early Methodism and race
So this is my random journal entry from choir tour. I inevitably only make one, usually because one thing really inspires me and I need to get it down. This time it was visiting the oldest continually worshiping congregation in the UMC, St. George's in the Old City in Philadelphia. The pastor was giving us a tour, and when we got to the sanctuary he told us this story. He was talking about Absalom Jones and Harry Hoosier and Richard Allen, the three founding members of mainline Black churches who initially brought a lot of black people into the Methodist movement. During the years 1775-1782, tensions were rising between whites and blacks in the movement. But they were building a balcony in the Methodist meeting house because they were getting too big and were starting to overflow. At that time, the blacks were big contributors to the capital campaign and the whites couldn't afford to alienate their black sisteren and brethren. At that time, the white women sat together, the white men sat together, the black men sat together, and the black women sat together, all in different sections of the meeting house, with the blacks on the far outsides.
When the balcony was completed, the blacks were told they had to sit in the back of the balcony. Well, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen didn't approve of that. They went to the front of the balcony and knelt to pray, as the Methodists did before services. An usher came and told them to go to their section. They said no and continued to pray. So the usher called for help and together the ushers hauled Jones and Allen to their feet. Rather than go to their section, Jones and Allen left the church and there was a mass exodus of black members. Jones went in one direction away from the church and Allen went in another, and each founded a black church with the members who went with them. It was a shameful day in Methodist history.
Then the pastor told us that in 2009 for the 140th anniversary of the congregation, St. George's invited the preachers of those three black churches that were founded to come and preach. One brought the whole black church with him! And then St. George's went over to another church to worship on the Sunday of their anniversary.
After we heard the story, Chad asked the pastor if we could sing “Who is the Alien?”, a song about God's deliverance from slavery and the inclusion of those who are different. So we went to the front of the church to sing it, and after Melko and I finished our solos, we joined the rest of the choir in the chancel area. Lourey was holding out her hand, so I grabbed it, and I grabbed Melko's hand too. Pretty soon the whole first row was holding hands and singing about Christ's inclusion of us all in the resurrection and the life. It was beautiful and moving. We've had a lot of great moments during this choir tour, but I think that one was the best of all.
When the balcony was completed, the blacks were told they had to sit in the back of the balcony. Well, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen didn't approve of that. They went to the front of the balcony and knelt to pray, as the Methodists did before services. An usher came and told them to go to their section. They said no and continued to pray. So the usher called for help and together the ushers hauled Jones and Allen to their feet. Rather than go to their section, Jones and Allen left the church and there was a mass exodus of black members. Jones went in one direction away from the church and Allen went in another, and each founded a black church with the members who went with them. It was a shameful day in Methodist history.
Then the pastor told us that in 2009 for the 140th anniversary of the congregation, St. George's invited the preachers of those three black churches that were founded to come and preach. One brought the whole black church with him! And then St. George's went over to another church to worship on the Sunday of their anniversary.
After we heard the story, Chad asked the pastor if we could sing “Who is the Alien?”, a song about God's deliverance from slavery and the inclusion of those who are different. So we went to the front of the church to sing it, and after Melko and I finished our solos, we joined the rest of the choir in the chancel area. Lourey was holding out her hand, so I grabbed it, and I grabbed Melko's hand too. Pretty soon the whole first row was holding hands and singing about Christ's inclusion of us all in the resurrection and the life. It was beautiful and moving. We've had a lot of great moments during this choir tour, but I think that one was the best of all.