Historical Statement

The Virginia Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized on May 10, 1866, in Richmond, Virginia.  Bishop Alexander Washington Wayman convened the Conference, and the Reverend J. R. V. Thomas was elected secretary.  Reverend William H. Hunter was elected the Assistant Secretary.   Previous to the establishment of the Virginia Annual Conference, churches in Virginia, led by St. John in Norfolk, had opted to become members of the Baltimore Annual Conference. 

Early in its existence, the Virginia Annual Conference was composed of four presiding elder districts – the Roanoke District, the Richmond District, the Portsmouth District, and the Norfolk District.  In the early 1980s, the presiding elder districts were reorganized and reduced to three, the Richmond-Roanoke District, the Portsmouth District, and the Norfolk District. To promote more unity within the Annual Conference and to bring about budget equity between the presiding elder districts, in 1989, under the leadership of Bishop Vinton Anderson, the Annual Conference approved the current configuration of two presiding elder districts. One goal of this reorganization included the consistent communication of both presiding elders to create and preserve a partnership with both elders and districts. Elders agreed to work together to enhance the Virginia Conference’s agenda on subjects and themes necessary for the growth of Virginia AME churches.

The Portsmouth Richmond Roanoke District consists of 31 AME churches in a geographic area that stretches across the entire state of Virginia.  There is an AME presence that extends from the Hampton Roads through Richmond as far north as Winchester, and as far west as Wytheville.  Please visit our church directory to see where our churches are located. Churches offer a warm, loving atmosphere, where God is honored, respected, and worshiped with enthusiasm.  We invite you to visit our churches and enjoy the fellowship!  All are welcomed!