Who we are

Delaine Waring AME is the ONLY church in America named after a civil rights activist and a Supreme Court judge. It is a Historic Salvation Station devoted to social justice. Delaine Waring AME honors two men who stood up to hate and responded with righteousness: Reverend Joseph Delaine and Judge Julius Waring.

  • Federal Judge Julius W. Waring:

    United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina who played a vital role in the early legal battles of the American Civil Rights Movement. His dissent in Briggs v. Elliott was foundational to Brown v. Board of Education.

    Judge Waring believed to his core Segregation was not just wrong, but unlawful. Ignoring threats of physical violence and the anger of old friends, Waring delivered a string of rulings criticizing Jim Crow legislation, culminating in a case that contributed to the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

    During his tenure, Judge Waring's rulings allowed African Americans to vote in the state's party primary, granted them access to a state-funded law school, and mandated equal pay for African American school teachers in South Carolina.

  • Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine:

    Taught in schools and served as a pastor. The "Separate but Equal Doctrine" was contested by DeLaine; the ensuing lawsuit was the 20th century's FIRST to be brought in Federal Courts.

    In Clarendon County, South Carolina, DeLaine demonstrated remarkable courage as an activist. Brown v. Topeka Board of Education was preceded and sparked by his leadership in school desegregation. DeLaine suffered through a hostile reaction.

    Due to threats against his wife, arson at his house and place of worship, and an arrest warrant, he left South Carolina. He served in the First Episcopal District for over 40 years before retiring.

    We honor the reverend for the liberties we enjoy today and for his valiant efforts. DeLaine was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal from the United States Congress.

Historic Background

The DeLaine-Waring A.M.E. Church is a distinctive one-story Romanesque structure made of red brick, characterized by a simple end-gabled, rectilinear layout. The building features a prominent tower at the southeast corner and rounded arched stained-glass windows. These windows are grouped in sets of three at the south-facing end of the building, overlooking Swan Street. Adjacent to the main structure is a smaller, one-story brick building with a gable end and a single round-arched window. This building originally served as the church’s parlor and Sunday school rooms. St. Matthew’s Church, one of the oldest surviving buildings in the Hydraulics neighborhood, was founded in response to the mid-nineteenth-century influx of German immigrants. Built in 1868-69, the church’s tower was later altered.

On January 12, 1868, a group of German families in the Hydraulics area met to discuss the creation of a new church. By January 26th, they had formed a building committee and set out to establish an independent church for their community. After purchasing land at the end of February, construction quickly followed. The building, costing $20,000, was formally dedicated on February 3, 1869, making it the oldest surviving church in the Hydraulics neighborhood. In the spring of 1961, the St. Matthew's congregation moved to a new location on McKinley Parkway.

In June 1956, the church's second owners, an African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) congregation, was organized by Rev. Joseph DeLaine Sr.

In March 1963, Dr. George A. Singleton, a professor at Allen University who inspired DeLaine to take action against school segregation, wrote to a member of the congregation concerning an effort to rename the church “St. Matthew A.M.E. Church.” Singleton urged the recipient to write to Bishop George W. Baber, objecting to the renaming.

Since the 1960s, DeLaine-Waring A.M.E. Church has been a hub for Civil Rights and social justice efforts, both locally and nationally. In 2024, the church organized a series of impactful public events highlighting social justice. Among these was a service dedicated to those affected by the May 14, 2022, racially motivated mass shooting at the Jefferson Avenue Tops Market, which specifically targeted the Black community in Buffalo. The church also partnered with the University at Buffalo Law School to commemorate the anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education/Briggs v. Elliott cases, drawing over 400 attendees, including Clemson University Professor Roy Jones and Rev. DeLaine’s son, Joseph DeLaine Jr. Later that year, in August 2024, the church hosted a gathering of political, social, and religious leaders, including Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY 26th District, Erie County) and Congressman James Clyburn (SC 6th District, Clarendon County).