Historic Saint James African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the oldest church in Sanford, is getting a new roof. This is the first major restoration project for the church since its structure was built over 100 years ago.
The current roof is set to be replaced with metal shingles to get the roof of the church back to its original state with a material that will keep the integrity of the structure.
La’Fiesta Cox Brown, the pastor of Historic Saint James AME Church, said the roof signifies a new beginning for the church.
“We are so excited to finally begin restoration at [the church]! The physical building has begun repair signifies a two-fold blessing: the outer building and secondly the inner building … repairs taking place on our spiritual building. The restoration of the people of Historic St. James,” Brown said.
“The people have felt discouraged and defeated year in and year out with a decaying edifice and a dying church membership. This new beginning will bring life back to Historic St. James,” she added.
Members of the church — located on the corner of East Ninth Street and South Cypress Avenue– first began work to restore the church in 2010, but priorities shifted when they noticed leaks from the roof.
The building’s original roof material was changed in 1989 from pressed metal tin to asphalt shingles — which weakens over time.
“If we didn’t do something to fix the roof, we would have lost the 100-year-old original furniture in the church, like the pews and pulpit,” said Julia Brunson, the church’s preservation trustee.
Since the church’s roof has been under repair, church services and meetings have been held in the annex located behind the red brick church building. Dehumidifiers have been placed inside the church building to run water that leaks in from the roof to the outside lawn.
The roof completion date is not yet confirmed, but services are expected to resume inside the church at that time.
Brunson believes the new roof means revitalization for the congregation.
“We have to rebuild the church and get some new programs out there. When [the community] sees what we are doing, the people will be back,” Brunson said, explaining the church lost a lot of members during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The roof restoration project is being funded with money awarded to the church through the state’s African American Cultural and Historical Grant program, for the church’s historical and architectural value.
Historic Saint James AME Church holds large historical importance, as its founding dates back 10 years before the city of Sanford was incorporated in 1877 and has been home to hundreds of Black Christians for 155 years.
It’s also the oldest AME church in between Jacksonville and Key West — outside of Bethel AME located in Tallahassee which was founded two years before Historic Saint James in 1865, according to Brunson — who knows a lot of Sanford.
Mount Zion AME Church, the oldest AME church in Jacksonville, was founded in 1866. Cornish Memorial AME Zion Church, the oldest AME church in Key West, was founded in 1864.
Lorenzo Laws, the presiding elder of AME churches in Brevard, Daytona and Volusia County, said the history of Historic Saint James is rich in many ways.
“Maintaining the legacy and history of churches throughout the world such as Historic St. James is very important. It has served the community of Sanford for many generations and it is our prayers the legacy will continue for many generations in the future and beyond,” said Laws.
The red brick building complete with its original stained-glass windows and light fixtures, was built from 1910 to 1913 by the Black architect Prince William Spears on land bought from the town founder General Henry Sanford in 1880.
The exterior church building has gone through few alterations since then, outside of the previous roof work and a handicap ramp being added to the building entrance.
Spears built at least three other churches in Sanford: Saint John Missionary Baptist Church, New Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, and Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church.
“We are definitely depending on more repair projects… We intend to have a full makeover inside the church which is much needed as well as the outside building structure. We needed at least a million dollars for the renovations; additional work must be done,” Pastor Brown said.
“We are thankful that our church will no longer look abandoned and neglected. We are the beacon of light on Cypress Avenue and Ninth Street in Sanford Florida,” Brown added.
Article: https://www.mysanfordherald.com/article/historic-saint-james-ame-church-celebrates-new-roof-addition
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