About US

Our small congregation began as First Agape A.M.E. Zion Church of Silver Spring, Maryland. Thirteen years and several moves later, First Agape found its way to the Gibson Grove Site, at 7700 Seven Locks Road in Bethesda, Maryland, which we now call our church home.

First Agape was excited about inheriting a historic site. The Gibson Grove church building is more than 104 years old and held the second oldest congregation in the Cabin John community. It is named after Sarah Gibson, a former slave from Virginia who migrated to the area shortly after the Civil War. She and her family purchased 4.5 acres of land on Seven Locks Road.

Sarah Gibson saw the need for a place to worship God in her community. As a demonstration of faith and belief, she gave a portion of her land to the church for the purpose of worship in 1898. In 1923 the church building was constructed on its present site. In January 1929 Mrs. Gibson died and was buried at Moses Hall cemetery, adjacent to the church property.

On Ash Wednesday night, February 2004, a devastating fire destroyed most of the previously restored building. Since that day, First Agape has been actively seeking and collecting funds to rebuild this historical building and also to bring back the place of worship to its members.

During this time of transition, the church is blessed to worship, in the interim, every Sunday at Adat Shalom, located at 7727 Persimmon Tree Lane in Bethesda, Maryland.

About The AME Zion Church

"In order to succeed in American society as productive citizens, we [the newly freed slaves] need to become an educated citizenry," Quote from an early AME Zion member.

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Corporation is a major faith-based organization servicing more than 1,000,000 members utilizing a membership business model as its revenue base. It manages its corporate business through a triune management process that includes the General Conference (a meeting every four years of the corporate membership through delegates that set the business agenda and budget of the corporation for four years), the Board of Bishops (a twelve person board, each responsible for a geographical area know as an Episcopal District) and twelve elected General Officers or Department Heads (individual area secretaries, directors and editors whose responsibilities vary over specific units of the church). Our corporate headquarters is located in Charlotte, North Carolina but each Bishop maintains an Episcopal office near where they live.

As we, the AME Zion Church continues to expand and diversify its ministry, we also are preparing to lead an ever increasing youthful church body into the next century.

First Agape AMEZ Church PO Box 341337 Bethesda, MD 20827-1337