At the end of the eighteenth century, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC), the first independent African-American denomination, was established in the United States by Richard Allen, a freed slave from Philadelphia. A century later
a group of black Methodists in Pretoria, South Africa, withdrew from the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society and established an independent African Methodist church. They called their movement the Ethiopian Church, or Tiyopia, after the prophecy of African redemption in Psalm 68. Through a seemingly providential series of contingencies and chance encounters, the leaders of the South African Ethiopian Church came into contact with Bishop Henry Turner and the leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. In 1896 the Ethiopians were formally accepted into the AME connection
In the 1990s, the AME included over 2 million members, 8000 ministers, and 7000 congregations in more than 30 nations in North and South America, Africa, and Europe. Twenty bishops and 12 general officers comprised the leadership of the denomination.

Henry Aaron Joubert (1935-2005) was born and bred in AMEC, his father having served as pastor to many Cape congregations during his life. In 1963, Henry Joubert was admitted as a minister, and served AMEC in various capacities throughout the rest of his life, as the following brief chronology shows: 1965 - 1966 Ebenezer, Diep River Gregg Chapel, Raapkraal 1966 - 1967 St. John Chapel Kensington Payne Chapel, Salt River 1968 - 1974 St. John Chapel, Kensington: Paid off mortgage; Remodelled church building; renovated school building; built parsonage; organized new congregation Primm Chapel in Mannenberg 1975 - 1978 Bethel Memorial District Six, Cape Town: The Mother Church of African Methodism in South Africa Bonner Chapel in Athlone, Hazendal; later amalgamated the two congregations Due to the notorious group areas act in South Africa, the African Methodist Episcopal Church lost one of her most precious and prestigious properties. In 1975 the New Bethel Memorial was erected at a cost of a quarter million Rand. This was also the year a very spacious Parsonage was built. 1979 -06.1980 Completed new church building – Easter & Cecelia Gordon Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church. Parsonage bought. 1979 Supply pastor to St. Paul's, Malmesbury Jan 1980 Organised Metropolitan in Mitchell’s Plain and appointed the first pastor with Revs Peter Mentoor & Trevor Wyeth as assistants 1987 - 2004 Pastor of St. Peter's, Parkwood: acquired and paid for additional property. Extended the church building, erecting the Robert and Beverley Thomas Service Centre. Paid off the mortgage bond of more than R280 000.00 within five years. Increased the membership by nearly double its original size, with a budget thrice that of 1987. 1989 Served as supply pastor at Ebenezer Bellville South, purchased a new organ 1991 Served as supply pastor for Emmanuel Atlantis and raised funds the building for its dedication 1996 Served as supply pastor for St. Matthews Eureka 1978 - 1980 Presiding Elder of the Cape Town District 1979 Co-Presiding Elder of the Piketberg District Jun '80 - 1987 Presiding Elder of the Paarl District: Organised Hunter Temple and Faith Scottsdene 1988 - 1995 Cape Town District: Organised churches in Delft: Rehoboth and Belhar: St. Francis 1995 - 1998 Presiding Elder of the Montague District 1998 - 2004 Presiding Elder of the Cape Town District: Organised Christ Our Redeemer, Phillip R. Cousin & New Hope Westbank 2001 Elected President of the Presiding Elder's Council of the 15th Episcopal District