CHAPTER XXIV
.
THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
ITS ORIGIN, GROWTH, ORGANIZATION, AND EXCELLENT INFLUENCE.--ITS PUBLISHING HOUSE, PERIODICALS, AND PAPERS.--ITS NUMERICAL AND FINANCIAL STRENGTH.--ITS MISSIONARY AND EDUCATIONAL SPIRIT.--WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church of America has exerted a wider and better influence upon the Negro race than any other organization created and managed by Negroes. The hateful and hurtful spirit of caste and race prejudice in the Protestant Church during and after the American Revolution drove the Negroes out. The Rev. Richard Allen, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He gathered a few Christians in his private dwelling, during the year 1816, and organized a church and named it "_Bethel_." Its first General Conference was held in Philadelphia during the same year with the following representation:
Rev. Richard Allen, Jacob Tapsico, Clayton Durham, James Champion, and Thomas Webster, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Daniel Coker, Richard Williams, Henry Harden, Stephen Hill, Edward Williamson, and Nicholas Gailliard, of Baltimore, Maryland; Peter Spencer, of Wilmington, Delaware; Jacob Marsh, Edward Jackson, and William Andrew, of Attleborough, Pennsylvania; Peter Cuff, of Salem, New Jersey.
The minutes of the Conference of 1817 were lost, but in 1818 there were seven itinerants: Baltimore Conference--Rev. Daniel Coker, Richard Williams, and Rev. Charles Pierce; Philadelphia Conference--Bishop Allen, Rev. William Paul Quinn, Jacob Tapsico, and Rev. Clayton Durham.
The Church grew mightily, increasing in favor with God and man. The zeal of its ministers was wonderful, and the spirit of missions and consecration to the work wrought miracles for the cause. In 1826 the strength of the Church was as follows:
Bishops 2 Annual conferences 2 Itinerant preachers 17 Stations 2 Circuits 10 Missions 5 Total number of members 7,927 Amount of salary for travelling preachers $1,054.50 Amount of incidental expenses $97.25
The grand total amount of money raised in 1826 for all purposes was $1,151.75. In 1836 there were:
Bishops 3 Conferences 4 Travelling preachers 27 Stations 7 Circuits 18 Missions 2 Churches 86 Probable value of church property $43,000.00 Total salary of pastors $1,126.29 Amount raised for general purposes $259.59
Total amount of money raised in 1836 for all purposes, $1,385.88. The total number of members in 1836 was 7,594. This was a decrease of 333 members, and is to be accounted for in the numerous sales of slaves in the Baltimore Conference, as the decrease was in that conference. In 1846 there were:
Bishops 4 Annual conferences 6 Travelling preachers 40 Stations 16 Circuits and missions 25 Churches 198 Probable value of church property $90,000.00 Total amount raised to support ministers $6,267.43½ Amount raised for general purposes $963.59½
The grand total amount of money raised in 1846 for all purposes was $7,231.03.
There were supported in the Church in 1846 three educational societies and three missionary societies.
In 1866 there were:
Annual conferences 10 Bishops 4 Travelling preachers 185 Stations 50 Circuits 39 Missions 96 Churches 285 Probable value of church property $823,000.00 Number of Sunday-school teachers and officers, 21,000 " " volumes in libraries 17,818 " " members 50,000
The amount of money expended to assist the widows and orphans was $5,000. The amount paid this year for the support of the pastors was $83,593. The amount expended for Sunday-school work was $3,000.
The receipts of the Church in 1876 were as follows:
Amount of contingent money raised $2,976 85 Amount raised for the support of pastors 201,984 06 Amount raised for the support of presiding elders 23,896 66 Amount of Dollar Money for general educational purposes, etc. 28,009 97 Amount raised to support Sunday-schools for the year 1876 17,415 33 Amount raised for the missionary society, 3,782 72 Amount raised in one year for building churches 169,558 60 ----------- Total amount raised for all purposes, $447,624 19
STATISTICS OF MEMBERS.
_Ministers._
Number of bishops 6 " " travelling preachers 1,418 " " local preachers 3,168 " " exhorters 2,546 ----- Total ministerial force in 1876 7,138 Ministerial force in 1816 8 ----- Ministerial gain in 60 years 7,130
_Members and Probationers._
Number of members 172,806 " " probationers 33,525 ------- Total number of members and probationers 206,331
SUMMARY OF MEMBERS.
Total number of ministers 7,138 Total number of members and probationers 206,331 ------- Grand total membership 213,469
CHURCH PROPERTY.
Number of churches 1,833 " " parsonages 218
VALUE OF CHURCH PROPERTY.
Value of churches $3,064,911 00 " " parsonages 138,800 00 ------------- Total value of church property $3,203,711 00
ANNUAL CONFERENCES.
Number of annual conferences 25
SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.
Number of Sunday-schools 2,309 " " superintendents 2,458 " " teachers and officers 8,085 " " pupils 87,453 " " volumes in libraries 129,066
MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.
Number of parent home and foreign societies 11 " " annual conference societies 24 " " local societies 250
WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY IN 1876.
Number of students enrolled--males 375 " " " " --females 225 " " professors--males 3 " " " --females 7
The total receipts of Wilberforce University for the year was $4,547.89.
The assets of Wilberforce University in 1876 were as follows:
Endowment notes $18,000 00 College property 39,000 00 Bequest of Chief-Justice Chase 10,000 00 Nine semi-annual and annual notes 900 00 Bills receivable 125 00 Horse, wagon, etc. 200 00 Cash in bank 1,000 00 ---------- Total assets $69,225 00
The liabilities were only $2,973.42, leaving the handsome amount of $66,251.58 of assets over the liabilities of the institution.
The General Conference of 1880 met in St. Louis, Mo., on the third day of May. The following are some of the facts, as we glean from the reports:
The Financial Secretary, Rev. J. C. Embry, reported that for the fiscal year ending April 24, 1880, he had received $32,336.31 for general purposes alone, and in the four years from April 24, 1876, to April 24, 1880, he had received $99,999.42 for the general expenses of the Church.
The General Business Manager, Dr. H. M. Turner, reported the receipts in the Book Concern to be $50,133.76. This was the largest amount of business ever reported by the Concern.
The receipts of the two departments were $150,133.18. The total amount raised in 1826 was $1,151.75. The gain since that time has been $148,981.43.
RECEIPTS.
Amount of contingent money $27,897 36 " " dollar money 33,400 00 " " missionary money 25,248 08 " " ladies' mite missionary money 2,296 06 " for Sunday-school purposes 115,694 40 " " pastors' support 1,282,465 16 " " pastors' travelling expenses 36,608 16 " " presiding elders' travelling exps. 7,338 20 " " presiding elders' support 106,817 20 ------------- $1,637,764 62
RECEIPTS.--(_Continued._)
Amount brought up $1,637,764 62 Amount for educational purposes 6,125 46 " " building and repairing churches 596,824 48 " " charitable and benevolent purposes 20,937 02 ------------- Total annual collection $2,261,651 58 ------------- The amount for four years 9,046,606 24 The General Business Manager's report 51,000 00 ------------- Grand total for four years $9,097,606 24
STATISTICS OF MEMBERS.
_Travelling Preachers._
Number of bishops 9 " " general officers 4 " " travelling licentiates 434 " " travelling elders 445 " " travelling deacons 940 ----- Total number of travelling preachers 1,832
_Local Preachers._
Number of superannuated preachers 21 " " local preachers and exhorters 7,719 " " elders 42 " " deacons 146 ----- Total number of local preachers 7,928
_Members and Probationers._
Number of members 306,044 " " probationers 85,000 ------- Total number of members and probationers, 391,044
SUMMARY OF MEMBERS.
Total number of travelling preachers 1,832 " " " local preachers 7,928 " " " members and probationers 391,044 ------- Grand total membership 400,804
SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.
Number of Sunday-schools 2,345 " " teachers and officers 15,454 " " pupils 154,549 " " volumes in library 193,358
CHURCH PROPERTY.
Number of school-houses 88 " " churches 2,051 " " parsonages 395
VALUE OF CHURCH PROPERTY.
Value of school-houses $26,400 00 " " churches 2,884,251 00 " " parsonages 162,603 20 ------------- Total value of church property $3,073,254 20
PAPER.
Number of subscriptions to "Christian Recorder" 5,380
In 1818 a publishing department was added to the work of the Church. But its efficiency was impaired on account of the great mass of its members being in slave States or the District of Columbia, where the laws prohibited them from attending school, and deprived them of reading books or papers. In 1817 the Rev. Richard Allen published a book of discipline; and shortly after this a Church hymn-book was published also. Beyond this there was but little done in this department until 1841, when the New York Conference passed a resolution providing for the publication of a monthly magazine. But the lack of funds compelled the projectors to issue it as a quarterly. For nearly eight years this magazine exerted an excellent influence upon the ministers and members of the Church. Its coming was looked forward to with a strange interest. It contained the news in each of the conferences; its editorials breathed a spirit of love and fellowship; and thus the members were brought to a knowledge of the character of the work being accomplished.
At length the prosperity of the magazine seemed to justify the publication of a weekly paper. Accordingly a weekly journal, named the "Christian Herald," made its appearance and ran its course for the space of four years. In 1852, by order of the General Conference, the paper was enlarged and issued as the "Christian Recorder," which has continued to be published up to the present time. In addition to this a "Child's Recorder" is published as a monthly. About 50,000 copies of both are issued every month.
The managers and editors in this department have been:
From 1818 to 1826--Right-Reverened Richard Allen, First Bishop of the A. M. E. Church, served in the capacity of Bishop and General Book Steward.
From 1826 to 1835--Rev. Jos. M. Corr. He was the first regularly appointed General Book Steward, and served until October, 1836, at which time he died.
From 1835 to 1848--Rev. Geo. Hogarth.
From 1848 to 1852--Rev. Augustus R. Green.
From 1852 to 1854--Rev. M. M. Clark, Editor; Rev. W. T. Catto, General Book Steward, and Rev. W. H. Jones, Travelling Agent.
From 1854 to 1860--Rev. J. P. Campbell (now Bishop) served in the capacity of General Book Steward and Editor.
From 1860 to 1868--Rev. Elisha Weaver served the most of the time as both Manager and Editor.
From 1868 to 1869--Rev. Joshua Woodlin, Manager, and Rev. B. T. Tanner, Editor. During the year 1869 Rev. Joshua Woodlin resigned.
From 1869 to 1871--Rev. A. L. Stanford served until above date, when he also resigned, and Dr. B. T. Tanner was left to act in the capacity of Editor and Manager until May, 1872.
From 1872 to 1876--Rev. W. H. Hunter, Business Manager, and Rev. B. T. Tanner reappointed Editor.
From 1876 to 1880--Rev. H. M. Turner, Business Manager, and Rev. B. T. Tanner again reappointed Editor.
1880--Rev. Theo. Gould, Business Manager, and Rev. B. T. Tanner was for the fourth term appointed Editor.
In addition to the work done here on the field, this Church has been blessed with a true missionary spirit. It has pushed its work into "the regions beyond." In 1844 _The Parent Home and Foreign Missionary Society_ was organized by the General Conference. Its first corresponding secretary was appointed in 1864, John M. Brown, Washington, D.C.; 1865 to 1868, John M. Brown; 1868 to 1872, James A. Handay, Baltimore, Maryland; 1872, Rev. W. J. Gaines, Macon, Georgia; 1873, Rev. T. G. Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1874 to 1876, Rev. G. W. Brodie; 1876 to 1878, Rev. Richard H. Cain, Columbia, S.C.; 1878 to 1881, Rev. James M. Townsend, Richmond, Indiana.
The following is the last report of the present missionary secretary:
RECAPITULATION.
_Receipts._
Collected for general work (including $300 from the W. M. M Society) $2,630 35 Collected on the field in Hayti 1,221 54 Women's Mite Society (in addition to the above $300) 364 31 Collected for domestic missions 3,743 87 --------- Total receipts $7,960 07
_Expenditures._
Total expended on salaries, travelling expenses, printing, etc. $7,773 10 Balance in Women's M. M. treasury 48 97 Balance in general treasury 138 00 --------- $7,960 07
Respectfully submitted, JAMES M. TOWNSEND.
The work of education has been fostered and pushed forward by this Church. Wilberforce University is owned and managed by the Church, and is doing a noble work for both sexes. More than one thousand students have received instruction in this institution, and some of the ablest preachers in the denomination are proud of Wilberforce as their _Alma Mater_. The following gentlemen constitute the faculty:
WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY.
* * * * *
FACULTY.
REV. B. F. LEE, B.D., _President_,
_Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and Systematic Theology._
* * * * *
_Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Homiletics, and Pastoral Theology._
J. P. SHORTER, A.B., _Professor of Mathematics and Secretary of the Faculty._
W. S. SCARBOROUGH, A.M., _Professor of Latin and Greek._
ROSWELL F. HOWARD, A.B., B.L., _Professor of Law._
HON. JOHN LITTLE, _Professor of Law._
MRS. S. C. BIERCE, _Principal of Normal Department, Instructor in French, and Natural Sciences._
MRS. ALICE M. ADAMS, _Lady Principal, Matron, and Instructor in Academic Department._
Miss GUSSIE E. CLARK, _Teacher of Instrumental Music._
* * * * *
ASSISTANT TEACHERS.
CARRIE E. FERGUSON, _Teacher of Penmanship._
D. M. ASHBY, G. S. LEWIS, _Teachers of Arithmetic._
ANNA H. JONES, _Teacher of Reading._
* * * * *
REV. T. H. JACKSON, D.D., _General Agent._
In the summer of 1856 the Cincinnati Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church decided to establish in that place a university for the education of Colored youth. Its Board of Trustees consisted of twenty white and four Colored men. Mr. Alfred J. Anderson, Rev. Lewis Woodson, Mr. Ishmael Keith, and Bishop Payne were the Colored members. Among the former were State Senator M. D. Gatch and the late Salmon P. Chase. It was dedicated in October, 1856, when the Rev. M. P. Gaddis took charge. He held the position of Principal for one year, when he was succeeded by Professor J. R. Parker, who worked faithfully and successfully until 1859. Rev. R. T. Rust, D.D., became President upon the retirement of Mr. Parker, and accomplished a noble work. He raised the educational standard of the school, attracted to its support and halls friends and pupils, and gained the confidence of educators and laymen within the outside of his denomination. Unfortunately, his faithful labors were most abruptly terminated by the war of the Rebellion. The college doors were closed in 1862 for want of funds; the main friends of the institution having cast their lot with the Confederate States. It should be remembered that up to this time this college was in the hands of the white Methodist Church. The Colored Methodists bought the land and buildings on the 10th of March, 1863, for the sum of $10,000. The land consisted of fifty-two acres, with an abundance of timber, fine springs, and a commodious college building with a dozen beautiful cottages. And the growth of the institution under the management of Colored men is a credit to their Church and race.
Bishop D. H. Payne, D.D., was elected to the presidency of the university, which position he has filled with rare fidelity and ability for the last thirteen years. In 1876 Rev. B. F. Lee, a former graduate of the college, was elected to occupy the presidential chair. It was not a position to be sought after since it had been filled for thirteen years by the senior bishop of the Church, but Mr. Lee was the choice of his official brethren and so was elected. President Lee is a native of New Jersey. He is about the medium height, well knit, of light complexion, dark hair and beard of the same color that covers a face handsomely moulded. He is plainly a man of excellent traits of character; he is somewhat bald and has a finely-cut head, broad and massive. He moves quickly, and impresses one as a man who is armed with a large amount of executive tact. His face is of a thoughtful cast, and does not change much when he laughs. There were many difficulties to hinder his administration when he took charge, but he surmounted them all. Under his administration the institution has grown financially and numerically.
The following report shows the financial condition of the college at the present time.
RECEIPTS.
June 20, 1880.
Balance in Treasury, Avery Fund $10,000 00 " " Rust Prize Fund 100 00 " " cash 63 82 ---------- Total balance $10,163 82
RECEIPTS.--(_Continued._)
Balance $10,163 82 Received from Financial Secretary 200 00 " " tuition 1,604 49 " " dormitories 525 80 " " Unitarian Association 600 00 Received from loans 100 00 Received from interest from Avery Fund 800 00 Received from interest from Rust Fund 8 00 Received from General Agent 150 00 " " contributions 232 00 " " Philadelphia Conference 52 95 Received from Illinois Conference 30 00 " " bequest of John Pfaff 602 08 Received from miscellaneous 407 64 -------- $5,312 96 ---------- Total receipts $15,476 78 ==========
EXPENDITURES.
To salaries $3,166 15 " building and grounds 243 25 " furnishing building 177 37 " notes paid with interest 285 86 " lectures 600 00 " fuel 116 64 " Powers' Fund interest 114 90 " incidental 296 17 " insurance 219 00 " miscellaneous 144 21 --------- Total expenditures $5,363 55
Balance in bank--Avery Fund securities $10,000 00 Balance in bank--Rust Fund securities 100 00 Balance in bank--cash 13 23 ---------- $10,113 23 ---------- $15,476 78 ==========
STATEMENT OF CASH RECEIPTS, FROM 1865 TO 1881.
1865 to 1866 $10,677 82 1866 to 1867 6,717 88 1867 to 1868 9,000 00 1868 to 1869 5,403 83 1869 to 1870 9,498 24 1870 to 1871 28,672 22 1871 to 1872 7,270 31 1872 to 1873 4,452 30 1873 to 1874 6,129 77 1874 to 1875 4,962 50 1875 to 1876 7,805 36 1876 to 1877 13,757 66 1877 to 1878 14,429 15 1878 to 1879 4,944 37 1879 to 1880 6,942 98 1880 to 1881 5,312 96 ----------- Total $145,977 35
The following-named persons are the bishops of the Church: James A. Shorter, Daniel A. Payne, A. W. Wayman, J. P. Campbell, John M. Brown, T. M. D. Ward, H. M. Turner, William F. Dickerson, and R. H. Cain.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church will remain through the years to come as the best proof of the Negro's ability to maintain himself in an advanced state of civilization. Commencing with nothing--save an unfaltering faith in God,--this Church has grown to magnificent proportions. Her name has gone to the ends of the earth. In the Ecumenical Council of the Methodists in London, 1881, its representatives made a splendid impression; and their addresses and papers took high rank.
This Church has taught the Negro how to govern and how to submit to government. It has kept its membership under the influence of wholesome discipline, and for its beneficent influence upon the morals of the race, it deserves the praise and thanks of mankind.[129]
FOOTNOTES:
[129] We have to thank the Rev. B. W. Arnett, B.D., the Financial Secretary, for the valuable statistics used in this chapter. He is an intelligent, energetic, and faithful minister of the Gospel, and a credit to his Church and race.
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