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Bring All The Little Children To Me (excerpt from Our History page @ Flipper Chapel Online.)
The history of Flipper Chapel AME Church began, quite fittingly, with children. One day in the late 1920s Rev. Elijah Hill came across a group of neighborhood kids playing in the then unpaved streets of an area of the city of Tallahassee located just down the hill from historic Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Contemplating to himself, Rev. Hill said, "Those children ought to be in sunday school."
But there was one problem. At the time, the small community at the bottom of the hill had no place for the children to assemble and hear the word of God. Being a resourceful and persistent man, on September 1, 1927 Rev. Hill and his dedicated wife Alberta opened up their own modest home and began doing the Lord's work. They called the children they had seen out in the streets to come unto them and learn of God's love. From these humble beginnings sprung the community's first Sunday School.
However, the Hills wanted to go even further. The success of their little sunday school prompted Rev. Hill to expand his ministry to include the community's grown folk. Not long thereafter he conducted his very first revival and even received one convert. Indeed, it was one small step for Man, but one giant leep for the Lord.
Determined and steadfast, Rev. Hill (left) pushed forward. Hoping to acquire property on which to build a proper church, he earnestly solicited support throughout the community and several prominent local leaders, such as incoming FAMU President J.R.E. Lee, heard his plea and answered his call.
Yet, blessedly, President Lee wasn't the only person to take notice of Rev. Hill's quest. Mrs. Letitia Bond, whose late husband Dr. Benjamin Bond had left her a great deal of land in the little community at the bottom of the hill, knew well the crusade led by the good Reverend and his God-fearing wife. Wishing to be of some help, Mrs. Bond bequeathed to the African Methodist Episcopal Church a small farm located in the heart of the community that now bears the noble name of Bond. On this site now stands our beloved house of divine worship.
Although he now had his "rock", Rev. Hill still needed to build an ediface in which his flock might roost and sing God's praises. With the assistance of others like-minded as he, the Reverend quickly erected a small wood-frame shack (right) on the property given over by Mrs. Bond and it was here that his followers transferred their body in April 1928. Rev. Hill then invited the then presiding elder of the Tallahassee district, Rev. J.S. Roundtree, to organize his flock according to the theological and doctrinal structure of the AME Church.
This done, Rev. Hill then proceeded to invite the presiding bishop of the district to be the guest of honor at the dedication services of the new church. To the general delight of the fledgling congregation, the presiding bishop did come and break bread with them most gladly. So grateful were the founding members that they decided to name their new church after this very bishop. His name was The Right Reverend J.S. Flipper,and that is how our humble house of worship came to be called "Flipper Chapel".
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