The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 111 - 04/12/2026

          Founded on ground purchased by Richard Allen, a freed slave who became a prominent Methodist pastor in the late 1780's, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia is one of the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission's 50 Pennsylvania places to see.            The oldest African-American-founded Methodist church in the nation proudly sits at the corner of 6th and Lombard Streets in the Old City neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, just a stone's throw from Independence Hall.           Fast forward 232 years since its founding in 1794 and Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church has established a commanding presence and history of speaking truth to power.            In an extended PA-mazing segment, we'll hear more about Mother Bethel, and how that congregation is marking the Semiquincentennial year.