before the bridges were built, we were the first African- American church in the area.” Tough Friendship will host an “official” celebration for
the 138 years on Sunday, March 22 – and has encouraged the community to take part – Gregg and Brown said that reaching out to the Old Village community and beyond is a constant goal, one that has been part of Friendship’s tradition for as long as the church has existed. “Friendship is the African-American church of the
Old Village,” Brown mused. “We were around before the expansion of Mount Pleasant, and we’ve always taken part in town matters, elections, education ... we stay involved.” Laing High school, for example, has had its
baccalaureate services as well as commencement exercises at Friendship AME in the past. Many graduates of Laing, as well as of Avery Normal Institute, which was once considered to be Laing’s “sister school,” are active members of Friendship. Beyond the church’s own loyal members, Brown and
Gregg both said that other churches in the Mount Pleasant community have done their part to keep goodwill. “At one point, we didn’t have the funds to sponsor our vacation bible school, so Mount Pleasant Presbyterian
sponsored it for us,” Brown commented. “Also, when we were going through renovations, we held worship services at St. Paul’s on Pitt Street.” Another fine example of Friendship’s camaraderie with other churches within the Old Village happens during the week prior to Easter. On Good Friday, several churches join Friendship in a solemn procession that covers much of the Village. Te procession begins at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian with prayer and song – then marches on to St. Andrews, Friendship, St. Paul’s and then back to Mount Pleasant Presbyterian. “We stop at each church, sing and pray,” Brown
said. “And we do it during the lunch hour, so that more members of the community can participate.” Brown and Gregg emphasized their hopes that
newcomers to the East Cooper area will recognize Friendship AME as an unwavering part of the community. Obviously, this year’s celebration of the church’s heritage is part of that vision. “It’s a bigger celebration than usual,” Gregg pointed
out, “so we can show that we are here for Mount Pleasant. Te people moving to East Cooper need to know about Friendship’s history and contribution.”
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