THE COLORED AMERICAN IN THE SERVICE OF GOD
The Church as a Career for Colored Americans—Influence of Religion a Powerful Incentive to Success—Opportunities to Follow an Honorable Vocation—High Religious Aspirations an Inborn Sentiment of the Race—Men Who Have Been Pioneers in the Field.
The church offers an opportunity to embrace a high and honorable calling, a career that is the noblest in the world.
The spirit of religion is an instinct of the race, and the past decade or two has demonstrated that the spirit has quickened into a most beneficial activity, and is exerting an influence for good that has made itself felt.
Before the race lifted itself up on the wings of freedom, there was good soil to cultivate, and many apostles and evangelists of the Christ prepared the way for the present splendid hierarchy. The latter are preparing the way for their successors in the same manner as their predecessors, but the field is enlarged to enormous dimensions. The laborers in the vineyard are becoming too few to gather the harvest, so it is necessary to prepare leaders of advanced thought to keep pace with the work, and to increase it.
The Colored Americans are the fruitful vineyard, that is constantly increasing and there must be more laborers. The foundation is laid, the way is open, and the young Colored American with a vocation has not far to seek to find an open door.
There is loving memory for Rev. Lemuel Haynes, the revolutionary soldier, who drew the sword for his country and never laid it down until the last foreign enemy had left the country. Then, he turned his sword into the Word of God, and fought the powers of evil as the first Congregational minister in the United States.
In loving memory is held Bishop Daniel A. Payne, the most remarkable preacher among his race that has ever been produced. He was responsible more than anyone else for the Wilberforce Community and University.
For sixty years the celebrated John Jasper, a preacher of highest virtue, piety and sincerity, labored to bring souls to God, becoming a national character.
There were Alexander Crummell, the eminent Colored Episcopal minister and author; Henry Highland Garnett, missionary, army chaplain, and diplomat; Joseph S. Attwell, missionary and rector, till his death, of St. Philip’s church, New York City.
THE FORCE FOR GOOD
All these and many more have gone before and left their influence as a continuing operative force for good.
Let us mention one Colored American woman who is still among us, Amanda Smith, distinguished as an evangelist of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This eminent lady taught herself to read and write by cutting out large letters from newspapers, laying them on the window sill and getting her mother to make them into words.
Her evangelical labors extended to Africa, India, England and Scotland. The remainder of her useful days she is spending in charge of the Amanda Smith Orphans’ Home for Colored children, at Harvey, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Through the influence of the Christian labors of the past and gone apostles, and the apostleship of their enlightened and pious followers and successors, religion has developed amazingly among our Colored Americans.
Of Colored American members of white denominational churches, numbering 5,377, there are 477,792 communicants.
Of Colored American members of Independent Negro denominations numbering 31,393 churches, there are 3,207,305 communicants.
THE CAUSE OF RELIGION
As showing their faith demonstrated by good works, the Colored Americans are supporting 34,689 schools, and contributing 1,750,000 children to the cause of religion and education. They have donated in money more than sixty million dollars to church property.
The shepherds guiding this enormous flock, consist of Bishops of the highest attainments as scholars, teachers, and pious divines.
The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church has seven Bishops with an able executive corps of ten members.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church is under the guidance of fourteen wise shepherd Bishops, with an executive staff of eleven eminently qualified divines.
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, has nine Bishops, devoted men all of them, aided by a staff of workers numbering sixteen divines, lawyers, editors, missionaries and financiers.
The Afro-American Presbyterian council consists of three presidents and a secretary. The National Baptist Convention is guided by Rev. E. C. Morris, D. D., President, of Helena, Ark., aided by Rev. W. G. Parks, Vice-President at Large, of Philadelphia, Pa., and eleven secretaries.
The Methodist Episcopal Church has one Colored Bishop, Isaiah B. Scott, D. D., LL.D., Missionary Bishop to Liberia and West Africa, Monrovia, Liberia.
The general offices and officers, however, are in the United States, and consist of eleven clergymen and other distinguished men who attend to missionary work and executive duties generally.
There are numerous Roman Catholic priests among our Colored Americans, some of whom occupy high positions as educators. Rev. Charles Randolph Uncles is a professor in the Epiphany Apostolic College, Walbrook, Baltimore, Maryland. Rev. John H. Dorsey is a teacher and Assistant Principal in the St. Joseph College for Negro Catechists, Montgomery, Alabama. Rev. Joseph Burgess is a professor in the Apostolic College, at Cornwells, Pennsylvania.
YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
The Young Men’s Christian Association among Colored Americans presents an illustration of the growth of the religious spirit in addition to that exhibited by the churches, but of course, affiliated with them to a greater or less degree. From the first student association at the Howard University, organized in 1869, there are now six International Secretaries, 96 associations organized in Colored American educational institutions, with an enrollment of 15,000 male students, and forty-five city associations scattered over 23 States. The Colored women of the United States began organizing Y. W. C. A. work in 1896, and there are now 37 associations affiliated with the national organization, with 12 city associations for Colored women.
In connection with church or religious matters, the work of the Colored Women’s Christian Temperance Union should not be forgotten. This great national association makes for morals, sobriety, good citizenship and education.
With all these remarkably large and numerous opportunities, the young Colored American should be able to find an opening for his desired ambition to be an apostle among his fellow men.
The spirit is working and inspires the race with noble ambitions, and all the human virtues possible to inculcate in this world.
It may be said, in passing, that to lead the souls of men to eternal bliss in the world beyond is the noblest and highest attainable profession or calling. In preparing men for a future home beyond the skies, he is converted into an advanced man of morals and good qualities on this earth to fit him for the next world.
Men and nations have sometimes forgotten God, but their end has always been untimely.