Turner Chapel A. M. E. Church

"God our Father, Christ our Redeemer, Man our Brother"

Turner Chapel A. M. E. Church in Columbus, Mississippi was organized in 1870 as John Wesley M. E. Church. Later, it was officially incorporated into the AME Connection in the 1880s and was named for Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, then Presiding Bishop of the state of Mississippi as well as a nationally known Civil Rights Activist, Postmaster General of Georgia, and member of the Georgia State Legislature. Some of the early Pastors of Turner Church include Revs. John Eddie Stinson, M. R. Dixon, Sr., J. C. Greene, E. D. Manson, F. N. B. Ward, A. B. F. Taplett, R. C. Hudson, G. Contella Borroum (first administration), E. L. McGee, J. B. Evans, Paul Exkano, W. C. Myles, T. J. Jiles, E. I. Shannon, W. M. McCloud, G. C. Borroum, T. H. Stewart, B. Alex Gibson, M. H. Hill, Johnny Hall, W. V. Leake, Leon Cleaves, Joseph Parker, James D. Holmes (first administration), Russell Morrow, Lovetta Brown, Bessie Halbert-Lenoir, and the current Pastor, Rev. James D. Holmes (since 1998). As late as the 1940s, this congregation boasted of more than three-hundred members. Turner Chapel has continued to be a beacon light for the community and the city. It has always been involved in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and providing a sanctuary for those who were spiritually weary and downtrodden. Moreover, it has been in the forefront for human dignity and Civil Rights since its inception One of the earliest state NAACP Presidents was one of its staunch members, Trustee, and life-long AME member, Dr. A. Charles Hunter, M. D., a graduate of Morris Brown College and Meharry Medical School. Its members have continued in service to the community and the state as City Council member and State Representative. "TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HATH DONE." Today, Turner Chapel Church continues a holistic ministry to the community and seeks to be a vibrant church for the 21st Century. . "ARISE, SHINE, GIVE GOD THE GLORY, FOR THIS IS THE YEAR OF JUBILEE."