The St. John's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a church located in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. It was built as the North Woodward Congregational Church, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1982, and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1998.

History

The North Woodward Congregational Church was built in stages, with a small chapel, designed by the firm of

Malcomson and Higginbotham Malcomson and Higginbotham was an architectural firm started in the nineteenth century and based in Detroit, Michigan. A successor firm, Malcomson-Greimel and Associates, still exists in Rochester, Michigan as of 2010. History Architects William G. ...

, on the site of the present church constructed as early as 1907. The construction of the main sanctuary began in 1911 and was completed in 1912.North Woodward Avenue Congregational Church / St. John’s Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
from Detroit1701.org. Sections were added, with the most recent, the church house, being added in 1929. By the 1950s, the congregation had substantially moved out of Detroit, and the building was sold to the St. John's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church congregation.
from michmarkers.com This congregation had been organized on July 8, 1917, as St. John's Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. A State of Michigan historical marker commemorates this church. The official denominational name was changed from "Colored" to "Christian" in 1954. St. John's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was the first C.M.E. church established in the state of Michigan and, as of 2009, it remains the largest and most recognized Christian Methodist congregation in the state. The Reverend Dr. Joseph B. Gordon, a native Detroiter, was appointed as pastor in 2008. In August 2014, Rev. Dr. Claude Bass became the church's pastor. In August 2018, Rev. A Richard Doss became the church's pastor.

Building

The architect retained by the Congregationalists was Hugh Clement. He designed a Gothic red brick church with limestone trim, having Prairie and Arts & Crafts influences.St. John C.M.E. Church
from the City of Detroit Planning and Development Department The building is lower than many Gothic churches, as it lacks a bell tower or lantern. The historical site also includes nine associated row houses along Gladstone Avenue.

References

External links

St. Johns Detroit, Third District Methodist church
{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Congregational churches in Michigan Churches in Detroit Woodward Avenue Churches completed in 1911 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Historic district contributing properties in Michigan Christian Methodist Episcopal churches Methodist churches in Michigan 20th-century churches in the United States Gothic Revival church buildings in Michigan Methodist Episcopal churches in the United States