Chicago’s Oldest Black Church Is Now Debt-Free

Chicago-Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church has unshackled itself from the burden of debt.Leaders of the 180-year-old Near South Side church, 2401 S. Wabash Ave., celebrated paying off the church’s $510,000 debt with a special mortgage burning ceremony earlier this month. Scores of members packed the pews for the event, said Pastor Troy K. Venning.The church, a city landmark, now owns the building and two nearby lots outright.“It was a full house,” Venning said of the celebration. “We had the Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C., as our speaker. Not only did we burn the mortgage, but we also honored our Bishop John Franklin White and Supr. Penny Hartsfield White, who will be retiring at the General Conference in August. So we honored them with our two Archibald Carey Lifetime Achievement Awards.”The celebration included renaming the fellowship hall for Venning’s predecessor, the Rev. James Moody, and his wife, Corlis. Moody retired from his post in 2021.Quinn Chapel AME at 2401 S. Wabash Ave. on Jan. 31, 2024 Credit: Maia McDonald/Block Club ChicagoVenning told Block Club earlier this year that the church’s new debt-free status paves the way for expanding its community...