Oakley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church | |
   | |
| Location | County Road 485 at the County Road 486 junction, Tebbetts, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°37′51″N91°57′49″W / 38.63083°N 91.96361°W Coordinates: 38°37′51″N91°57′49″W / 38.63083°N 91.96361°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1878 |
| Architectural style | Gable Front Church |
| NRHP reference # | 08001192 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 17, 2008 |
Oakley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic African Methodist Episcopal church located at Tebbetts, Callaway County, Missouri. It was built in 1878, and is a one-story, frame gable front church on a concrete foundation. Also on the property are the contributing small cistern (c. 1900) and cemetery. There are approximately 80 known burials in the cemetery. [2] :5-6
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church or AME, is a predominantly African-American Methodist denomination. It is the first independent Protestant denomination to be founded by black people. It was founded by the Rt. Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the mid-Atlantic area that wanted independence from white Methodists. It was among the first denominations in the United States to be founded on racial rather than theological distinctions and has persistently advocated for the civil and human rights of African Americans through social improvement, religious autonomy, and political engagement. Allen, a deacon in Methodist Episcopal Church, was consecrated its first bishop in 1816 by a conference of five churches from Philadelphia to Baltimore. The denomination then expanded west and south, particularly after the Civil War. By 1906, the AME had a membership of about 500,000, more than the combined total of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, making it the largest major African-American Methodist denomination. The AME currently has 20 districts, each with its own bishop: 13 are based in the United States, mostly in the South, while seven are based in Africa. The global membership of the AME is around 2.5 million and it remains one of the largest Methodist denominations in the world.
A church building or church house, often simply called a church, is a building used for Christian religious activities, particularly for Christian worship services. The term is often used by Christians to refer to the physical buildings where they worship, but it is sometimes used to refer to buildings of other religions. In traditional Christian architecture, the church is often arranged in the shape of a Christian cross. When viewed from plan view the longest part of a cross is represented by the aisle and the junction of the cross is located at the altar area.
Tebbetts is an unincorporated community in southern Callaway County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Tebbetts is located on Route 94, approximately eight miles east of Jefferson City, on the north edge of the Missouri River floodplain, at 38°37′14″N91°57′45″W.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. [1]
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. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.
