A Short Account of the Rise and Progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America/Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV.
Entrance of the Allenites in the city of New-York.
Soon after the recommencing of the building, another difficulty arose. A man, named William Lambert, who had been a member of Zion Church, and was one of those who went away to join the Asbury Church, (a kind of self-conceited man, who was anxious to become a preacher, but was thought not qualified for that office,) having been recommended by William Miller to Bishop Allen, in Philadelphia, (possibly in order to get rid of him,) he went on and attached himself to the Bethel Church, in that city, and having obtained license from the Bishop, as a kind of Missionary Preacher, he returned to New-York, and being denied the use of the Pulpit in the Asbury Church, he determined to raise a church or congregation for Bishop Allen's connexion; in order, therefore, to accomplish his purpose, he obtained a school-house in Mott Street, and with the assistance of George White, a member and ordained Deacon of our Church, it was fitted up for a church.
It was afterward understood that about this time there were considerable communications made, in a private manner, between some of our official brethren in New-York and Bishop Allen in Philadelphia, relative to the state of Zion Church while the building was in progression, all which was unknown to the general body of the officers; and while our Society was in a scattered state, in consequence of not having a suitable place for Divine Worship, (for the Rose Street Academy was not large enough to accommodate our Society and congregation, and many of them we supposed did not like to go to the Circus in Broadway,) an Elder, from Bishop Allen's charge and appointment, named Henry Harden, arrived in this city, and commenced to form a society, with the assistance of the aforesaid William Lambert and George White, for the Bethel Church, so called.
The preachers of our Zion Church, (except the said George White,) believing that Bishop Allen had acted very unkind towards the church, by sending an Elder in- to this city, with intention to establish a third society of African Methodists, thereby taking the advantage of our present necessity, they met together and resolved not to preach for them, nor allow them to preach for us. In this resolution William Miller acquiesced, as the representative of the Asbury Church.
Their Church in Mott Street was consecrated on Sun- day, the 23d day of July, 1820, and not long after the day of the consecration Bishop Allen himself arrived and sanctioned all that was done by those men, who were acting for the benefit of his connexion, and his presence seemed very soon to alter the minds of our preachers, for notwithstanding their resolution to discountenance the proceedings of the Bishop, yet some of them went to their meetings, some of them sat in their altar, and one of them (James Varick) opened meeting for the Bishop on the second or third Sunday night of the existence of that Society.