Once filled with the sounds of praise and community, Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church now faces a quieter reality. As the oldest African American church in Colorado Springs, it has stood as a spiritual anchor for more than 150 years.
However, Senior Pastor Charles Wright told News5 the changes in attendance have been “extremely concerning” over the past five years.
“There are literally cases of 35% to greater than 50% decline from what it used to be,” he said. “Typically, we have maybe five to seven children in regular attendance, but it varies. The vast majority of our population is seniors. We’re aging out of a denomination entirely, and that’s not uncommon for most churches.”…