Out of 400 churches in
Harlem, the Abyssinian Baptist church in one of the most famous. Founded in 1808 by African-American and Ethiopian merchants, it was moved uptown to
Harlem back in the 1920s by Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. who built the largest non-racially segregated Protestant congregation in America. In 1935 he then handed the control of the church over to his son, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. who was the first African American to become a powerful figure in the United States Congress. Today, the church is under the direction of Calvin O. Butts, and is a vital political, social and religious organization in New York and each service offers a wonderful opportunity to experience the
Harlem gospel tradition.
