AMANAH CHURCH

 

In March 2018 on a visit from California to see his sister in hospice, Rev. Paul Atlas visited a church that his mother frequently listened to on the radio. Rev. Atlas was captivated by the church's history. This church was planted in a high school band room with 28 people and in just 30 years grew to a congregation of 4,000 members with over 110 active ministries. God used this story of a journey of faith to plant a seed in the heart of Rev. Atlas that would grow into another faith journey, the journey of Amanah Church.

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In May 2018, following the death of his sister, Rev. Atlas relocated back to NC to care for his mother. In June 2018, Bishop Kenneth Monroe appointed him to pastor Centennial AME Zion Church in Bear Creek, NC and also gave him his blessing to move forward with a church plant in Knightdale, NC. Wanting a name to resemble the journey God was taking him on, Rev. Atlas named the church Amanah which is Hebrew for “strong faith” and “firm action.” God led him to an old friend, Elder Braxton Bowser who opened the doors of his church and on Thursday, July 12, 2018, 30 people gathered for bible study, two people joined, and Amanah Church was born.

 

It wasn’t long before the people’s hearts began to long for a worship experience. Once again, being led by the Spirit, Rev. Atlas set out to find a sanctuary, one where he could grow a church and grow a vision. Rev. Atlas approached Pastor David Haley of the Knightdale United Methodist Church and shared the vision God had given him. As if God had already spoken to him, Pastor Haley shared this with his congregation and they excitedly welcomed their new “cousin” and Amanah had a sanctuary. The first worship service was held on September 23, 2018 at 6PM where God used Rev. Atlas to preach a powerful and prophetic word entitled “A Description of Faith.”

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On Thursday, November 7, 2019 during the 140th Session of the Central NC Annual Conference, Amanah was admitted into the conference as the newest society of the AME Zion Church. That Sunday, November 10th, Rev. Dr. Paul Sellars Atlas was officially appointed as the first pastor of Amanah AME Zion Church.