In May 1986, a small group of people met at the home of Alan and Darlene Hancock to discuss the feasibility of establishing another African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Madison community. It was evident that there was a growing Black population with unfulfilled spiritual needs in the community.
From that meeting would soon come the birth of S.S. Morris Community AME Church, an African Methodist Episcopal congregation on Madison’s East Side that, for four decades, has been a community-focused congregation centered on worship, discipleship, generosity and service.
This Sunday, Aug. 23, at 2:30 p.m., S.S. Morris AME Church will host its 40th anniversary celebration at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
“This 40th anniversary celebration is very special for us, and we’re excited about hosting this event at Olbrich Botanical Gardens because we’re in the Avenue Room and it opens into the garden,” Dr. Carolyn Stanford Taylor, the co-chair of the S.S. Morris 40th anniversary event, tells Madison365. “This will be an opportunity to celebrate 40 years of S.S. Morris AME Church and it will also be an opportunity for people who’ve not been to Olbrich to see all of the things that they have available there. I think they have a butterfly exhibit that’s there right now.”
Stanford Taylor, who also chaired the 30th anniversary celebration of S.S. Morris A.M.E. Church in 2016, has been working to organize Saturday’s event in partnership with her co-chair Rodney Clendering, a fellow church member.
“We are honored to welcome State Rep. Shelia Stubbs, First Lady of End Times Church International, as our guest speaker,” Stanford-Taylor says. S.S. Morris Rev. Nina Pryor will also speak at the event. “The theme of the event is ‘From Foundation to Fulfillment.’
“Alleanah Hancock, who’s been in a lot of performances around the city, is going to sing a couple of numbers for us at the event. She played Dorothy in [Children’s Theater of Madison] The Wiz, and she is now a new member of Leotha Stanley’s group, The Levites,” Stanford-Taylor adds. “She has also sung at the Concerts on the Square. She is excellent, and we are really looking forward to her performances.”
The 40th anniversary celebration will provide an opportunity to reflect on the church’s history and recognize the people whose contributions helped make its journey possible.
Those present at the initial meeting in 1986 to discuss the formation of the church included Anna Queen Parks; Ray and Elizabeth Allen; Alan and Darlene Hancock; Herman and Peggy Moody; Emory and Mabel Stiles; David Christopher; Charlyne Hill; William Todd; and Marjorie Nicholson. The meeting resulted in a petition that garnered more than 100 signatures, demonstrating the strong desire to establish another A.M.E. church in Madison.
“We also want to honor our founders at the event,” Stanford Taylor says. “So, out of all of the people who were at the table to help found the church, there are two that are still living. One is my husband, Larry Taylor, and the other is Ray Allen.”
In 1986, under the leadership of Alan and Darlene Hancock, the group from the initial meeting appealed to Presiding Elder Rev. William Davis and Bishop Samuel Solomon Morris of the Fourth Episcopal District to establish a church. On Sept. 9, 1986, the group adopted the name S. S. Morris Community A.M.E. Church, elected officers and established guidelines under A.M.E. discipline.
As meetings continued in the Hancock home, the group searched for a permanent place of worship and identified property at 3511 Milwaukee Street on Madison’s East Side. At the Fourth Episcopal District Conference in Chicago, Bishop Morris announced the appointment of Rev. Christopher Hart to lead the new church and further its missionary work.
The first worship service was held Oct. 5, 1986, at the Milwaukee Street location, with more than 60 people becoming members and many pledging financial support. Following Rev. Hart’s death in December 1987, Rev. Bobby Moore served until 1989, when Rev. Gregory Armstrong was assigned to the congregation. Armstrong faithfully served the church for 22 years.
Stanford Taylor has been a member almost from the very beginning. She says the church was nine months old when she officially joined.
“I’m one of the long-term members of the church. I think it was ’87 when I started attending the church,” she remembers. “I’ve really seen the changes in the church over the years and many people come and go.
“Initially there was great growth, and I think I can attribute that to Rev. Chris Hart, who was the first minister of the Church,” she continues. “Chris passed away at a young age. After Chris died, we were assigned a couple of other pastors before we got Rev. Gregory Armstrong, who was with us for about 22 years. He was with us a long time.”
S.S. Morris A.M.E. Church is currently headed up by Rev. Nina Pryor.
“After all this time, we’re still growing, and we’re still doing outreach. We’ve grown in a number of ways,” Stanford Taylor says. “We have a food pantry now, and the food pantry has really been able to bless a lot of people.”
Every first and third Saturday of the month, the S.S. Morris Church food pantry ministry provides a variety of free grocery items and hygiene products to those in need in the greater Madison community. In the past few years, it has really begun to grow and serve more people.
S.S. Morris Church has also partnered with the American Heart Association to become a community blood-pressure screening and referral site. The church has supported young people through tutoring and educational programs. The church’s annual Christmas Bazaar brings the parish and community together for holiday cheer and to support local Black businesses.
The church has always prided itself on keeping its finger on the pulse of the greater Madison community. With everything happening in the city, state and nation, Stanford-Taylor stresses that now is a time for unity. That message will be emphasized during S.S. Morris Community A.M.E. Church’s 40th anniversary celebration on Sunday.
“I think it’s very critical that we have unity, and I think we’re seeing it in our ticket sales. We’re inviting people who have been members of this church and who have grown up in this church who still have love and care for the church,” she says. “We’re looking forward to seeing a variety of individuals and families come back together to help us celebrate. But it’s more than that with all of the things going on in our community and in our world right now and we really do need to bring people together in unity.”
Food at the S.S. Morris Community Church 40th celebration will be catered by Halverson’s Catering.
“Tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for children. We’re anticipating 120 people right now,” Stanford Taylor says. “It should be a beautiful event at a beautiful venue. This is an event for the whole community. Come and celebrate with us.”
