Established in 1855, Allen Chapel AME is the oldest Black church in Kalamazoo and has a rich history of advocating for social and justice issues. Reverend Millard Southern explains, "since 1855, the members of Allen Chapel have been on the front line of many different community concerns from health and wellness, to arts and humanities, to food insecurity, to housing."

Yet, over the years, the age of the building and its systems has often left members uncomfortable during the hot and cold seasons. This posed a challenge to congregants' willingness to come back to church for services and programs after the early days of COVID.

Thanks to our Sacred Spaces project, the church and its office/classroom space are now MORE comfortable and welcoming and LESS costly to operate!

Pastor Southern shows us one of the four HVAC units that were installed on the exterior walls of the sanctuary.