Bethel Harambee Historical Services Mission

Bethel Harambee Historical Service’s mission is a two-fold goal.

The first goal of the organization is to provide leadership in redeveloping a community called “ChurchTowne”.  The redevelopment efforts are fueled by these five principles:  Entrepreneurship, Education, Environment, Economics, and Evangelism.  Bethel Harambee Historical Services inference concedes that a community can only thrive and grow when these five principles are effectively operating simultaneously.  In pursuit of orchestrating the development of these five principles, several areas of opportunities need to be constructed.  Bethel Harambee Historical Services’ most significant area of focus is centered on the business of tourism, business ownership, and employment.

The second goal of the organization is to elevate and maintain cultural awareness of local and national African history with integrity and quality.  The organization’s primary focus is centered on local African living history in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Bethel Harambee Historical Services recognition of the need to focus on African History derived from understanding the inadequate and sometime non-existence of information and documentation of important African individuals and events that contributed to the local growth of communities and counties in and surrounding Lancaster, PA.  Additionally, the recognition of the absent voice of African Americans who, through their ancestral ties, are able to bring a wider perspective and reality to their forefathers’ historical legacy.

In its effort to elevate and maintain African history, the organization works diligently at providing avenues that allow interpretation, preservation, research, and incubation of significant topics such as: The Underground Railroad (safe houses, conductors, abolitionists, and freedom fighters).  African Methodist Episcopal Church (Establishment of the denomination and local church), Civil War Veterans (local residents of Lancaster and members of Bethel AME Church), Education (first African school in southeast quadrant of Lancaster organized by Bethel), Property Ownership, Professions, and Civic Organization Augmentation of a live reenactment appropriately called:  “Living The Experience” has garnered interest in the local African history of Lancaster.

The construction of a Cultural Research and Study Center has provided the space to allow the African history to be researched, preserved and displayed.  In its ongoing efforts, Bethel Harambee Historical Services is committed to the long term expansion, research, and inclusion of local African History in education venues; i.e., schools and universities and libraries, historical societies, and published publications.

Bethel Harambee Executive Director – Phoebe Bailey

Bethel Harambee Historical Services Board of Directors

President – Reverend Edward M. Bailey, Pastor
Vice Chairman – Mr. Russell Howell

Affiliations/Memberships:

• Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
• Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau/Multi-Cultural Affairs
• Millersville University
• Franklin and Marshall College
• Elizabethtown college
• Lancaster Historical Society
• Lancaster Preservation & Trust
• Underground Railroad Coalition

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