Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

Treating Harlem Sunday services, which are mostly Baptist, like a theatrical tourist event is a bit of an odd pastime. Still, the music is electrifying, and folks with any desire to feel immersed in such soulfulness will have a hard time staying away. Just behave respectfully and logically – no photos of worshipers in action, for example – and the experience should be a great one. An old saying says that in Harlem ‘there’s a bar on every corner and a church on every block.’ Sunday services usually start at 11am. The Abyssinian Baptist Church (132 Odell Clark Pl (138th St) btwn Adam Clayton Powell Jr & Malcolm X Blvds) is quite welcoming to outsiders, as is the Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, around the corner, which usually takes the overflow from the Abyssinian.