Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church in Harris County. Now, some churches arrive in this world with fanfare.

Grand dedications, ribbon cuttings, the whole production. And then there are the ones that start the way the best things often do: quietly, in somebody's living room, with a handful of people who simply refused to give up. Payne Chapel A.M.E. probably began in 1886.

That word, probably, is doing some work there, and that is honest. What we do know is that a small group of people gathered in the home of a woman named Minerva Wells, and from that gathering something lasting took root. It would become the first African Methodist Episcopal church in Houston's fifth ward, though the A.M.E. tradition already had a presence in the city's other wards.

This one was new ground. A member named James Calvin Lindsey gave the church its name, honoring Daniel Alexander Payne, born in 1811 and died in 1893, the sixth bishop of the A.M.E. church. That is a name worth carrying.

In those earliest days, a circuit pastor possibly served the congregation. The first pastor whose name the record actually holds is Henry B. Sonly, born in 1866, appointed in 1896.

And the church began to grow. The Reverend James B. Butler, born in 1874, led the congregation through a milestone moment: the construction of their first building, raised up at 1517 Hill Street.

A congregation that started in a private home now had walls of its own. But walls have a way of filling up. When the church outgrew what it had built, it was time to move again.

In 1919, under the direction of the Reverend Jesse C. Butler, born in 1879, Payne Chapel purchased an existing wood frame church building at 2701 Lee, and a parsonage right next door at 2709 Lee. Remodels came over the following decades, one improvement at a time.

Then came 1950, and the most extensive renovations yet. The church brought in a renowned architect, Ralph M. Buffington, born in 1907 and died in 2003.

Buffington designed a sanctuary that could seat seven hundred people, along with educational spaces. If you are keeping track of how far this congregation had traveled from Minerva Wells's home, that number does some of the talking for you. Expansions continued in the 1960s and into the 1970s.

Along the way, Payne Chapel attracted some of Houston's most prominent city leaders, business people, and educators. Julia C. Hester and Henry Clay were among its members.

The church was not just a place of worship. It was a force in the civic life of the fifth ward. In 1986, Payne Chapel held an extensive centennial celebration, hosting church and civic leaders to mark a hundred years of community and faith.

The centennial proclamation said it plainly, and it is worth repeating: the Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal church has weathered a century of tremendous change in the world yet remains a bastion of the Christian faith with an enthusiastic and devoted congregation. In the decades after that celebration, the church kept its focus close to home, dedicating itself to local community and education services. A small group.

Somebody's living room. A woman named Minerva Wells who opened her door. That is where it all started, and look what it became.

What the marker says

Payne Chapel A.M.E. is a historic congregation and an anchor in Houston's fifth ward. The church probably began in 1886 with a small group of people meeting in the home of Minerva Wells. It was the first African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church in the fifth ward, although several existed in Houston's other wards. Member james Calvin Lindsey named the church for Daniel Alexander Payne (1811-1893), the sixth bishop of the A.M.E. church. A circuit pastor possibly served the church in its earliest days. The first known pastor was Henry B. Sonly (b. 1866), appointed in 1896. The Reverend James B. Butler (b. 1874) led the church as they built their first building at 1517 Hill Street. When the church grew, a new building was needed. In 1919, under the direction of the Rev. Jesse C. Butler (b. 1879), the church purchased an existing wood frame church building at 2701 Lee and a parsonage at 2709 Lee. Several remodels took place over the following decades. in 1950, the most extensive renovations began. Renowned architect Ralph M. Buffington (1907-2003) designed a 700-seat sanctuary and educational spaces. Additional expansions occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of Houston's most prominent city leaders, business persons and educators were members of the church, including Julia C. Hester and Henry Clay. In 1986, the church held an extensive centennial celebration and hosted several church and civic leaders. The next few decades saw Payne Chapel A.M.E. dedicate itself to local community and education services. In the words of the church's centennial proclamation, "the Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal church has weathered a century of tremendous change in the world yet remains a bastion of the Christian faith with an enthusiastic and devoted congregation." (2022)