Historic Tindley Temple UMC in Philadelphia, founded by gospel music pioneer the Rev. Charles Albert Tindley, was featured as the Philadelphia Tribune’s Church of the Week in its August 8, 2020, issue. The full-page (8-B) article “Tindley Temple United Methodist Church: Fighting the battle against gentrification” explores the once-bustling 136-year-old church’s past, present and future in words and multiple photos. 

The Rev. Robert Johnson, the pastor for the past six years, recalls being nurtured as a child and young adult by the congregation and its pastors. He cites the church’s ongoing ministries of worship, education, cultural events and human services, but also its desire to flourish again in its changing Center City community.

“Tindley is currently working on a gentrification project to become more multicultural,” says Johnson. “We are a stable African-American older congregation. However, through this pandemic we’ve seen more people connect with Tindley in a real way through our online services then we’ve ever seen connecting to us.” Learn more…