AKRON, Ohio — At nearly 100-years-old, the house of worship for the oldest Black congregation in Akron is in need of some expensive repairs. 

What You Need To Know

  • Wesley Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is home of the oldest Black congregation in Akron

  • The church is in need of costly roof repairs to its nearly 100-year-old building

  • The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s Preserving Black Churches Program awarded Wesley Temple a $100,000 grant to help pay for repairs, but more money is needed

Wesley Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is among 35 historic Black churches nationwide receiving a grant to preserve their buildings and continue serving the community, but funds still need to be raised to make all the necessary updates at Wesley Temple. 

Generations of families have attended church services in the sanctuary at Wesley Temple, just as Rev. George William Whitfield and Pamela Valentine do each Sunday. 

But roof leaks are now creating a soggy situation in the sanctuary. Several pews are blocked off where the leaks trickle down to some seating toward the back of the room. 

“Sometimes the plaster and things can fall down,” Whitfield said. 

He said they’ve made temporary repairs, but the fixes aren’t lasting. It needs a more permanent update. 

“It’s just frustrating,” he said. 

Valentine said she’s attended services at the church for more than 40 years and is proud to be a part of the history. 

“Akron NAACP started in this church,” she said. “Delta Sigma Theta Alumni Chapter started in this church. So, it’s been a church over the years that’s always opened its doors to the community.”

But the damage is limiting their ability to serve the community, with leaks damaging electrical outlets and forcing part of the education wing to be blocked. 

Whitfield said he and other church members keep a close eye on buckets and trash cans on the third floor to empty them regularly, making sure they don’t overflow and leak to the floors below.

“We can’t catch all the water, but we catch most of it,” he said. 

Valentine said church members pitched in to cover the cost of the temporary repairs, but the bill has grown. 

“With an older congregation, we just didn’t have the people that have those deep of pockets,” she said. 

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s Preserving Black Churches Program awarded Wesley Temple a $100,000 grant, which Valentine said will go a long way toward repairing the roof and chimney, but it’s going to take at least double that to get the building back into shape. 

“So we can replace ceiling tiles and paint and do that type of thing,” she said. 

Valentine is the church treasure and she’s hoping for donations to give the building the care it needs and honor the legacy of the past. 

“We, on our watch, can’t let it fall down,” she said. 

The National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund also provided grants to three other Ohio churches: Cory United Methodist Church and Euclid Avenue Christian Church in Cleveland, and Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Nelsonville.