History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880 Volume II Part 62

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

ITS ORIGIN, GROWTH, ORGANIZATION, AND EXCELLENT INFLUENCE.--ITS PUBLIs.h.i.+NG 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 c.o.ker, 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 c.o.ker, 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 G.o.d 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 $6,267.43 Amount raised for general purposes $963.59

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 a.s.sist 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 members.h.i.+p 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 a.s.sets 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 a.s.sets $69,225 00

The liabilities were only $2,973.42, leaving the handsome amount of $66,251.58 of a.s.sets over the liabilities of the inst.i.tution.

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.