A Berlin church is in need of support as the congregation embarks on extensive improvements needed to keep the 109-year-old building structurally sound.
Rev. Dawn Hobson points to a damaged beam inside Tyree AME Church in Berlin. The church is fundraising to pay for nearly $600,000 in needed repairs.
Charlene Sharpe/Bayside Gazette
Fundraising campaign launched for Tyree AME Church
By Charlene Sharpe, Associate Editor
A Berlin church is in need of support as the congregation embarks on extensive improvements needed to keep the 109-year-old building structurally sound.
Members of Tyree AME Church on Germantown Road have launched a fundraising campaign to help cover the cost of much-needed repairs. While they’ve raised about half of the roughly $600,000 needed, they’re hoping the community will give what they can to help advance the project.
“The community needs churches just like Tyree, reaching up to God and reaching out to people,” Rev. Dawn Hobson, the pastor of Tyree AME Church, said.
Hobson, who was appointed pastor in 2021, still remembers the first time she walked into the church, passing inspirational posters in the hallway before she was greeted by a choir in the sanctuary singing sweetly in front of the stained glass windows.
“I just felt this is a place I need to be and this is a place that needs to be in the community,” Hobson said.
Tyree AME Church was built in 1915 after a small group left New Bethel United Methodist Church. The group, which included relatives of the Rev. Charles Albert Tindley, founded Tyree African Methodist Episcopal Chapel.
On Nov. 15, 1915, Bishop Evans Tyree preached the dedication sermon at the new church, which was then named in his honor. In 1992, following a generous donation from Buddy Jenkins, the church was expanded to include Faith Hall, an education center.
The church’s 100-plus year history, which includes busy camp meetings in the early 20th century as well as countless weddings and funerals for area residents and Sunday services, has taken a toll, however.
After roof repairs were made a few years ago, church officials realized the building also had water damage, beams in need of replacement and a structurally unsound bell tower. They’ve had an engineer identify the issues and have had architectural plans drawn.
Now the church just needs to come up with funding to pay for the repairs. While grants are expected to assist and the church will appeal to a few foundations that might be able to help, the congregation at Tyree AME is also asking the public for donations through a GoFundMe account.
Tyree AME hosts soup kitchens, holds food drives and provides space for community events. Terry Smith, a church member for more than three decades, wants to make sure that continues.
“We want to be a support for the community,” she said.
Hobson agreed the church was an important part of the community and she’s hopeful the funding needed can be raised to bring the building back into prime condition.
“It’s going to be exciting to see it when it’s all done,” Hobson said, adding that services are currently in Faith Hall rather than the sanctuary because of its condition. “People want to see this restored.”
More information about the church and its history is available online.