The Reid Temple A.M.E. Church is an African Methodist Episcopalmegachurch located in Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA to the northeast of Washington, DC. In 2008, Outreach Magazine reported that attendance was 7,500, making it the 88th largest church in the USA at that time. Reid Temple currently has a campus in Glenn Dale, Maryland and a membership of well over 17,000 persons.
Background
The parent AME Church is a Methodist denomination founded by the Rev. Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1816. The AME Church now has over 2,000,000 members in North and South America, Africa and Europe, and includes other major churches such as the First A.M.E. Church of Los Angeles with over 19,000 members and the Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York with over 23,000 members. The Reid Temple A.M.E. Church has its origins in the former Dent Chapel of Bladensburg, Maryland, purchased in 1900 from the Methodist Episcopal Church and named for its first pastor, Reverend Abraham Dent. The Dent Chapel was severely damaged by flooding in the late 1950s and the congregation was forced to find a new location. The new Reid Temple A.M.E. Church was opened on October 4, 1964 on Michigan Avenue, NE in Washington, DC, initially burdened with debt and with limited facilities. These problems were overcome, and with a congregation that had grown to 300 members. Reid Temple relocated to Good Luck Road in Lanham, Maryland in January 1989.
Today
The senior pastor of Reid Temple is Pastor Mark E. Whitlock, Jr., who was appointed on July 11, 2019 by Bishop James L. Davis following the retirement of Senior Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Lee P. Washington. The Glenn Dale worship center has a seating capacity of 3,000 and is designed to support a very energetic worship style, including a choir with 300 members backed up by a band with electric guitars, organ and drums. The center has carefully designed acoustics, and has modern sound and video projection systems. The gospel mass choir, led by gospel award-winning recording artist Myrna Summers, provides a stirring accompaniment to the preaching and prayers. The church includes the on-campus Reid Temple Christian Academy, teaching up to Grade 8. Reid Temple awards annually over $150,000 in scholarships to various high school graduates and others that are continuing education to help them in their college and university education. The affiliated Reid Community Development Corporation provides programs and resources to assist socially and economically disadvantaged residents of the area. The church also runs a credit union to provide financial advice and assistance to its members.
