Published: Aug. 24, 2024
Our goal is to restore the historic Washington Chapel CME Church, a landmark in Parkville, Missouri, which has an important history and legacy. When completed, the building will serve as a place for both religious services and community events for all of Parkville.
Because of a grant that our small, elderly congregation received in January from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation: Preserving Black Churches, the building has a brand-new roof! Five hundred and fifty organizations applied for this money, but only 31 were awarded. The original scope of work was to replace the leaking roof and make the bathrooms ADA accessible, but due to a dependable group of skilled volunteers and small individual donations, we have stretched the dollars to enable the restoration of the whole first floor! Yet, the $160,000 from the “Action Fund” supported only about a third of what is needed. Church members do not have the depth to launch a capital campaign. We need to obtain carpet and furniture for the first floor and the materials to renovate the second floor, which will be available to the community for free Wifi and Internet conferencing, as well as weddings and large meetings. New bathrooms are being added to this floor as well. Eventually, we hope to find funding for a lift from first floor to second floor. Outside work involves replacing some sections of sidewalk and making the first-floor entrance way large and able to accommodate those with mobility challenges.
To stay abreast of our work, please join the “Washington Chapel Preservation” group on Facebook.
Washington Chapel CME Church was built in 1907 in the segregated section of Parkville by formerly enslaved workers and work-study students from Park College. It has been a long-time community asset--always opening its doors as a free space for various events. Many in Parkville, of all races, remember being welcomed at the annual Easter Breakfasts, Fish Fries, Homecoming Bazaars, and Thanksgiving Dinners. Helping to preserve Washington Chapel is an opportunity to assisting in providing a community space in a neglected part of town.
“Thank you to all our community partners and friends who have spiritually and emotional supported us this last year as we applied for the grant and began to long road to restoration,” commented one of the Church members. Although we have an amazing team of talented volunteers, we need community allies now more than ever to donate and spread the word about our additional financial restoration needs. We have the volunteer partnership of a general contractor, plumber, electrician, architect, and welder, but it’s been estimated by contractors that about $400,000 still needs to be raised to completely restore this important community resource. Securing necessary permits and inspection costs alone will run an estimated $3,000. And given the 117-year-old building, it is easy to imagine the additional problems that are being uncovered with every step of the work each week.
A volunteer general contractor, architect, plumber, and electrician are weekly also donating their skills. Six to eight members of the “Thursday Crew” come weekly to do whatever is asked of them. Yet, we need you to donate money for materials, a dumpster, specialized tools (like a jackhammer) and permits’ inspections to keep them able to supply the labor to make Washington Chapel useable again.
“The heart of our spiritual world,” said the esteemed Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Emmy winning historian and advisor to the Action Fund, “was the Black church. These places of worship, these sacred cultural centers, must exist for future generations of all people to understand who we were as a people.” Today Washington Chapel has a mixed congregation and is open to anyone.
Join us to honor and restore the legacy of Washington Chapel, as the epicenter of our Black community and a multi-use community building. Donations can be mailed to Washington Chapel CME Church, 1137 West St. Parkville, MO. 64152. Paypal - use paypal.me/washchapel or Cashapp - use $washchapel.
Questions or to invite us to speak to religious or community groups, contact Barb Luetke [email protected]. To see the progress, the church is usually open on Thursdays and Saturdays by appointment. The general contractor, workers, and church members can be on hand for interviews.