Donations needed to renovate historic African American church

The Rev. Janet Maull-Martin has big plans for Prospect AME Church in Georgetown.

The little church on South Railroad Avenue was established in 1839; it is the oldest African American church in Georgetown, Maull-Martin said. The current building was completed about 1866, and remodeled in 1956 and 1973.

At one time, it was the main school for the area’s Black children before Richard Allen School was erected in the 1920s. Since then, it has served the community by hosting a Young People’s Department for children, including Milton native and lauded civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson.

When Maull-Martin took over as church pastor in 2018, she learned of a fundraising campaign for renovations in 2014 that never really got off the ground. About a year later, she noticed crooked flooring in the church and had a structural engineer assess the foundation. 

The engineer determined the foundation is deteriorating, especially on the left side closest to the fellowship hall building. He recommended the church not be occupied for safety reasons, so services were moved to fellowship hall.

The hall itself is sloping slightly toward the church, Maull-Martin said, and no doubt the two buildings’ location adjacent to the railroad tracks played a part in their deterioration.

“We hope to revive it to be the vibrant church it used to be in this community,” she said. “The congregation is faithful and mostly retired, and give what they can.”

Prospect AME Church used to hold Bible study classes in fellowship hall and would offer a weekly soup day, when members would bring in soup from home for the community. Feeding the locals was very rewarding, Maull-Martin said, and served as a complement to efforts of the Shepherd’s Office across town.  

Members also focus on clothing and school supply donations, Maull-Martin said, and provide Thanksgiving and Christmas food boxes to those in need.

“We try to do what we can for the community,” Maull-Martin said, noting she would like to find a way to also partner with Springboard Pallet Village and Richard Allen School. “We just want to be a visible entity here in the community.”

In 2019, Maull-Martin relaunched fundraising efforts after a $10,000 kickstart from Bryan Stevenson. 

“That seed was planted by Bryan in hopes we could raise the money,” Maull-Martin said.

Maull-Martin said asbestos has been removed from the church, which is the first step. Delaware Interfaith Power & Light is performing an energy evaluation to make sure the church will be as energy efficient as possible. The fundraising goal is $150,000.

“If we get that, we’ll be well on our way to stabilizing the foundation, our most dire need,” Maull-Martin said. Other planned repairs include a new HVAC system and electrical work.

Maull-Martin said she has had help applying for grants, and the church is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which can provide another avenue for grant funding.

“Every bit helps,” she said. “We’re a small congregation.”

The Greater Lewes Foundation is managing the church’s charitable funding; to donate, go to greaterlewesfoundation.org or call 302-644-0107.