- This city becomes the place where they open businesses, where they raise their children, where they worship, and they decide that, I'm going to be black in America.

Mother Bethel Church is one of Philadelphia's most important buildings.

- There's nowhere place on earth like Mother Bethel, sits on the oldest parcel of land, continuously owned by African Americans, just not in Philadelphia, but in the whole United States of America.

And so God, wherever our brother and sister needs God, we believe by faith God, that you can do it for them.

- Reverend Carolyn Caveness has been the pastor of Mother Bethel since 2024.

The first woman to hold the role in his long history.

- And this is not the first time.

Turn to somebody and say, this ain't the first time.

I mean, this is one of the most coveted pulpits in the world.

There were 52 gentlemen before me, and I'm number 53.

It takes work in following Jesus Christ.

I'm just here to serve and God made me a female.

Don't leave me by myself.

It takes work.

The church was where they could be the leader, where they could exercise power and authority.

Whereas Monday to Saturday, that was not their reality.

Allen was only 27 years old.

He was a master builder.

He was a chimney sweeper.

He was a businessman at heart.

He was a preacher.

He was a family man.

He could certainly bring people together in ways and galvanize.

And so to create this, this, this, this kingdom to create this place, to show this is what America with democracy can look like and should look like and be like, because what you all are doing, that's nice, but we could do a little better here.