Attended Easter service and was overwhelmed by the experience. Dr. Butts and his congregation were incredibly welcoming. The wait for seating is worth the reception if you are one of the few to get a seat. The Gospel choir with 3 soloists on this date blew the top off the building. The power of this sermon and setting will be remembered with a warm glow for a very long time.‎

Today we stood in line for 37 minutes. I went to the front of the line to ask the usher if we should continue to wait. He would not acknowledge me at first. Then he said "What's your problem?". I explained that I wondered if we should continue to wait in the very cold weather. He said that they were finished. I had already written a check for the offering and I told him. He took it and turned without a word to give it to someone else. He never smiled, said thanks, or acknowledged that I had given him a contribution. After that, I went back to the long line to tell my family that he said they were not letting any more people in. We waited about 5 more minutes and then were told with the crowd that it was over. I again stopped near the usher and asked him if I could ask one more question. Again he rudely ignored me, saying that it was over. I explained that all I wanted to know was if we came again and lived here could we get in. He then turned to a black young lady and told her to wait a minute. I knew he was planning to take her into the service because we had witnessed earlier that all black people were taken from the line to go into the service. He told me that if we lived here, we still need to get in the tourist line to attend the service. He also asked me if I had thought that by giving him a check earlier that he would let me in. I said no. At this point, I really wanted my money back. This man was no Christian. He ended our conversation by calling the only black person, the young lady, to him, asking her if she had people with her and escorting them into the service. We stood there on the sidewalk amazed. They call this a church?

a. His son, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (for whom the adjoining boulevard was named), carried on his tradition, and also became the first-ever black US congressman. ...

I found this church's interaction with visitors in great need of repair. The ushers are rude!! They push, shove, and shout at visitors and herd them together like cattle. The pastor, Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III has recently been diagnosed with dementia. Rev. Calvin O. Butts III of Abyssinian Church in NYC is senile. Abyssinian Church is going through a transition period as it is now trying to find another minister. Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III was recently featured on Bloomberg television for which he showed his mental condition as he could not answer the simplest questions regarding theology for which he has a doctorate degree. In addition, the members are very rude. They are very pretentious and are not welcoming to any outsiders

This place should not be called a church! Visitors are harassed by the rude ushers who make them stand out in the cold, the people in the church are NOT friendly, it's more of a social club than a church, and the pastor's incoherent ...