By Samantha Bolden
The Selma Times-Journal

On Sunday, Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church will celebrate 150 years of worship.

The theme is “150 Years Surrounded by the Fruit of the Spirit.”

The church has a long history and heritage. Brown Chapel was organized in 1866 and is in the midst of its sesquicentennial anniversary.

Initially, the Brown Chapel congregation was a part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South but soon sought to be affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In addition to serving as a spiritual sanctuary, during the 1960s Brown Chapel became known throughout the world as the headquarters of the voting rights movement and the Selma to Montgomery marches.

“Keep in mind now that the state of Alabama is only 200 years old, and Brown Chapel relatively speaking is almost as old as the state of Alabama,” Pastor Leodis Strong said.

Strong said that he’s appreciative of the ones who became before him who made the church what it is today.

“Let’s appreciate what these people have done, the sacrifices they’ve made, their commitment, and their devotion. It’s  just something that’s bigger than themselves, and how they kept it alive,” Strong said.

The guest speaker for the morning service at 11 a.m. will be State Representative Darrio Melton.

The celebration will culminate in December with more events.

The church is located at 410 Martin Luther King St.