05/22/2026
Beloved Bethel Family,
In Joshua 4, after the people of God crossed over the Jordan on dry ground, the Lord commanded them to take twelve stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial. The reason was simple and profound: "When your children ask in time to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them..." (Joshua 4:6-7, NRSVUE). The stones were not just architecture. They were testimony. They were proof that God had brought the people through.
Bethel AME Church is one of those stones.
Founded in 1863, the oldest Black congregation in Champaign County, we have stood on this corner as a monument to the faithfulness of God and the resilience of our people. Now, through the partnership with Dr. Kate Holliday and the University of Illinois School of Architecture, we are taking serious, strategic steps to ensure that Bethel stands no matter what and that our story is told for generations to come. Our work toward local, state, and federal historic landmark designation is not just about preserving a building. It is about protecting a witness.
As I have said before: the days of people simply giving money are over. Money follows mission. And this collaboration helps the world understand exactly what our mission has always been.
This Saturday is a moment we have been building toward.
Bethel AME Church has been selected as one of seven significant Mid-Century Modern buildings featured in the second annual CU MCM Open House, presented by the Champaign County History Museum and the University of Illinois School of Architecture. Over the course of four hours, we are expecting as many as 300 people to walk through our doors. Three hundred neighbors, strangers, students, and community members, coming to see what BAMEC is. That means we need Bethel's people to be there to show them.
Here are the details:
CU MCM Open House — Bethel AME Church Stop
Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
401 E. Park Street., Champaign, IL
Please note: there is no cost for Bethel members to come to the church for this event. If you would like to purchase a ticket for the full seven-building tour, tickets are $40 and available at champaigncountyhistory.org/modernhomestour. But your home is always free.
We need you there. Not just as greeters or volunteers, but as living witnesses. Come and share your memories of Bethel. Come and tell the story of what this place has meant to you, your family, and this community. There will be an opportunity to have your Bethel story documented on video for posterity, so that the children who come after us will know what these stones mean.
This is our Jordan moment. The water has parted. The stones are being laid. All we have to do is show up and testify.
Visitors may also attend a morning panel discussion beginning at 10:30 AM at Urbana First Presbyterian Church (602 W. Green St.), featuring Dr. Holliday and preservation experts from across the state.
For more information, visit:
https://chambanatoday.com/news/298892-mid-century-modern-architecture-tour-coming-to-champaign-urbana-on-may-23/
https://www.champaigncountyhistory.org/modernhomestour
Bethel, we have always been more than a building. But this Saturday, let the building bear witness to who we are. Come out. Bring your stories. Bring your families. Let the community see that the people who gather here are just as remarkable as the walls that hold them.
Three hundred people are coming to see our church. Make sure some of them meet our people.
These stones shall be a memorial. Make sure you are part of what they remember.
In faith and in love,
The Reverend Terrance L. Thomas,(he/him/his)
Ticket purchasers will get an email close to May 23rd with details, but plan to pick up your tour passes at the Urbana First Presbyterian Church (602 W Green St), beginning at 10 am. The pass is necessary for admission to the tour stops.
