A leader well prepared to serve.

Meet Henry

The Rev. Dr. Henry Allen Belin III is the 45th pastor of First AME Church: Bethel. As a son of the AME Church, Rev. Belin’s journey testifies to our connectional family's history, richness, and vibrancy. A man of God's Word. A devoted husband, father, and family man. A loyal friend. A man of service. A community leader and neighbor. He watches and listens for the movement of God's Spirit. He loves good food, good music, good people, and laughter. Rev. Belin cares for God's people and has spent his life in service to the work of God in the world, especially to the work of the Gospel through the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In his words, "To love God and God's Word is to love God's people. My love and commitment to the AME church is in my DNA. That love holds me steady in the belief of who AME was, is, and yet can be—'We are heirs of the Father; We are joint-heirs with the Son. We are children of the Kingdom; We are a family, we are one.'”

Where has Henry served?

West Africa. After completing his studies, Rev. Belin served as a missionary in Ile-Ife, Osun State in Nigeria, West Africa. In addition to his mission work at Ile-Ife, Rev. Belin was a teacher/pastor at Christ's Love AME Church, where he led the construction of the first AME church ever erected in Nigeria.

Providence, Rhode Island. After returning to America, Rev. Belin became pastor of Allen AME Church in Providence, Rhode Island, where he led the congregation in improving and revitalizing the surrounding area in an economic and community development project for housing. While serving in Providence, he became distinguished as the sole minority representative of the Rhode Island State Ethics Commission.

Brooklyn, New York. On June 15, 1997, Rev. Belin brought his deep concern and interest in youth and senior ministries to the People's Institutional AME Church in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, where he led the congregation in a spiritual revival. He also led the congregation in renovating the entire church, parsonage, and community building, which now houses the Bridge Street- People's Institutional Technology Learning Center. He received numerous community awards and served as a police clergy liaison for the New York City Police Department, 81st precinct. In 1999, he completed the Summer Leadership Institute at the Harvard Divinity School for community development.

Harlem, New York. Rev. Belin was appointed to First AME Church Bethel on May 27, 2001, where he proudly serves as Senior Minister. During his tenure at Bethel, Rev. Belin has led the church and community by hosting many Annual Conferences, expanding the church properties, strengthening membership and spirituality, and renovating the sanctuary.

Where did Henry’s leadership begin? 

Rev. Belin is an alumnus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and an Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. member. He attended the Vanderbilt School of Engineering and the Vanderbilt Divinity School. In 2014, Rev. Belin was one of the inductees into the highly revered Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College. In 2018, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Payne Theological Seminary.

Who is Henry’s family? 

Rev. Belin is happily married to the former Rita Denise Sinkfield, Esq., a corporate attorney in New York City. Together, they parent three wonderful young men: Henry IV, a Duke University scholar and quarterback; and the twins, Richard and Blake — both excellent high school scholars and rising football players themselves. The family, along with their German Shepherd, King, live, love, and serve in Harlem, New York. Rev. Belin is the son of Bishop Henry Allen Belin II and Mother Lucinda Crawford Belin, and the brother of the Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, President/Publisher of the AME Publishing House, and the Rev. Dr. Toni Belin-Ingram, Presiding Elder of the Augusta-North District of Georgia.

Service to Church & Community

Rev. Belin has served the church at every level — district, conference, and connectional. A few highlights of that service include:

  • Chair, New York Conference Board of Examiners

  • Treasurer, New York Conference

  • Associate Member, New York Conference Women in Ministry

  • At-Large Member, AME General Board

Rev. Belin is known for his service and engagement with the community, a consistent trait of his ministry. His leadership in the community has included:

  • Chair, Board of the New York Food Bank

  • 2nd Vice President, New York Branch of N.A.A.C.P.

  • Chairman of the Board, Directors for the Bethel Manor Housing Fund Development Corporation

  • Board Member, Business Resource Investment Service Center (BRISC)

  • Board of Directors, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone