CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) — The Spring Valley African Methodist Episcopal Church is celebrating a new chapter.
During Black History Month, the historic Black church in Delaware County held a ribbon cutting for its reopening on Saturday after it was closed for more than two decades.
Pandora Campbell’s family has a long history associated with the church. She grew up attending services with her grandmother.
Campbell worked with Concord Township to help restore the church.
“For it to be revived, it’s a miracle,” Campbell said. “It was her dying wish to come visit this church, her childhood church that her father was a founding member of, to see it and that wish turned into this.”
Before opening its doors on Saturday, the church was a pillar to the Black community starting in 1880 but welcomed everyone from any background.
“You can feel the spirit,” Kieesha Carter said. “You can feel just the history and the nostalgia.”