Richard Allen: Glimpses for Kids worship bulletin insert

Free at Last!
Master Stokeley said I could go free if I saved the $2,000 that I could be sold for. After about three years of working extra jobs, I finally earned my freedom papers! As I traveled I told those I met how much God loved them and wanted them to live righteously.

Richard Allen the Preacher
It was quite a surprise when the leaders of St. George's Methodist Church in Philadelphia asked me to move there to preach at their church. Even though people thought I spoke with great fervor and authority, it was unheard of for a black man to preach in a white church. Sure, there were many freed blacks in the church, but most of the members were white. I accepted the position, preaching with all my might. My messages drew large numbers of blacks. Because of this, white members complained. They forced the black members to sit or stand in the back of the church. The day the blacks were forced to move from the main floor to the newly built balcony during prayer, I knew it was time to find a church where we could worship freely. Maybe this was the reason God brought me to Philadelphia in the first place.

The First Independent Black Church
I purchased land in downtown Philadelphia at 6th and Lombard Streets for what I hoped would be the future site of the first Black Methodist church. On July 29, 1794, we held our first church service in Bethel "Methodist" Church, a converted blacksmith's shop. Loud "amens" and clapping filled the air where horseshoes and halters once hung. There were just ten members at first, but within a few years, our membership grew to over 100. By 1813, the number had grown to 1,272. The leaders of St. George's were not happy with our independence, so for years they tried to take control of the church. In 1816, nearly 20 years after we stormed out of St. George's, we were granted legal status as Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. It became the first independent black denomination in the US.

Post Script
Richard Allen (1760 - 1832) and his friend Absalom Jones also formed the Free African Society to help freed blacks integrate into society. They spoke against slavery and gave food, clothing, and shelter to the needy. Allen also founded a day school, fought against the move to return freed slaves to Africa, published numerous articles, and operated successful businesses. As a result, he was able to serve the AME church without ever collecting a salary.

Make It Real! Questions to make you dig a little deeper and think a little harder.

Even though the preacher at the secret meeting was white, Richard Allen was open to his message. Are you surprised that he believed what the preacher had to say?
Why would the slave owners think slaves would become lazier if they attended church? Why is it important for Christians today to work hard? See Ephesians 6:7Ã†8.
The Methodist church worked hard to help free slaves and even invited Richard Allen to preach there. Why did they continue to treat blacks as unequals? Look up Galatians 3:28.
Freed slaves had to keep their freedom papers with them at all times. How is this another form of bondage?
Do you know of examples today where some races or nations are not treated as equals?

Richard Allen: Freedom Without Equality Is Not Freedom at All, Part 2.