CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — The sound of 117-year-old organ pipes flows along downtown Charleston streets each Sunday, marking the heartbeat of Mother Emanuel AME Church and its centuries-old mission of faith and belonging.
Dr. Wayne Singleton, the church’s Minister of Music, has played the organ for more than 40 years. He has been a member of the AME Church since age 15.
“I have been a member of the AME Church since the age of 15, so it’s well over 40 years. I love it. I am AME to the core,” Singleton said. “You can go to any AME Church and you will feel right at home. I just love the history, the hymns, the liturgy, everything about it.”
Charleston’s role in AME Church origins
Charleston played a vital role in the origin of the AME church in the South, according to history experts. The story began around 1816 when Morris Brown, a free Black man, and other Black parishioners were members of Old Bethel Methodist Church…