Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1906-07-27
The Negro in the Congrega-
tional Churches Of AmariCa

uC lNCylO ~ JAW NN"SsSH~
tional Churches Of AmariCa
By Rev. Abraham Lincoln DeMond,
pastor of colored Congregational church
Buxton, Iowa.
One of the most thrilling scenes ever
witnessed in America was when Rev
Henry Ward beecher sold Negro
slave from the pulpit platform of Ply
mouth Congregational church in
Brooklyn, N. Y and the generous off
erings Of the people ransomed beau
tiful girl from the bonds and horrors
OF slavery This pathetic incidsn. in
the life OF one OF the greatest preachers
and orators Of our denomination Illus.
trates the spirit OF freedom, justice
and sympathy that mas ever character
zed the Congregational churches OF
America and kept their doors wide
open for men and women Of all races,
c, lors and conditions.
The cosmopolitan character of the
Congregational denomination is shown
by the feet that while each church
welcomes all and excludes meme, there
are congregations made ~ Of the diff
ferent races-Caucas sian, Negro, Chi
nese and Indian, ministered to by pas
tors from among their own people and
successfully carrying on the varied
phases of church work. The story of
the Negro in the Con- rsgational
churches of Ams lea is a simple one
and soon told, yet it contains history
full of interest and worthy of preser-
walton.
The first Negro Congregational
church in America was ahe DiXwe!l
Avenue church. of New Haven, Con-
nec.icut, which was organized in 1929
For four ears it stood alone as me
first and only representative of organ
ICED Negro Congregs tionalism in this
country In the year 1899 the Ta'co,,
Street church of Hartford, Conn, was
organized and during the next two
years these two churches of the Nut
meg state were the twain stars of our
faith and order shining out up ID the
possibilities of the future. The year
1853 brought 20 their fellowship a sis
ter church, the Fourth of Portland
Maine, which tlen came into ex stence
Eleven years interviewed before these
three churches had an opportunity to
greet the next, which was the Second,
of Pittsield, Mass organized in 1876
The Pittsfeld church was organized
the same year OF the birth of the
An Ell lean Missionary Association,
which has been a strong and loving
arm of the Congregational denomina
tion sire ched out among the colored
people of the Southland 1t is held by
s. me that thirteen is an unfortunate
number, and it must have seemed I'M
fortunate for those whose hearts were
then in the work, that thirteen years
shnuli pass before the organization of
another church, the Union. of New
port. R. l., in 1859, the year in which
the spirit of John Brown took its flight
to the Judge Of all men. with the kiss
OF slave child upon his lips.
Forty -seven years after the founding
of the fl st Negro Congregational
church at New Haven, Conn, we fnd
six churches in five states: Connecticut,
Rhode Island. Ohio and
Maine.
The death of slavery ment new his
tory and the opening up of new terri
cory to be possessed by the Calebs and
Joshuas of our church.
Here begins distinct and peculiar
period of our work, the planting of our
and schools in the South.
When the clouds of war were begin
ming to clear away, the old army bar
racks were being desertt d, and the
soldiers OF the North were returning
home to tell strange stories of the land
Of the knocking bird and the magnolia,
where dwelt the dusky millions whom
the martyred President had ushered
into the temple of freedom, the Congre-
gational church, through the Ameri-
can Missionary Association entered up
on its christian and educational work.
The early day schools and Sunday
Schools became feeders for the mis-
sions which developed later into organ.
IL ID churches with educated ministers
and christian workers from the ranks
of their own race. Religious instrue-
ton and Bible teaching had a promi-
nent place in the curriculum of these
Congregational schools among the
the colored people and much moral
training and pious counsel were added
to the mere knowledge of looks Tai
ladega College, of which Rev. II w.
Porter. pastor of the Union Congrega
tional church of Des Moines, Iowa, is
one Of the most successful and widely
known graduates, was the first to put
in practice in 1867, the now famous
idea Of industrial education, while Fisk
University of which DR.. w. e. 3. Du-
Bots is a graduate was the first Con-
gregational college esta blshed for the
higher education of the Negro Noble
courageous were the Congrsgatlonalists
who carried the lamp of learning to
those to whom freedom came as a
second birth. They planted the school
and the church together Many Of
them were both pastors and teachers