rship, they,
like Paul and Silas, prayed for a deliverer, and he came in the person
of a young lawyer from Philadelphia, who had taken up the cause. By
his earnest endeavors in their behalf, they were released without
being sentenced to jail or whipped. But, nevertheless, they were
driven out of Georgetown, across Rock Creek, and into Washington,
where they worshipped for a while in the house of William Beckett on
the corner of 23d and L Streets.

A short time afterwards they bought the lot where this church now
stands and built thereon a frame chapel which was contemptuously
called the Horseshoe Church. After they had been there but a short
time, there was a funeral at the chapel one day. Across from the
chapel the Hibernian fire company was stationed. While the funeral
services were being held in the chapel, two of these firemen came
across the street and while one of them got inside of the hearse the
other one got up on the driver's seat and drove all around the
streets, while the people were out looking for the hearse. When they
came back, the one who was inside got out and said that he was Lazarus
risen from the dead. This act so inflamed some of the white gentlemen
that they had the firemen arrested and prosecuted. These two impious
gentlemen became so indignant because of their arrest that they set
fire to the chapel and burned it to the ground. These communicants,
being homeless again, went back to the house of William Beckett on L
Street and commenced to rebuild. This time they succeeded in erecting
a brick building, a portion of which stands today.

The John Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was organized
in 1849 at the home of John Brent on Eighteenth and L Streets. Among
the founders were John Brent, W. H. Johnson, John Brent, Jr., William
V. Ingram, Arnold Bowie, Charles Wilson, Joseph Conner, Edward Curtis,
and Gilbert Joy. These communicants then purchased property on
Connecticut Avenue and built thereon a simple frame building into
which they moved in 1851.[24] This church finally bought the old
Berean Baptist Church property on Eighteenth Street, under the
pastorate of Dr. B. J. Bolding, in 1902.

The ministers who pastored the congregation while it worshipped in
Connecticut Avenue were Abraham Cole, J. B. Trusty, N. F. Turpin, J.
H. Hamer, H. F. Butler, Nathaniel Stubbs, Sampson Talbert, S. T.
Jones, John V. Givens, S. T. Henry, G. W. Bosley, S. S. Wales, J. W.
Smith, J. P. Thompson, J