The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, familiarly known as the CME Church, was organized in 1870 in Tennessee by 41 former slave members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Composed primarily of African Americans, the CME Church is a branch of Wesleyan Methodism, which was founded and organized by John Wesley in England and established in the United States as the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784. The CME Church has more than 1.2 million members across the United States, with missions and sister churches in Haiti, Jamaica and 14 African nations.
In 1949, Allen Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was the first CME church organized in the Pacific Northwest. The local founding fathers and mothers had a vision to build a strong foundation for future generations that thrives to this day. Allen Temple CME Church celebrates its 75th anniversary this April!
The current pastor of Allen Temple CME is The Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, Jr., appointed in 1997. He is the longest serving senior pastor and presiding elder of the Alaska, Washington and Oregon CME Churches. Dr. Haynes represented the CME Church for nearly two decades on EMO’s Board of Directors (1997 to 2014), and he served as board chair in 2012-2013. This April, Associate Pastor The Rev. Beverly Jackson became the second CME representative to serve as chair of the EMO Board of Directors.
Allen Temple has been a community-oriented church serving north and northeast Portland communities through many outreach programs, including the Emergency Food Center, Houseless Outreach Program, Resurrection Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Recovery, Balm in Gilead (HIV/AIDS Educational and Support Services), Social Justice Advocacy and the Carman Walker Daycare Center.
Allen Temple CME Church—a 9,500-square-foot building with 350 members—has been an anchor not only for the surrounding neighborhoods but for the entire city of Portland, providing support and guidance to community leadership on many issues in our community. The impact of gentrification has left a significant residue of trauma from the loss of generations of African American families, housing and businesses. Through it all, the church has been a tower of stability.
Allen Temple has been in the forefront of community advocacy and social justice and is a member of the Albina Ministerial Alliance (AMA). Dr. Haynes serves as president of the organization. AMA was organized in the 1960s and took the lead in establishing Head Start centers in Portland. The AMA Coalition for Justice and Police Reform has led efforts for over two decades in reforming the Portland Police Bureau. Other member organizations include the Urban League, NAACP, Portland Copwatch, Lift Every Voice Oregon and League of Women Voters.
In 2015, Allen Temple CME Church was devastated by a major electrical fire that made the church building unusable. For seven years, the congregation journeyed without its own church home. Under the leadership of The Rev. Dr. T. Allen Bethel, Maranatha Church provided a temporary place of worship. During that time, Allen Temple’s outreach ministries continued to serve the community.
In 2022, after seven years of ups and downs, setbacks and forward movement, the Allen Temple congregation was blessed to move back into a $3.5 million reconstructed church building.
