About Our Pastor. . .

Rev. Alan M. Gould, Sr. has over thirty years of experience in the ministry and a majority of that has been spent in the pastoral ministry.

Rev. Gould is a native of the eastern shore of Maryland; born in Queenstown, Maryland to the late Beulah Mae Brown Gould and George Gould, Sr. Rev. Gould is the third in line of four children born to that union.

Rev. Gould accredits his passion to the ministry and the serving of God's people to his humble beginnings of both his father's as well as his mother's church. Nurtured in the steep tradition of Methodism, Rev. Gould attended Bryans United Methodist Church, his father's church and Robinson African Methodist Church, his mother's church. At the tender age of 11 he joined Robinson A.M.E. Church.

Rev. Gould is a graduate of Queen Anne's County High School in Centerville, Maryland. He furthered his educational studies at Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, Maryland and Salisbury State University, Salisbury, Maryland.

Rev. Gould was ordained an itinerate  deacon in 1981 in the Baltimore Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and he was  appointed to serve Collins Temple A.M.E. Church in Snow Hill, Maryland. Rev Gould was later ordained an intenerate elder in 1983, while at Collins Temple.

Highlights of Pastor Gould's ministry:

Collins Temple A.M.E., Snow Hill, Maryland 1981 - 1988

§  Increased membership from 16 to 105

§  Purchased a nine-room parsonage

§  Erected an outdoor bulletin board

St. Paul A.M.E., Crisfield, Maryland 1989 - 2004

§  Increased membership from 12 to 250 men,  women and children

§  Completed renovated sanctuary

§  Cushioned the pews

§  Purchased a 15-passenger van

§  Re-painted the brick of the outer structure of the church and redid all the stained glass windows

Mt. Olive A.M.E., Salisbury, Maryland 2003-2004

§  Pastored Mt. Olive as a circuit church with St. Paul for a year to stabilize it until appointed as Pastor of the Historic Bethel A.M.E. Church, Cambridge, Maryland in 2004

BethelA.M.E., Cambridge, Maryland 2004-2008

§  Church membership increased by 86 members

§  Organized the Edward E. Watkins Endowment Fund for quality living

§  Started a senior citizen ministry

§  Instituted the Church School, which netted some 40+ children since its inception

§  Started the Abel Men of Bethel Ministry plus other innovated ideas

Rev. Gould's community activities

• Member of the NAACP Queen Anne County Chapter, 1979 to present
• Served as president of Grasonville Community Center, Inc., 1983-985
• President of the A.M.E. Eastern Shore Ministerial Alliance, 1993-2000
• Executive member of Circle of Leaders, a political action group comprising the counties of Wicomico, Worchester, Somerset and Talbot, 1997-2000
• Organizer and founder of Crisfield Concerned Citizens for Change; founded in 1993, incorporated, January 1995
• Member of Somerset Business and Community Advisory Committee
• Board member of the Harriet Tubman Coalition, Cambridge, Maryland, 2007 to present
• Member of the Advisory Committee to Social Services of Dorchester County 2006 to present
• Member of Pride of Cambridge Lodge #50 AF&M Prince Hall Mason Jurisdiction of Maryland, Inc.; serves as chaplain, 2006 to present
• Appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to serve as a Commissioner on the Capitol Punishment Committee, 2008

Rev. Gould has received numerous citations and recognitions including:

• The key to the city of Crisfield by the Mayor and City Council
• Honored by the Tri-County NAACP of Worchester, Wicomico and Somerset Counties as a humanitarian for taking a stand against the drug problems in Crisfield
• Honored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity as an outstanding black preacher and role model for black males
• Honored by the Baltimore Annual Conference Lay Organization as a model clergyman

Rev. Gould's ministry expands outside of the normal church atmosphere as he has served numerous social and civic events as the keynote speaker.

Rev. Gould's motto is "no church is too small when it comes to serving God's people." It is Pastor Gould's intention to bring to the Silver Spring area the same intense passion for ministry, which he hopes will perpetuate the Allen Chapel family and the community of Fairland and East Montgomery County to higher spiritual heights.

Pastor Gould believes in the holistic ministry of Christ which advocates our relationship with Christ, our social standing in the world as well as our health and well being. His charismatic style of ministry as well as his traditional views is inspiring to all generations.

Rev. Gould is married to Fay Waters Gould and they are the parents of four children, Erica, Nicole, Cherelle, Alan, Jr.; son-in-law Derrick Crosby; and three grandchildren, Logan Quinn, Derrick Crosby II and Jayden Korphi.

We extend an invitation to join the Allen Chapel family during our Sunday morning worship service at 10:00 a.m. and hear a dynamic, inspiring and uplifting message from our Pastor.

Come and join us for our other services as well:

Bible Study   Wednesday       7:30 p.m.

Sunday Church School           9:00 a.m.