About Us

Little Rock African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church of Charlotte, North Carolina has a legacy of liberation and freedom stemming from members such as Bishop James Varick, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth who all fought for freedom and liberation of the human spirit.

Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church was organized in the backyard of Mrs. Mary Ann Hunter after leaving old Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church in 1884. The first Church was a little house sitting on a rock hence the name “Little Rock”. The wooden structure was moved to the Brooklyn Community on 7th Street in 1906. The brick edifice which has served as the Afro-American Cultural Center was completed in 1911 under the administration of Reverend Douglas. The church sold the brick edifice to the City of Charlotte in 1980 with a first right of refusal clause attached to the agreement. In 2009, we were pleased to purchase back from the City of Charlotte our former historical Greek and Romanesque architectural style building designed by J.M. McMichael, the same architect who designed Charlotte’s Spirit Square, St. John’s Baptist Church and Myers Park Presbyterian Church. The old Little Rock Church is a remarkable remainder of an exuberant expression of faith and commitment of God’s people to God’s glory.

 

Little Rock has a diverse congregation that honors the rich Methodist tradition while being sensitive and relevant to the culture and community we are called to serve. We seek to offer a holistic ministry that will empower individuals and families of the church and the community to become all that God has purposed for their lives.

 

The mission of Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church is to “Proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ” to the world by word and deed with the aim of winning a positive response to Him and His Church by becoming members of the same. We are to mature our fellowship through our vision “Excellence in Ministry: where God is Glorified, Jesus Is Magnified, People are Edified, Faith is Fortified and Ministry is Multiplied.”

To continue to address the challenges that we face in this historic yet low wealth community; the Little Rock Community Development Corporation was established. The infrastructure for the organization was set into place and incorporated by Little Rock AME Zion Church in February 2006. The purpose was to expand on the human services that the church had been performing for the community of low-income families, individuals and local business for more than fifty years.