Redeemer’s Church is a spirited, down-to-earth, faith community of believers. We strive to present radical hospitality so we can help each other grow in relationship with God and discover our purpose on earth. Our community is made up of people from diverse religious backgrounds, levels of spirituality, and walks of life. Our diversity is a gift.

Our weekly Sunday Gathering brings an amazing group of people for music, networking, and a life-changing message. We come for inspiration, and we leave either challenged in our faith or motivated to go deeper.

Our History: The Story of Us

For over a century, Redeemer’s African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church focused on shaping the spiritual and community life of African Americans in Plainville. While the church was officially dedicated in September 1904, efforts to establish a house of worship for the African-American residents of the town were well underway as early as 1875; a decade after the end of the Civil War and five years after Plainville incorporated as a separate town from Farmington.

In 1896, Douglas Mason, an African-American entrepreneur, purchased a small parcel of land on West Main Street. However, his plan to build a church there for Black residents never materialized. As the church grew, it eventually organized under the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, known as the “Freedom Church.” The AMEZ church had been at the forefront of the abolitionist movement, and was the worship home of famous social justice activists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas. The Plainville church eventually purchased a tract of land on the east side of Whiting Street, where the cornerstone for the building was laid June 19, 1903.

During the Great Migration (1910-1970), as more African Americans from rural parts of the south settled in the town, Redeemer’s served as a center for the spiritual, social and educational growth for individuals and families in the community.

In 1997, Redeemer’s was designated as one of the 73 historic sites on the state’s Freedom Trail.

Historic leadership

The following is a brief chronology of leadership in recent history:

1989-1993 - The Rev. Charles H. Woody
1995-1996 – The Rev. Dorothy M. Kennedy (Interim pastor)
1997 - The Rev. Michael C. Audrey (left to start his own church in town)
1997-2015 - The Rev. Elvin C. Clayton served for 18 years
2015-2016 - The Rev. Valerie A. Maness, first female pastor assigned to church.
October 2016 – The Rev. Dr. Shelley D. Best was assigned as the senior pastor.

When Dr. Best was appointed to serve as pastor of Redeemer’s, our creative, change-maker soulpreneur leader embarked on a journey to revitalize our commitment as a relevant, relational and restorative spiritual center for the region. Through community conversations we launched a strategic planning process aimed at reorganizing, recalibrating, and restructuring the ministry to better serve the people of today.

We are currently in the midst of physically transforming the church, The Meeting House [Our administrative offices and Healing Space] and the spiritual depth of relationships of our members.

We are a small, growing, close-knit, family-oriented church. Many of the members are third and fourth generation residents of Plainville with community ties dating back to the 1800’s. Six families have evolved as the core of the church.

The Johnsons
The Hargroves
The Nelsons

The Benfords
The O’Neils
The Naamans

These families have preserved the foundation of the church, and provided stability through the changing times.

OUR TEAM

At Redeemer’s Church we believe in the priesthood of all believers. God has blessed everyone with gifts and abilities. Our leaders are gifted for service and are committed to equipping others for ministry as well.

Rev. Diane Taylor

Meeting House Adminisrator

Leader of Leaders

Rev. Diane Taylor is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church. A social worker by profession, she has expertise in elder care and services. She serves as the administrator for our Meeting House and supports fellow clergy as senior associate minister.

Fun Fact: Back in the day, you could find Rev. Diane spinning the vinyls as a disc jockey at venues around Connecticut.

Rev. Donnamarie Brown

Director of Pastor Care & Grief Recovery

Rev. Donnamarie, an ordained hospice pastoral counselor in Greater Hartford, facilitates Griefshare , a global-based network of weekly grief support groups, at Redeemer’s in Plainville, Conn., and leads our pastor care and grief recovery ministries. She is also the founder and CEO of Spiritual Life Renewal (SLR), a faith-based counseling service that offers support to people facing issues dealing with marriage, divorce, health, family career and spiritual well being. SLR originated from her own spiritual journey with grief from the loss of her son in 2018 from a drug overdose. She made it her purpose to help others find spiritual healing through developing spiritual practices and sacred conversation.

Over the years, God has opened many doors for her to minister and help other women heal from their past hurts. Rev. Donnamarie has Masters of Divinity degree from Bethel Seminary in St Paul, Minnesota. A graduate of the Black Ministers Program at Hartford International University for Peace and Religious Studies, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Bay Path University and graduated cum laude.

Fun Fact: Rev. Donnamarie loves Christian rap music and fast cars, and describes herself as a “ride or die preacher for Jesus.” She has a new “fur baby” and road dog named Roxie.

Rev. Janet Davenport

Director of Spiritual Formation

Executive Leadership Coach

An ordained deacon in the AMEZ Church, Rev. Janet leads our spiritual formation and leadership development ministries. An award-winning communications executive and journalist in a past life, including the Hartford Courant Editorial Board, she is a professionally certified executive-life-spiritual coach and strategic consultant, who specializes in leadership development, career planning and transition management. She believes when we are called to follow Jesus we are all called to leadership, whatever our station in life. Rev. Janet is a 2019 Yale Clergy Scholar and a graduate of the Women’s Leadership Institute at the now Hartford International University for Religion and Peace in Hartford, Conn., where she also studied spirituality and transformational leadership. Her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work is from the University of Wisconsion-Oshkosh.

Fun Fact: Rev. Janet overcame her fear of heights walking the canopy trail, seven swinging bridges 130 feet in the air above the Kakum Rainforest in Ghana, Africa.

Richard Wright

Trustee Board Chairman Emeritus

Richard Wright is an engineer by profession and a man of deep faith. He has been married for over 40 years and is the proud father of three sons and five grandchildren.

Alystia Moore, MBA

Chairwoman of Stewardship Board

A faithful servant leader at Redeemer’s before, during and post-pandemic, Alystia Moore is the director of media partnerships at the National Lacrosse League (NLL), North America’s premier professional lacrosse league. She was formerly the programming coordinator at ESPN.

She has Master of Business Administration from Syracuse University and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received a Bachelor Degree in broadcast journalism.

Courtney Watson

Director of Health & Wellness

Courtney, who began her faith journey at Redeemer’s as a child, leads our health and wellness ministry. A dedicated nutrition coach and certified yoga instructor, she leads our health and wellness ministry. Formerly an instructor and nutritionist for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program at Bristol Hospital and Health Care group, she serves as a physician liaison at the hospital. Courtney holds Bachelor Degrees in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Nutrition from the University of Saint Joseph, respectively. Her faith journey began as a child at Redeemer’s.

Robert Carrillo

Chairman of the Trustee Board

Robert Carrillo is an active member of the the Trustee Board. A man of many skills, he knows how to get things done for the glory of God.

Fun Fact: Robert is a lover of Harley Davidson motorcycles and for many years has served as a bouncer for famed American songwriter and southern rock legend Charlier Daniels.

Miles Wilson-Tolliver

Director of Performing Arts Ministry

Bass-Baritone, Brother Miles, is an award-winning opera singer, arts advocate, and voice teacher. His operatic debut, “A Gathering of Sons 2017” won the New York Film Festival Award for “Best Opera Dealing with Social Justice and Societal Unrest.” Brother Miles is the executive director of Miles & Friends Mentorship Programme, a nonprofit training program for BIPOC youth. Currently pursuing his M.Div. at Yale University, he has served as a teaching fellow at Harvard University and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in classical music from Carnegie Mellon University.

Fun Fact: Miles has a passion for all things music.

C. Mingo Long

Lead Vocalist

C. Mingo Long is a professional vocalist and actor whose credits include Broadway appearances in South Pacific, Purlie, House of Flowers. Regional/National Tours include: Memphis, Parade, The Color Purple, Les Miserables. Off Broadway includes: Liberty and Kathie Lee Gifford’s Under the Bridge.

He began studies to become a minister at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama and shifted gears after his performance in the Wiz to receive a BFA and later earned an MFA at the University of Connecticut. When Mingo is not on tour, he serves as a lead vocalist at Redeemer’s.

Fun Fact: Mingo is a gifted gardener who loves to share the fruits of his labor.