Rev. Andrea Cornett-Scott received an appointment to plant a new church: Christ Our Redeemer A.M.E. Church at the hand of Bishop Vinton R. Anderson at the Virginia Annual Conference in May 2000. This was to be the newest church planted in the Virginia Annual Conference in more than seventy years. Initially, Rev. Cornett-Scott traveled to Lexington, Virginia to explore the feasibility of forming a church there. Having difficulty securing a space for a first service, St Patrick Catholic Church opened her doors to accommodate African Methodists from across the conference for our initial planting service that was held on July 16, 2000. In the fall of the year, Rev. Cornett-Scott met with students and community members at Washington and Lee to gauge the interest for planting in Lexington, Virginia. Simultaneously, she established the Greater Things Campus Ministry on the Mary Baldwin College campus providing pastoral care, weekly Bible Study and holding monthly communion services. From these meetings, the Greater Things Dance Ministry was birthed.

In November 2000, Christ Our Redeemer began holding weekly worship services in Lexington, VA at the Wilson Williams Funeral. Our growing membership traveled from Roanoke, Lexington and Staunton. Over the first few months, the numbers in Staunton swelled. After consultation with Allen Chapel- Staunton, the congregation voted to move the ministry to Staunton, VA. With assistance from Mary Baldwin College, the Conference Women’s Missionary Society and Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church Staunton, Christ Our Redeemer moved to 208 North Central Avenue celebrating our first Women’s Day in March of 2001 lifting the theme Sowing Seeds in Staunton. Presiding Elder Williams made his first visit to Christ Our Redeemer for the fourth quarter on Palm Sunday 2001.

Over the past twenty-four years, Christ Our Redeemer has grown in all directions. We have moved from mission status to station standing in four years and have become financially self-sufficient. Our ministry has supported missionary pursuits in the local and foreign mission fields. We have supported the New Directions Domestic Violence Shelter and the Mkone AIDS Project in Soweto, South Africa and Payne Theological Seminary. During our tenure, we have trained four young women for itinerant ministry and have served as site for college interns. We have co-hosted a District Conference with our sister church Allen Chapel Staunton. We have celebrated the graduation, marriage, baptisms of many of our members. From our inception, we have been a community church that has made substantial inroads in the college communities at Bridgewater and Mary Baldwin College. Because of our tie to the college community, we enjoy family and friends occasions when our alumni members come back to visit. Four years ago, our ministry was negatively impacted by a random flood and we were forced to move from our worship space after twenty years. Through the generosity of Mary Baldwin University, we were able to continue holding worship services in the university chapel.

In 2017, under the leadership of Bishop James L. Davis, Christ Our Redeemer received a special grant funded by the Heckscher Foundation for Children. The Helping College Students Finish Strong Program matched our college student congregation with a mentors from Allen Chapel. It also provided funding to support the needs of our college student membership.

At the 2024 Virginia Annual Conference, Christ Our Redeemer was merged with Allen Chapel Staunton. Our new church name is Greater Allen to embrace Greater Things Campus Ministry and the historic nature of Allen Chapel.