Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1906-08-31
The Negro in the Congrega'
tiOnal ChurChesOf America

(By Rev. Abraham Lincoln DeMond
pastor First Congregational church.
Buxton, Iowa)
There are at the present time ISIS
Negro Congregational churches in the
United States, located in Maine, Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
New York. New Jersey, Ohio, North
| Corolina, South Carolina, Georgia.,
Tennessee, Kentucky. Arkansas, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas,
California and Iowa, nineteen states
and the District of Columbia.
Nine of the Negro Congregational
| ceurches have each a membership of
N ore than 200. They are as follows:
First Atlanta, Fa : Peoples, Washing
ton, D. c.: Lincoln Memorial Temple,
| Washington. D. c.: Dixwell Avenue,
New Haven. Conn Haywood. N. c.:
savannah, ga Plymouth, Charleston,
S c.: Mt Zion, Cleveland, Ohio: Ply
mouth, Washington, D. c:
The Negro Congregational churches
of America have total mem bership of
| 10. 900 " it'll 900 children in the Sun
day Schools and 1000 young people in
Christian Endeavor Societies. These
churches ra Sc $40 900 a year for home
expenses aside from benevolent ccntri-
buttons made By them The church
buildings occupied by these congrega-
tions are valued at $500, 900 and the
parsonages at S25, 900, while they have
So 900 in invested funds. Beautiful
new churches with modern improve
ments have just been completed at
Birmingh ham, Alabama and Chsttanoo
ga, Tennessee
The history of our church organsza-
tons have been more accurately kert
than that of our early ministry. Rev.
Samuel Harrison, who was ordained
in 1850 and for twentv-nine years
pastored the Second church of Pitts
field. Mass stands as one Of our early
pilgrims in the ministry. Rev. l. Il.
Hall, pastor of Morris Brown church,
New Orleans. La having served that
church for thirty-one years has held
the longest continuous passionate of
any of our living ministers. Some OF
the other long pastorates are Rev. j.
E. Smith. Chattanooga: twenty seven
years: Rev Y. b. Sims. Little Rock,
twenty-five years.
The Negro congregational ministry
has furnished one chaplain in the Unit
cd States Army. Rev. j. j. Scott of the
Third Alabama Regiment Volunteers;
q United States Consul at st. Thomas,
Danish West Indies, Rev Mahlon Van
Horne; two chaplains at the Tuskegee
Industrial Institute, Revs. j. w.
Whitaker and E J. Penny: three chap
Iains of the State Normal School at
Normal, Ala. Revs q. NJ. McCella, B.
A. lines and j. J. Scott; two teachers
in the State Normal School at Mont !
gomery, Ala, Revs. ], s. Jackson and |
Abraham Lincoln De Mond; two secre- |
taries of the Young Mems Christian
Revs. j. E. Moorland and !!
T. ]. Bell: two professors in the Theo- !
logical Department of Howard Univer-
sity, Revs. G. w. Moore and S. N
Brown; the dean of the Theological !
in Straight University, |
Rev G. w. Henderson, D. D.
1t was once said If the Emeral Isle
that it had given to the world more
than its share of genius and greatness, |
so believe that this little body of |
worshippers known as Colored Congre-
gationalist have given to our race their
their full share of great and accomp.
lishment in every line of work. for we
must take into account the pew as we'll |
as the pulpit and the women as we'll as
the men.
In educational work there are such
names as Prof. E. T. Wright, president
of the Georgia State Industrial College