2918 Hendrie Street
Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, Russian Orthodox All Saints Church, All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral, The Prayer Mission Church, Church on the Move
In 1897, the landscape of this neighborhood looked quite similar to how it does today. A few homes dotted the landscape, there weren’t many businesses or commercial enterprises, and the grass between homes would often become overgrown. Soon, things would change.
Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1883 in a cottage on Canfield between Chene and Grandy. The congregation built its first church on Garfield near Chene Street in 1884. The Detroit Free Press later reported that this church had horse sheds connected to it because almost everyone ‘drove to church.’
The cornerstone for the church at Joseph Campau and Hendrie, pictured here, was laid on August 2, 1900. One of the holy men in attendance exclaimed, “I hereby lay the cornerstone of this building, to be consecrated to the worship of Almighty God, according to the usage of the Methodist Episcopal church.” Another said that this was the first Methodist Episcopal Church built in Detroit in ten years.
The church building was designed by Wells D. Butterfield, and its name was often shortened to Asbury M. E. Church. The structure could seat about 500, which is hard to imagine today, though the church is the same size as it was then. According to the Detroit Free Press, the interior woodwork was oak, the walls were terra cotta and slate, and the wall arches were buff. The lots cost $1,540, interest was $26.19, and construction cost $7,698.25.
Though the church was magnificent, talks of closure were almost immediate. In 1907, the church built a parsonage on the small plot of land that’s now grass between the church and the alley. That same year, the Detroit Free Press reported that “a few Polish citizens have purchased the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church.” It was believed that it would be transformed into a Catholic Church. However, it appears that the sale didn’t go through, as the Asbury M. E. Church owned it for a few more years.
A potential consolidation of churches sparked the talks of a sale. Gratiot Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, once at Gratiot and Moran, was planning to build a new building, and the idea was for the congregations to consolidate into one in that new structure. Whether that happened, I can’t be certain. Regardless, Asbury M. E. Church stayed in this structure for a while longer.
In 1908, Reverend Thomas A. Greenwood was in charge of the church. In September of that year, his son, George Greenwood, three at the time, “toddled too close to the iron fence surrounding the Belle Isle zoo” and was bitten by an otter, according to the Detroit Free Press. He had the cut dressed at the Belle Isle Police Station and was sent home with his parents. That same year, another Greenwood was born into the parsonage next to the church pictured here.
In December 1908, the congregation celebrated its Silver Jubilee with events at the church.
The building was well-used by the community, hosting weddings and other events. In 1912, Reverend R. Ernest Akin married Florence Macpherson, former Hotel Normandie Cafe worker, to Charles Licking, a Packard Plant employee. The couple lived on West Grand Boulevard.
In 1914, the church was sold to a group of Russian immigrants who lived on the near-east side of Detroit. The 1915 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map listed the church as “Russian Orthodox All Saints Church.”
It didn’t take long for the new congregation to integrate into the community, which was at the least a plurality Polish.
In December 1917, Righteous Reverend Bishop Aftimios Ofiesh, the head of the Syrian Orthodox Church in America, visited Detroit and performed “an impressive and colorful ceremony” at this church. Sermons were given in Russian, Arabic, and Syrian Arabic. The Reverend, born in Lebanon, founded and led the American Orthodox Catholic Church in 1927. His rule of the church got chaotic after that, but it must have been a special and unique experience for parish members of the church at the corner of Joseph Campau and Hendrie.
By 1919, things at the corner were coming to a head. On April 13, 1919, the congregation had a meeting and vote, and parishioners voted 385 to 15 to remove Reverend Dimitri Darin from the church. He refused, and he and his crew remained in the parsonage and refused to relinquish bank books and money the congregation had raised.
The case wasn’t well reported; however, it eventually landed in the Michigan Supreme Court. Essentially, it seems the congregation tried to oust the old guard and start their own church, but when the former pastor wouldn’t leave, the neighborhood church ran into trouble. I’m not sure what the outcome was, but I believe the court ruled in favor of the congregation. Regardless, the building remained a Russian Orthodox Church. I believe that the name was changed around this time to the All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
In 1928, Reverend Archimandrite Peter Gavriloff, pastor of the church, was consecrated as the Pastor of the Russian Detroit Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Gavriloff, born in Russia in 1867, became a priest in 1887, lived in Serbia and Jerusalem, and came to the United States in 1923.
In 1932, Reverend Vasily Oranovsky returned to the Russian Orthodox All Saints Cathedral after being away for 15 years. He replaced Peter Dubrossky, who moved to a church in Illinois.
In 1937, Very Reverend Archpriest John J. Chepeleff joined the church, a position he would hold for decades. Chepeleff felt that the key to a healthy congregation was young people, and his tenure at the altar showcased that.
In 1938, All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral joined the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs, a national youth organization with 2,000+ members and a newspaper. In 1939, the church’s services were broadcast on WJR radio. In 1942, youth from the congregation were selling War Bonds and Stamps to help the war effort. In 1944, Reverend Chepeleff organized the donation of 73 bags of clothing and seven bags of shoes to Russian War Relief, Inc., a local company that helped Russians in need during World War II.
In 1953, Very Reverend Archpriest John J. Chepeleff was awarded the Mitre, or Miter, a head covering signaling the highest ranking a priest can achieve below becoming a Bishop.
All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral wasn’t the only congregation on the east side. St. Mary’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral was at Joseph Campau and Hancock near Daniel J. Campau School. The 1949 Sanborn Map labels this church as the 1st Russian Pentecostal Church, the former 1st Polish Congregational Church.
In 1962, the Detroit Free Press honored Reverend John Chepeleff as one of the longest-serving Russian Orthodox priests in America, with 54 years of service. That year, he retired and was replaced by Reverend Soroka.
On December 16, 1967, Reverend John J. Chepeleff died at 87. He was honored with a three-hour service at All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral, pictured here. Born in Russia, Chepeleff graduated from Kishinev Theological Seminary in 1904 and studied law at Uriev’s Imperial University. Ordained as a priest in America in 1908, he returned to Russia in 1914 to serve as a chaplain in the Russian Army during the Great War.
While assisting in relief programs set up by Americans to help Russians after the war, he was forced to leave Russia after being accused of anti-communist activity. He was a pastor in New England, New Jersey, and New York. He was secretary to the Metropolitan Council of the Russian Orthodox Church before coming to the All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Detroit. He was buried in St. Tikhon’s Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania. When he died, he lived on Flemming Street near the Belmont Shopping Center at Conant and 8 Mile.
Around this time, many churches in Poletown East began to struggle. By the early 1970s, St. Mary’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, the church further down Joseph Campau, had moved to 13928 Hubbell (near Grand River Avenue). However, the All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral at Hendrie and Joseph Campau was still operational.
By this point, most parishioners no longer lived in the neighborhood and commuted to the church on Sundays. From the late 1960s until its closure, most of the mentions in the paper were obituaries—immigrants and first-generation Russian Americans who lived in the suburbs but wanted their services to be at the church pictured here.
In February 1976, Matushka Mary Chepeleff, widow of Reverend John Chepeleff, died. Her funeral was at All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
In 1979, the church was still operational and listed as one of Detroit’s Historic Churches in the Detroit Free Press.
By the 1970s, theft had become a big problem in certain Detroit neighborhoods. Thieves would steal anything they could get their hands on, even if it meant hard, dangerous work to get things that likely weren’t worth that much to buyers who didn’t know where they came from.
In the evening hours of June 16th, 1979, thieves struck the All Saints Russian Orthodox Cathedral, taking stained glass, sacred vessels, and holy paintings that the church valued at $20,000. The most miraculous theft was a stained glass pane from the dome, some 60 feet off the ground. To add insult to thievery, the robbers struck the night before All Saints Day, the 65th Anniversary of the Cathedral’s founding.
The secretary-treasurer of the church, Ross Chepeleff, the late Reverend John’s son, said “It was not the festive occasion we had in mind, but at least we still have our church and for that we are grateful. Besides, nobody got hurt—not even, apparently, the guy who took the window out of the dome,” according to the Detroit Free Press. The church still held its 1.5-hour service led by Reverend George Gerov.
Though the area was far from singularly Polish by the late 1970s, the ethnic group’s churches still had a powerful foothold in the community. A week after the incident, a group of them held a special collection at their masses, collecting money for All Saints to offer as a reward for getting their items back or replacing what was taken. The churches that participated were St. Albertus, St. Josephat, Sweetest Heart of Mary, St. Hyacinth, St. Stanislaus, and Immaculate Conception.
The last mention I’ve found of All Saints Russian Orthodox Church came in 1994, 80 years after Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church sold the building to a group of Russian immigrants.
In 1995, The Prayer Mission Church moved into the building. Founded in 1973 by Pastor Margurite Stephens on St. Aubin Street, the church changed its name to Church on the Move in 2004. Today, Pastor Vivian C. West runs the congregation, which still utilizes the structure, though in a limited capacity.
I’m not certain when, but the Russian Orthodox-style dome and Orthodox cross were removed from the church. This likely occurred when the building was sold. It was still there in 1979 when the stained glass was stolen. It wasn’t original, but the standard steeple may have just been modified when the Russian Orthodox Cathedral purchased it. Regardless, the dome was removed at some point, and the wooden structure was removed around 2020. Additionally, the brick was painted after the 1979 theft.
The parsonage next door was demolished, too. This house must have been relatively small, considering its footprint. According to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, it was still there in 1949, and an image on file at the Detroit Public Library shows it in 1979; however, I can’t account for it after that.
This is one of the most unique church structures in Detroit and, in my opinion, should receive historic designation to ensure its preservation. The neighborhood surrounding it is stable, and the homes nearby, especially those up Joseph Campau, are well looked after.
If anyone has a modern photograph of this church’s interior, please share it with me!
