THE HISTORY OF WAYMAN CHAPEL AME CHURCH
Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is located in the beautiful historic Stateburg section of Sumter County, on South Carolina highway 261 north (North Kings Highway) near US highway 76-378.
The church began as a bush-tent where the Black People of the community came to worship on Sunday mornings. The exact dated of the founding of the church is not known, but it was more than a century ago, and the year 2020 marked the 150th year since construction of a building at the current site. The land that the church was built on was donated by the Anderson and White families who were owners of historic Borough Plantation, located near the church.
The church was originally called the “Borough Church” then later, “Stateburg Church”. The name was changed to Wayman Chapel in honor of the Reverend Alexander W. Wayman, who was elected as the seventh Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Since its original construction in 1870, the church has grown and changed through renovations in 1948, and remodeling in 1991. There were 48 families involved in the formation of this church, many descendants still attend the church.
The year 1997 marked another historical point for the church, with the start of construction of a multi-purpose family life center. The Wayman Chapel Family Life Center was completed in 1998 with dedication services on May 31, 1998. Bishop John Hurst Adams delivered the dedicatory message. We are proud of our heritage, our culture, our history and African Methodist Episcopal mores, but most of all we are blessed descendants of the saints who gave Wayman Chapel Church its beginning.
The motto of Wayman Chapel, which appears on each Sunday’s bulletin is, “The House of Prayer is Always Open, and a Welcoming God Stands at the Doorway. He and We Welcome You.” Under the leadership of Rev. Robert L. China, our church is now known as “THE CHAPEL”
Wayman Chapel has been under the leadership of many dynamic Christian leaders; some later became presiding elders in the AME church. The early pastors included Reverend Spivey; Reverend N. S. Delaine; Reverend L. W. Duckett; Reverend Stevenson; Reverend S. W. Fordham; Reverend A. J. Jenkins; Rev. B. S. Taylor; Reverend G. Brown; Reverend D. Logan, and Reverend J. H. Moore. During the last 75 years the pastors were: Reverend E. V. Gibbs; Reverend M. W. Singleton; Reverend W. R. Strom; Reverend F. K. Richardson (1974 – 1994); Reverend W. T. Peterson (1994 – 1996); Reverend F. D. Thomas (09/1996 – 03/2000), Reverend Laddie N. Howard (03/2000 – 01/2016; Reverend Dr. Dennis W. Broughton, Jr., 01/ 2016 – 11/2019. Reverend Robert L. China was appointed Pastor in November 2019. Wayman Chapel continues to thrive with a constant increase in new members under our current leadership. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!