Hemphill African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

HEMPHILL HISTORY

In 1889, The Reverend Louis Hemphill was set by the Board of Bishops from the Tennessee Conference to establish an African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E. Zion Church) in Summerville, Georgia. When he arrived, The Reverend Hemphill was thought to be a man of God, sent by God to this small community to give them hope.

​Reverend Hemphill made disciples of the people and built a small church where the believers could meet. A place in which they could fellowship, teach and worship God together in song, prayer, praise, and preaching. Because the people believed in God's Word and were obedient to follow God's prophet, Reverend Hemphill, they successfully established a church in Summerville, Georgia, to the glory of God through Jesus Christ.

​The Charter Members were: Rose Knox, Espy Guice, Espy Wheeler, Eliza Gore, Mandie Shropshire, Marve Knox, Jim Watters, Jack Johnson, and Richard Kincaid. Hemphill A.M.E. Zion Church grew in membership and spirit, and it eventually became the first church in the now-defunct Summerville District, which once comprised nine churches. The ministry God sent The Reverend Louis Hemphill to start in 1889 is still reclaiming souls for God by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the fellowship for the Holy Spirit.

Slideshow image