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Parks Chapel
African Methodist
Episcopal Church
is an 86 years old
church full of
faith, purpose, and
promise. We
are committed to
serving God and
spreading
God's word
throughout our
community and
beyond. Under
the leadership of
our new Pastor, Rev.
Dr. Tyrone Hicks,
appointed to our
congregation on
November 8, 2004,
Parks Chapel is
continuing to grow in
numbers and faith.
HISTORY
Named in honor of
the late Rt. Rev.
H.B. Parks, Parks
Chapel was organized
as a mission in
September 1919, by
Rev. J.M. Brown,
then minister at
First African
Methodist Episcopal
Church. The charter
was granted in May
1920.
Parks Chapel
occupied properties
at 9th
and Chester Streets,
in what is known as
West Oakland,
starting in June
1920. At that time,
Parks Chapel was the
only AME Church in
the Bay Area
situated on a
corner.
Parks Chapel has
been distinguished
by great success and
sustained growth
because its program
is built with
God-fearing church
loving people,
thoroughly
indoctrinated with
the principles of
African Methodism.
Although Parks
Chapel suffered much
under its burden of
debt as a result of
the depression prior
to 1936, she
recovered fully
after that time to
take her place among
the leading churches
on the Pacific
Coast.
While under the
pastorate of Rev.
A.W. Johnson, Parks
Chapel had active
participation in the
Central Y.M.C.A.
Rev. Johnson served
as a member of the
Y’s Spiritual
Emphasis Committee,
and was on the Board
of Managers of the
North Oakland Branch
Y.M.C.A. Rev.
Johnson, while
serving on the Board
of Directors of the
Oakland Council of
Social Agencies,
Community Chest, The
Children’s Agency,
Chairman of the
Inter-racial
Committee, Casework
Committee, and a
member of the
Administrative Board
of the Northern
California-Nevada
Council of Churches,
was extremely
instrumental in
interrelating all of
the above activities
with the church.
During World War II,
Rev. Johnson headed
the Citizen’s
Committee for the
launching of the
S.S. Roberts Abbott
at the famous Kaiser
Shipyard in 1943,
and the S.S. Meigs
at Yard #2, when the
Champion Welder was
honored. Rev.
Johnson acted in an
advisory capacity to
housing agencies and
to incoming
laborers. With the
stepping up of war,
industry and the
increased population
of war workers, the
congregation
increased.
Parks Chapel and
her Pastor stood in
the vanguard of the
challenging program
of the war years.
The Bishop’s program
was to keep the
church alive,
improve and purchase
property, help
newcomers to become
adjusted, fight for
housing for “Our
People,” work night
and day with the
nation and local war
programs, and “
PREACH, PRAY AND
WATCH” for the
coming of peace.
The First Church
that was located on
Ninth and Chester
streets, had an
upper and lower
sanctuary with a
total seating
capacity of 750. It
was complete with a
lounge, study,
dining hall and
kitchen. The
parsonage, which was
purchased in June
1945, for $6,000,
and was paid in full
by May 1947, was
located seven blocks
to the east of the
church. The total
value of all church
owned property was
$50,000. Civic, as
well as religious
organizations
throughout Northern
California consulted
with Parks Chapel
AME Church, Oakland,
and her Pastor in
all matters
pertaining to public
welfare.
A new two-story
building with a
thirty-five foot
frontage on Chester
Street was to be
added to the
structure. The
addition was very
much needed. The
Sunday School of
nearly 100 pupils
had outgrown their
quarters. The
released time Bible
School of 200
students, which met
in two sections
every Thursday, was
growing in
attendance. Room
was needed for these
two important
groups.
A nursery for a day
service, and a
special service
nursery for care of
children during
religious services
was to be included.
Space for a choir
dressing room and
Young People’s
activities, plus a
clinic and library
was to complete the
first floor
arrangement.
A mezzanine floor
gave more space for
classrooms. The
second floor opened
into the main
sanctuary with
arrangements for
closing when not in
use. A study, rest
rooms, rear exit,
and a roomy corridor
completed this
floor. The
structure was
renovated at a cost
of approximately
$6500. Two hundred
additional seats
completed this much
needed addition.
The released time
Bible School was a
very intricate
example of how Parks
Chapel, cooperating
with the Oakland
Council of Churches,
provided a place for
boys and girls in
the fifth and sixth
grades at Prescott
School to receive
interdenominational
religious
education. In the
fall of 1944, the
program of weekday
religious education
was put into effect
in Oakland, and
forty-eight
protestant pupils
were registered from
the fifth and sixth
grades of Prescott
School. In 1946,
the number increased
to 200, with an
average of 140
pupils in attendance
each week. Under
the direction of
Mrs. Esther Meyers,
supervising teacher
of Weekday Religious
Education of the
Oakland Council of
Churches, and
others, the pupils
were taught the life
and teachings of
Jesus, the many ways
in which we worship
God and how to live
together as
Christians.
In 1952, Parks
Chapel’s membership
outgrew its place of
worship. This led
to the acquisition
of a new location at
724 – Fourteenth
Street in Oakland,
under the leadership
of the late Rev.
Lawrence Sylvester
Odom. At this
location, Parks
Chapel served as a
beacon light in the
West Oakland
Community. In 1965,
a major shift in the
Afro-American
population from West
to East Oakland, and
the construction of
the Grove-Shafter
Freeway, made it
necessary for the
church to relocate.
In 1969, under the
leadership of Rev.
M.L. Simmons, Parks
Chapel relocated to
its present dwelling
place located at 476
– 34th
Street, Oakland.
Pastors who followed
Rev. Simmons were
Presiding Elder C.W.
Love, Rev. J.R.
Williams, Rev.
Matthew Watley, Rev.
P.A. Williams, and
Rev. DeWitt Graham.
Under the leadership
of Rev. Dewitt
Graham, the food
bank was instituted
at Parks Chapel.
The purpose was to
provide supplemental
food for the
community in need.
The program began by
distributing
commodities once a
week, and grew to
where the serving of
hot, nutritionally
balanced meals, were
served once a week
to the hungry and
homeless. After the
death of Rev.
Graham, Presiding
Elder R.A.
Washington, who also
served as the
Episcopal Committee
Chair, served as the
interim Pastor until
Rev. Booker T.
Guyton, Sr. was
appointed in 1986.
In October 1989,
Parks Chapel
suffered another set
back when the Loma
Prieta Earthquake
devastated the
entire San Francisco
Bay Area, and
stunned Parks
Chapel. The
beautiful, majestic
sanctuary now looked
like the Ruins of
Rome. The
Earthquake had
completely collapsed
the entire sanctuary
and destroyed all of
its pillars, pews
and equipment. The
entire church was
thrown into shock
because we were due
to host the Annual
Conference in August
of 1990. However,
as in the past,
Parks Chapel,
through much prayer
and working in
unity, was once
again able to
recover and rebuild
our sanctuary, much
like it was before.
In May, 1990, the
congregation, led by
Bishop Vinton
Randolph Anderson,
marched back into
our newly
refurbished
sanctuary to the
tune of “We’re
Marching to Zion.”
In August of that
year, we hosted the
1990 Annual
Conference in grand
style, under the
leadership of Rev.
Booker T. Guyton,
Sr.
Under the guidance
of Rev. Booker T.
Guyton, Sr., and his
vision and emphasis
on the “Black
Family,” Parks
Chapel went forth to
institute several
programs focusing on
Family Unity, and
Community &
Solidarity. Summit
Hospital and other
Community
Organizations &
Churches joined in
partnership with
Parks Chapel to
unify and support
our communities and
its people in need.
At the 1996 Annual
Conference that was
hosted by Parks
Chapel AME Church,
Rev. Guyton was
elevated to the
position of a
Presiding Elder for
the Oakland/San Jose
District. Shortly
after that
conference, Bishop
Vernon R. Byrd
assigned the Parks
Chapel Pastoral Seat
to Rev. Andrew L.
Simpson Jr.,
Rev. Andrew
Simpson’s leadership
emphasized a vision
of community
involvement, youth
participation, and
increased local
church participation
across ecumenical
lines. The depth of
his knowledge of the
AME Church inspired
and motivated the
Parks Chapel
Congregation. Rev.
Simpson will always
be known for
planting the seed of
community
involvement,
organization, and
the Word of God.
At Bishop Vernon R.
Byrd’s Planning
Meeting on October
18, 1999, Parks
Chapel was assigned
a dynamic young
preacher, Rev. Donna
E. Allen.
Under her leadership
and vision with
emphasis on quality
participation,
membership
expansion, along
with Community &
Global Missions, we,
as a united body,
completed the task
of installing a
elevator and paying
for this project
without having to
secure any loans,
increased our
membership, and
reached out to the
community by
extending a helping
hand and a listening
ear. Pastor Allen
raised the level of
our compliance to
God 100% through our
faithful and regular
attendance in
church, Sunday
School, Bible Study,
Prayer Circles,
meetings, workshops,
prayer and fasting,
and our Giving To
God through Tithes
and Offering.
Pastor Allen also
set a goal for
children and youth
participation, and
reached it. Pastor
Allen was also
instrumental in securing two vans
for the church. Parks Chapel now has
a bookstore, which
serves as an
official distributor
for the AME Sunday
School Union.
Parks Chapel was
blessed
with the appointment
of our current
Pastor, Rev. Dr.
Tyrone Hicks, on
November 8, 2004.
Under his
leadership, Parks
Chapel looks forward
to the future with
faith, hope, and
promise.
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