An Urgent Need
After some years of disuse, Bethel AME Carlisle’s historic sanctuary started hosting worship services again on July 6, 2025. Under Pastor Cottrell’s energetic leadership, long-needed structural and maintenance work was performed on the building. By the close of 2025, much progress was made, on a shoestring budget. However, this work almost wiped out the church’s limited financial reserves… while much remains to be done.
We appeal to the generosity of the friends of Bethel Carlisle and of community allies to contribute to our Capital Campaign, so that work can continue without interruption.
What a Difference 6 Months Make!
Our Capital Campaign
For more than 205 years, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Carlisle has stood as a place of faith, hope, and courage. It is a sanctuary of worship and a cornerstone of African American history in Pennsylvania.
In the summer of 2025, under the leadership of recently appointed Pastor Emerson Cottrell, we embarked on a sacred mission to restore Bethel and renew its role in the community. Rev. Cottrell’s vision is clear: to help build bridges that reconnect the church and the community, while ensuring Bethel remains a place of unity, justice, and faith.
This campaign is not only about buildings, but also about people and purpose, preserving our legacy,ensuring safety and accessibility, strengthening community connection, and fulfilling our mission to reconnect lives through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ways to Give:
- Mail your check to Bethel AME Church, Attn: Capital Campaign, 131 East Pomfret St. Carlisle, PA 17013
- Give via Cash App: $BethelCarlisleAME
Capital Campaign Details
The restoration project will address critical needs to preserve and strengthen our church:
- Painting the sanctuary, fellowship hall, offices, conference room, and entire parsonage
- Replacing carpet throughout the church
- Repairing the leak in the roof
- Restoring the parsonage (walls, appliances, and living space)
- Painting the exterior of the church
- Landscaping the grounds for beauty and welcome
- Installing railings outside the church for safety
- Bringing electrical systems up to code
- Maintaining the stairlift for our elders and mobility-impaired members
Restoration Project |
Estimated Cost |
| Interior painting (sanctuary, fellowship hall, offices, conference room, parsonage) | $75,000 |
| Carpet replacement | $25,000 |
| Roof leak repair | $20,000 |
| Parsonage restoration (walls, appliances, upgrades) | $30,000 |
| Exterior painting of church | $20,000 |
| Landscaping | $10,000 |
| Safety railings | $10,000 |
| Electrical upgrades (to meet code) | $35,000 |
| Lift repair (elder/mobility access) | $15,000 |
| Contingency & project management | $10,000 |
| Total Goal | $250,000 |
Giving to the Campaign
Restoration work has already begun (see image gallery below). We aim to complete fundraising by Fall 2026. All work will be done at Historic Bethel AME Church, Carlisle, PA, ensuring our sanctuary, fellowship spaces, parsonage, and grounds are restored for generations to come.
No gift is too small. However, Pastor Cottrell and the Capital Campaign Committee are at your service if you have questions before making a major gift. Naming opportunities will be available for individuals and corporations. You may contact us at any time at bethelamecarlisle@gmail.com.
How You Can Help:
We cannot do this without you. Here’s how you can make an impact:
- Give a one-time gift toward the campaign.
- Make a pledge spread over 12–24 months.
- Join the Capital Campaign Committee to help lead, inspire, and organize this historic effort.
Ways to Give:
- Mail your check to Bethel AME Church, Attn: Capital Campaign, 131 East Pomfret St. Carlisle, PA 17013
- Give via Cash App: $BethelCarlisleAME
Nehemiah 2025: Restoring the Building
Giving Information for Bethel Members
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Giving by Mail:
You may mail a check, made out to Bethel AME Church, Carlisle to the following address: Bethel AME Church, 131 East Pomfret Street, Carlisle PA 17013.
Online Giving via Tithe.ly and Cash App:
You can give to Bethel AME, Carlisle via the convenient and widely-used Cash App platform. Our handle on Cash App is $BethelCarlisleAME
Bethel AME, Carlisle also has an account on the Tithe.ly giving platform. Tithe.ly keeps track of your yearly giving for your convenience in record keeping.
- Our handle on Tithe.ly is Bethel AME Church Carlisle
- Tithe.ly is accessible as a website from your desktop or your laptop
- Tithe.ly is also a free app, available for your iPhone or your Android-Google phone
- The very first time you use Tithe.ly, you will need to set up an account with a user ID (your email address), a password, and a 4-digit PIN
- You will also need to link your Tithe.ly account to a credit or debit card, or to your bank account
- Tithely allows you to make a one-time gift or a recurring gift, and allows you to keep track of your donations throughout the year
- You may elect to cover the small fee charged by Tithe.ly, or to let the church cover it (linking Tithe.ly to your checking account rather than a credit card will result in smaller fees)