From a Blacksmith Shop to a Million Members: Seattle's AME Centenary

Rev. Allen W. Whaley, pastor of the Jones Street African M. E. church, gave an interesting history of the church, covering the last hundred years of its existence. He said:

'Tonight we celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of African Methodism and the birthday of Richard Allen, her first bishop and the man who really organized the church. There were African Methodists before his day, but there was no African M. E. church. He was born in Delaware, of Christian parents, and early realized that God and man had a claim on his life. Richard Allen was a man of great force of character, independence of thought, purity in private and public life, noble ambition, and a zealous lover of the Christian religion. He had not the scholarship of many of his successors, but he had all of these—industry and nobility of life. What John Wesley is to Methodism in general, he is to African Methodism.

'Our church is the child of circumstances. A misunderstanding as to the rights and privileges of Afro-Americans in the mother church caused her origin. Suffice it to say the Afro-Americans knew their God-given rights. They asked for nothing more; they would accept nothing less. St. George's M. E. church of Philadelphia is the historic shrine from whence they came. Richard Allen, with five others, held their first meeting in a blacksmith shop in Philadelphia, nearly 100 years ago, because no one in town would rent them a hall. Indeed, ours was a humble beginning. Heaven give us a glorious end! At that time race prejudice ran high. At first it was a hard struggle. All things seemed to be against our founders. For a while God appeared to leave them to their fate. But our fathers worked and hoped and prayed. Showers of blessings soon came to assure them that God was nigh and would carry them through.

'What has God accomplished through this church? Much indeed; we have grown from six members in a blacksmith's shop to one million members and followers. Then we had a blacksmith's shop for a church; now we have several million dollars' worth of church property. Thousands of Sunday schools are ours, and hundreds of thousands of pupils. In one of our churches alone there are five thousand members, namely, Emmanuel, in Charleston, S. C. Our people have been transformed morally and religiously. This denomination has awakened all the powers of her followers—industry, intelligence, virtue, noble ambition, unselfishness and love of truth and God.

'Our church stands for virtue and intelligence in the pew and pulpit. This is our aim, our aim in fellowship with the world. We love the M. E. church and we know she loves us. Now God bless our noble mother.

'Eleven bishops, and hundreds of clergymen are ours. We publish our own papers and magazines. Thousands are being saved through us. God give us an immortal crown when our work is done.'