About AME Edith Ming Chapel
God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, Man Our Brother
Our History
Edith Ming Chapel originated at an old location before Mahwelereng Location was established — this history has been documented as far back as 1945. The following members are remembered for keeping the candle burning at the old location under difficult conditions: Mothers Senosha Sarah, Chauke, Molala Onicca, Kgaripana Emmy, and Father Molala Moshitoana Daniel.
The church could not escape the forced removal action of the government at the time, and had to relocate from the old location to Mahwelereng Location under the leadership of Rev. E.M.J. Mothabeng. Segoa Kgala Primary School became the congregation's place of worship while a permanent home was sought.
The need for an appropriate place of worship could no longer be contained, and the members responded — marking the beginning of building Edith Ming Church, still under the leadership of Rev. Mothabeng. The building was eventually completed and dedicated by Bishop D.G. Ming, under Presiding Elder Rev. M.H. Mamabolo and Pastor Rev. Mothabeng, on 29 September 1979.
Over the years, the church has contributed to its community in Mahwelereng in several ways: it was home to the Mahwelereng Centre of Hope, a centre for mentally challenged children established during the leadership of Rev. Lekubela S. Moobi (founded by Mrs Sheila Ledwaba, assisted by Sister Paulina Lebelo of the YPD); it ran a crèche and day care service during the pastorship of Rev. Sepeke A. Moloelang; and it maintained a vegetable garden as a fundraising initiative during the time of Rev. M.D.T. Makhene.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church grew out of the Free African Society, which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787, after officials at St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church pulled Black worshippers off their knees during prayer. Allen led a small group who resolved to remain Methodist, and in 1794 Bethel AME was dedicated with Allen as pastor. To secure the congregation's independence from interfering white Methodists, Allen — a formerly enslaved man from Delaware — successfully sued in the Pennsylvania courts in 1807 and 1815 for the right of his congregation to exist independently, paving the way for a new Wesleyan denomination: the AME Church.
Before the Civil War, the AME Church spread mainly through the Northeast and Midwest, reaching the Pacific Coast in the early 1850s. Its most significant growth came during the Civil War and Reconstruction, as clergy moved into the collapsing Confederacy to bring newly freed slaves into the denomination — membership reached 400,000 by 1880. In 1891 and 1896, Bishop Henry M. Turner carried African Methodism across the Atlantic into Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Africa, giving the AME Church a presence on two continents — and, in time, a home right here at Edith Ming Chapel.
Today, the African Methodist Episcopal Church has membership in twenty Episcopal Districts across thirty-nine countries on five continents, administered by twenty-one active bishops.
Our Mission
The Mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ's liberating gospel through word and deed.
At every level of the Connection and in every local church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church shall engage in carrying out the spirit of the original Free African Society, out of which the A.M.E. Church evolved: that is, to seek out and save the lost, and serve the needy through a continuing program of preaching the gospel, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, cheering the fallen, providing jobs for the jobless, administering to the needs of those in prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, asylums and mental institutions, and senior citizens' homes; caring for the sick, the shut-in, and the mentally and socially disturbed; and encouraging thrift and economic advancement.
What We Do
As a congregation of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, we live out our mission through:
- Preaching the gospel
- Feeding the hungry
- Clothing the naked
- Housing the homeless
- Cheering the fallen
- Providing jobs for the jobless
- Administering to the needs of those in prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, asylums and mental institutions, and senior citizens' homes
- Caring for the sick, the shut-in, and the mentally and socially disturbed
- Encouraging thrift and economic advancement
Church Leadership
The current leadership of AME Edith Ming Chapel.
Bro. Moses M. Mashiane
Church Contact
📞 072 730 8246
Pastors & Presiding Elders Through the Years
Edith Ming Chapel has been served by the following pastors and presiding elders over the years.
| Pastor | Presiding Elder | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Rev. J.B. Phehla | 2022 to date | |
| Rev. Daniel V. Mathe | Rev. Phafana J. Mengoai, then Rev. Dibetu O. Leepo | 2010-2022 |
| Rev. Frans R. Moloisane | Rev. Lekubela S. Moobi, Rev. Allen M.A. Sefora, Rev. Phafana J. Mengoai | 2007-2009 |
| Rev. M.V. Hoyo | Rev. Mandisi A. Mexico | 2005-2006 |
| Rev. H.M. Chuma | Rev. Frederich C. Harrison | 2004 |
| Rev. Thapelo Matladi | Rev. Heniel M. Mamabolo | 2003 |
| Rev. M.P. Seloana | Rev. Heniel M. Mamabolo | 2002 |
| Rev. M.D.T. Makhene | Rev. Heniel M. Mamabolo | 2001 |
| Rev. Sepeke Alpheus Moloelang | Rev. Heniel M. Mamabolo | 1996-2000 |
| Rev. Modise M.M. Mofolo | Rev. Phafana J. Mengoai | 1995 |
| Rev. Lekubela Simon Moobi | Rev. G.H. Cakwe, then Rev. Phafana J. Mengoai | 1990-1994 |
| Rev. Makgongoana | Rev. H.G. Cakwe | 1989 |
| Rev. A.M. Sebelebele | Rev. H.G. Cakwe | 1984-1988 |
| Rev. A.B. Nechipal | Rev. Lehemu M. Lesutu | 1982-1983 |
| Rev. S.P.S. Chesane | Rev. Lehemu M. Lesutu | 1981 |
| Rev. Molokomme | Rev. Lehemu M. Lesutu | 1980 |
| Rev. E.M.J. Mothabeng | Rev. Mamadimo H. Mamabolo | 1979 (church building dedicated) |
| Rev. Chingula | ||
| Rev. F.N. Phehla | ||
| Rev. Medupi | ||
| Rev. Molepo | ||
| Rev. Molebatsi | ||
| Rev. Malebye | ||
| Rev. Molokomme | ||
| Rev. Monageng |
Scroll within the table to see the full list.