Cory United Methodist Church to receive grant to restore congregation

Cory United Methodist Church Image courtesy of cleveland.com

This year, the African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides grants totaling $4 million to 35 historic black churches in the United States, including the Cory United Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Helping Restore Black Church in Cleveland

Anshe Emeth Beth Tefilo, the forerunner of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike, used to call Cory United Methodist Church in Cleveland's Glenville district its home when it was the Cleveland Jewish Center. 

According to Cleveland Jewish News, the church played host to many influential people of African descent, including Malcolm X and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Within the structure of the church can still be found stained glass windows decorated with biblical themes, Jewish symbols, and Hebrew inscriptions.

As the report stated, the award will enable the Cory United Methodist Church to recruit its first director of preservation, who will oversee the building's restoration activities and ensure that the church continues to serve as an active community landmark and an essential part of the community's history.

Aside from Cory United Methodist Church, other Black churches across Cleveland and Akron will receive the grant to restore their churches. 

According to a press release, the Preserving Black Churches program of The Action Fund is a $20 million initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. 

Its purpose is to assist historic Black churches and congregations in reimagining, redesigning, and deploying historic preservation in order to “protect the cultural assets and legacies they steward, tell their stories of resiliency and hope, and carry their missions into the future,” as per the report. 

Brent Leggs, executive director of African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and senior vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, stated in a press release that historic Black churches had left a permanent mark on American culture, and they continue to pass on a message of hope, togetherness, and liberation for future generations.

Leggs also noted that they feel privileged to be able to provide the grantees of their first round with the resources necessary to ensure that the Black church will continue to flourish to its utmost potential.

About Cory United Methodist Church

Since its founding in 1947 at its current location, the Cory United Methodist Church has been a welcoming and compassionate place of worship for the neighborhood it calls home.

According to its website, they provide opportunities for spiritual rejuvenation and growth and opportunities to engage in or serve on a wide variety of outreach projects or church committees. They are located in the heart of the Glenville neighborhood.

Their Sunday services begin at 10:00 a.m. and are intellectually interesting as well as emotionally uplifting. They feature outstanding music, both contemporary and traditional, and the services start each Sunday. It also stated that the Bible serves as the educational cornerstone at Cory UMC. 

They have faith in it and acknowledge that it is the Word of God to them. They also experience joy when they comprehend its significance for the rest of their lives and how it directs them academically and spiritually.

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