The Trustee Board of Galbraith A.M.E. Zion Church is organizing this fundraiser to benefit GALBRAITH A.M.E. ZION CHURCH.

First, a brief history of this historic church. In 1843, before slavery was abolished and while the city of Washington, DC was still in its infancy, Galbraith A.M.E. Zion Church was organized and grew out of the efforts of both freedmen and slaves. In 1855, the Church purchased our current location at 1114 6th Street, NW.

Under the leadership of outstanding pastors and the outstanding leadership of the congregates, Galbraith continued to grow. The Church has long participated in great moments in African American History: meetings attended by Booker T. Washington and Dr. W.E.B. Dubois were held at the Church; hosted and housed participants of Great March on Washington with Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. ; hosted the first DC Kwanzaa Celebration; hosted and housed those attending the Million Man March on Washington; and, hosted and housed those attending the 2009 inauguration activities in honor of the 44th President of the United States, President Barack Obama. In 1999, the Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, in a speech before the House of Representatives, recognized the value that Galbraith had contributed to the city of Washington, DC.

The Church is currently celebrating its 180th anniversary. It is during this celebratory year that the Church finds itself under the greatest financial distress ever.

This financial distress involves a property owned by the Church for over 50 years and used as an extension of the Church as our Outreach and Homeless Ministry Center. For decades the center collected and distributed clothing, distributed toiletries, water, and sandwiches to anyone in need. The center was known throughout the city as a place where the newly released, the homeless and others could acquire decent, free clothing. Through the center, the Church provided hot meals once a month to the homeless. Through the center, as requested, the Church acquired furniture and household goods. Although the center is currently closed for renovation, the Church still provides food baskets twice a year, monthly groceries to the elderly, toys through our Christmas Angel Tree program and other personal requests coming from members of the community.

Over the years our membership has been negatively affected by the loss of many of our beloved members, the pandemic, and the changing neighborhood. The Church realized the need to add an additional source of funds. In 2021, the Church voted to renovate our under-utilized Outreach Center building, continuing with mission ministry on the first and basement floors and adding apartments on the upper two levels for additional income.

This undertaking became a much bigger task than originally anticipated, especially during a nation-wide pandemic. The Church was overwhelmed by the different kinds and numerous permits needed as well as the various government agency involvement and approval processes. Consequently, the Church received fines and infractions from $2,000 to $6,000 ending in a reclassification of the property changing the regular $3,500 tax assessment to $45,800.00. Not having the funds to meet this new assessment, the Church proceeded to go through the regulatory appeals processes trying to reverse the city’s decisions. The city was aware that the Church was appealing their decision and requested that the property not be put in the tax sale until all appeals were exhausted. Despite this, the DC government put the property on their annual delinquent property tax sale. Once a property is in the tax sale process, additional penalties and fines are assessed. The final total assessment of $88,000.00 was paid by the Church to save our property. Funds to meet this assessment were borrowed from numerous sources, some with very short payment deadlines.

Through this GoFundMe cite Galbraith A.M.E. Zion Church is seeking financial donations to help meet the deadlines for repayment of these loans. With your help and God’s direction, the Church will continue our outreach and homeless ministry to the community in our own building. Any donation is a blessing, and all donations are tax deductible.

GALBRAITH A.M.E. ZION CHURCH: “THE CHURCH WERE LOVE IS LIVED.”