methodist Church, our leaders felt that no other religious sect would fulfill their principles of a plain and simple Gospel.

We have been the religious and political center of African American activity in all of Bucks County.  Not only the traditional duties faithfully performed for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and religious services  but also served as the center for unification, development and inspirational guidance for people of color as well as an active participant in community and county events.

Over the years Bethlehem became the anchor for other congregations in the region starting their own church:  Mt. Gilead, Buckingham, Mt. Moriah, New Hope and Bethel in Yardley forming a circuit as they grew.

A cherished project since the founding of the church has been a Sunday School, teaching children to honor and respect God, and the laws of man as well as our support for the Missionary Society to spread the Christian message.

Prior to the Civil War, the church was a member of the Anti-Slavery League {Black} advocating racial justice and the Middletown Temperance League {Black}.  Courageously, during the 1840-1860’s, Bethlehem was a member of the New Jersey Branch of the Underground Railroad together with the Black-on-Black Underground.