Our Church's Pastoral Story
LaPlata AME Church traces its recent history to the planting of Cornerstone AME Church in 2007 under the leadership of Rev. Jamila Woods. Cornerstone began as a fresh AME witness in Charles County, gathering people around worship, the Word, and a vision of community. From the start, the congregation carried the DNA of our denomination’s historic commitment to spiritual growth, freedom, and service to all people.
In 2012, Rev. Dr. Valdes Snipes Bennett was appointed pastor of Cornerstone AME Church of La Plata. She continued to nurture the congregation’s spiritual life, deepen its AME identity, and strengthen its connection to the wider community and the Second Episcopal District. Under her leadership, the church grew in its understanding of itself as both locally rooted and connected to the broader AME family and became LaPlata AME Church.
Rev. Aisha Clarke Johnson followed, serving from 2016 to 2021, guiding the congregation through seasons of transition and ongoing ministry. During these years, LaPlata AME continued to worship, pray, and serve together, learning what it meant to be faithful in changing times.
Bishop James L. Davis appointed Rev. Timothy Dorsey in April 2021. During his tenure, LaPlata AME Church navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. He served the congregation until his ordination as an Itinerant Elder in July 2022, when he transferred to the Western North Carolina Annual Conference.
In 2022, Rev. James C. Turner, Jr. was appointed pastor by Bishop James L. Davis, to offer pastoral care and leadership as the church discerned its next chapter. He served faithfully through April 2026. Under his leadership, the congregation continued its work in Charles County and the surrounding area, holding fast to its commitment to be a worshiping and serving community.
On May 1, 2026, Bishop Harry L. Seawright appointed the Rev. Dr. Shonda Nicole Gladden as pastor, marking a new season in the life of LaPlata AME Church. Today, LaPlata AME Church is a global community rooted in Charles County, called to service and to liberating love for all. As part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, we stand in a historic tradition of Black faith, resistance, and renewal that proclaims God’s concern for the oppressed and God’s presence in the struggle for freedom. We welcome people of every background and invite all to journey with a global community of liberating love.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church has a unique and glorious history. It was unique in that it is the first major religious denomination in the Western World that had its origin over sociological and theological beliefs and differences. It rejected the negative theological interpretations which rendered persons of African descent second class citizens. Theirs was a theological declaration that God is God all the time and for everybody. The church was born in protest against slavery—against dehumanization of African people, brought to the American continent as labor. The Mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ’s liberating gospel through word and deed. At every level of the Connection and in every local church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church shall engage in carrying out the spirit of the original Free African Society, out of which the AME Church evolved that is: to seek and save the lost, and serve the needy. Learn More Here
