Shining a Light on Who Jesus Really Is
June 29 – July 1, 2026
Historic St. Paul AME Church invites children, families, adult attendees, and volunteers to join us for Vacation Bible School 2026: Illumination Station. This exciting VBS experience will help students discover who Jesus really is through Bible lessons, worship, activities, crafts, fellowship, and fun.
This year’s theme is “Shining a Light on Who Jesus Really Is.” Together, we will learn how Jesus is the Light of the World and how we can follow His light every day.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
— John 8:12
Dates: June 29 – July 1, 2026
Location: Historic St. Paul AME Church
Address: 251 N. Upper St., Lexington, Kentucky 40507
Theme: Illumination Station
We look forward to welcoming students, families, adult learners, and approved volunteers for an exciting time of learning, growing, and shining the light of Jesus together.
Please select the correct registration form below. A separate form should be completed for each student or adult participant.
Use this form to register children and youth who will attend VBS as students.
Register a StudentUse this form for adults who plan to attend VBS but will not serve as volunteers.
Register as Adult AttendeeUse this form for adults age 18 and over who want to serve as VBS volunteers.
Register as Adult Volunteer251 N. Upper St., Lexington, Kentucky 40507
Phone: (859) 255-7945
Join Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church for a day of community support, services, family activities, and fellowship.
Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church
251 N. Upper Street, Lexington, KY 40507
Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church invites you to join us for our Community Resource Fair 2026—a day designed to bring people together, connect families with helpful resources and services, and create a welcoming space for fellowship and community engagement.
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church
251 N. Upper Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Individuals, families, seniors, youth, and community members seeking helpful resources, services, and a day of fellowship.
Community resource information
Family-friendly activities
Kids’ fun
Local organizations and service providers
Food vendors and community engagement
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We are welcoming vendors who would like to be part of this community-focused event.
Vendor Categories & Fees:
🔹 For-Profit Vendors: $35
🔹 Food Vendors: $100
🔹 Non-Profit Organizations: $0
Vendor space is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your products, services, and mission while connecting with the community.
Vendor Setup:
Vendors may begin setup at 9:00 AM on the day of the event. Vendors are responsible for their own setup, including tables, chairs, tents, displays, and any other materials needed for their space. All setup items must fit within the assigned 10' x 10' vendor space.
Complete your vendor registration below to reserve your space.
If the booking form does not load on your device, open the booking page in a new window .
A National Historic Recognition
In late 2025, Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church was added to the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The listing recognizes Historic St. Paul as a site with a verifiable connection to resistance to enslavement through escape and flight.
The National Park Service's Network to Freedom includes historic sites, programs, and research facilities with verifiable connections to the Underground Railroad. Historic St. Paul's designation honors the congregation's place within the broader history of faith, resistance, self-determination, and the pursuit of freedom.
On February 19, 2026, the Kentucky Senate adopted Senate Resolution 101, recognizing February 21, 2026, as Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Day in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Historic St. Paul holds an extraordinary place in Kentucky and American history:
Historical interpretation: The Network to Freedom designation confirms the site's verifiable connection to Underground Railroad history. Statements specifically attributed to church oral tradition are identified as such so that documented evidence, surviving architecture, historical interpretation, and inherited community memory remain clear.
This illustrated research exhibit expands the history presented above while carefully distinguishing documented records, surviving physical features, church oral tradition, and historical interpretation.
Photographs document the concealed upper room, narrow interior stairs, brick-lined pathways above the sanctuary, a doorway below the hidden area, and access toward the bell tower. The precise original purpose and construction date of every feature cannot be established from appearance alone; church oral tradition associates these spaces with refuge and concealment.
The exhibit places Historic St. Paul within a wider African Methodist network while preserving the distinction between local independence and denominational affiliation. The congregation governed its own property and local affairs until formally affiliating with the A.M.E. Church in 1865.
The final page traces overlapping Black Methodist, abolitionist, family, workplace, and community networks involving Gilson Berry, Rev. John Mifflin Brown, Calvin Fairbank, Delia Webster, the Hayden family, Henry Britton, and Lewis Garrard Clarke without claiming undocumented meetings or direct collaboration.
Evidence key used in the exhibit:
Preservation requires more than honoring the past; it requires investing in its future. Every contribution helps Historic St. Paul address critical repairs, protect historic architectural features, maintain a safe and welcoming place of worship, and preserve an important part of Lexington's history.
Gifts support the continued preservation, maintenance, restoration, and rehabilitation of the 1826 sanctuary and the church's historic campus.
“Since the birth of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 18th-century Philadelphia, we have been tasked with housing the homeless, educating those who desired to read and write, feeding those who could not feed themselves, and most importantly, introducing them to a God who liberates the captive and frees the prisoner. Historic St. Paul took up that mantle, and for decades in antebellum Lexington, our congregation cared for those who were yearning for liberation from enslavement. Within our sacred space, many enslaved men and women found a safe haven on their journey north to freedom. This acknowledgment is a signal moment in our history which we do not take lightly because it was not only the just thing to do, not only the honorable thing to do, it was the righteous thing to do. It was, and is, our sacred duty to care for those seeking justice and freedom, and we will not stop until all people see justice and are free.”
— Rev. Dr. Walter R. Henry, Pastor
Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church
Learn more about Historic St. Paul's full history, schedule a heritage tour, share this story, and support the continuing preservation of the 1826 sanctuary.
| Year | Pastor | Year | Pastor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | William Smith | 1896 | J. T. Morrow |
| Mrs. Smith | 1900 | A. J. Chambers | |
| James Turner (1815–1885) | 1902 | A. H. Ross | |
| 1827 | Daniel Francis | 1903 | J. H. Byrd |
| Henry Lytle | 1904 | C. C. Townsend | |
| Christopher Brand | 1909 | E. A. Clarke | |
| Elias Wren | 1912 | J. C. Anderson | |
| 1838 (City Directory) | Isaiah Whitaker | 1913–1919 | Otho Eli Jones |
| Liberty Ross | 1919 | David Johnson | |
| Andrew Bryant | 1922 | A. T. Clark | |
| Moses Pittman | 1924 | J. O. Johnson | |
| Hueson Talbot | 1926 | Frank Madison Reid | |
| Samuel Keys | 1932 | Dr. Frederick Douglass Coleman, Sr. | |
| Nelson Saunders | 1935 | George A. Singleton (6 months) | |
| 1865 | David Smith | 1936 | Thomas M. Greene (13th) |
| 1865 | Rev. George H. Shaffer | 1938 | H. M. McLinn |
| 1866–1869 | Grafton H. Graham | 1939 | Harrison J. Bryant |
| 1869–1871 | Levi Evans | 1942 | C. S. Spivey |
| 1871 | G. B. Stanberry | 1942–1944 | William H. White |
| 1872 | J. W. Gazzaway | 1950–1952 | Henry M. Green |
| 1876 | John W. Asbury | 1952–1956 | Joseph Reid |
| 1879 | J. W. Gazzaway | 1956–1968 | C. T. Buchanan |
| 1880 | L. F. Lindsey | 1968–1974 | R. L. Parker Sr. |
| 1881 | R. G. Whitman | 1974–1980 | H. L. Parks |
| 1883 | Levi Hamilton | 1980–1989 | Fredrick D. Smith |
| 1884 | J. L. Grisby | 1989–1994 | Robert E. Keesee |
| 1885 | John M. Abby | 1994–1997 | James Stowe |
| 1887 | James M. Turner (9–7–1911) | 1997–1999 | George Moore |
| 1889 | Enoch Johnson | 1999–2006 | Kenneth E. Paris |
| 1890 | Jesse Smith | 2006–2007 | Kenneth J. Golpin |
| 1891 | P. A. Mattews | 2007–2014 | Troy Thomas |
| 1892 | John W. Pickett | 2014–2018 | William R. T. Hale |
| 1893 | A. J. Chambers | 2018–2023 | Dr. Robert A. Strode |
| 2023–2025 | Dr. Stephanie M. Raglin | ||
| 2025 | Rev. Dr. Walter R. Henry (Current Pastor) |
