About

We are excited that you are here and hope that you choose to connect with us, in-person or virtually!

Chico's first organized church was this tiny Greek Revival-style chapel on Main Street, completed in 1867. The Methodist Episcopal Church South congregation met here until it outgrew the facility. The church was handed to the Black community in 1907 and moved to 6th and Flume streets, land John Bidwell deeded to the St. Andrew's African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1871.

Trinity Methodist Church bought the site at 9th and Linden Streets in 1957 to expand its church facilities. Chico's Gothic-windowed white clapboard church is a relic of its religious past. African-Americans have always found comfort at Linden Street's church. The church edifice and the AME's presence in Chico predate the chapel's "108 years of service" sign.

The Chico Historic Resources Inventory says the structure was built in 1867 on Main Street. It was moved twice and is a California historical landmark. American history also revolves around the greater AME Church. The Rev. Richard Allen created it in 1816, although its roots stretch back to 1787 when Allen and colleagues founded the Free African Society to fight racial injustice and slavery in the newly constituted US. With 2.5 million members, it is the largest black protestant group in the world.

​

You can find out more about our story here