The Twin City star., 1916-09-02
ABLE EXPONENT
OF METHOD|SM
Career Of Or. R. N. M'Kenzie
Of Decatur, Ala.
LABORtD IN MANY FIELDS.

Early Struggles Of . Southern 30!
Whose Pluck and Ambition Hav
Been Richly Rewarded With Success
Up From Country Farm to Promi
nsnee In the Ministry.
Decatur, Ala. While the coloret
Methodist Episcopal church is compar
atively new in this country. yet it has
given to the race some able men .anG
women, ministers who are well edu
Gated and devoted to the work. These
men are not making much noise, but
are doing actual work. In this class Is
to be found the Rev. r. M. Mckenzie
A. B., B. D., pastor of the Bailey
temple, colored Methodist Episcopal
church In this town.
Like most men Of the race, the Rev
Mr.. Mckenzie was not born with a sill
yer spoon in his mouth nor was, he
surrounded with gold and silver, but
In a humble country home in Monroe
county Feb. ~, 1875. He is Alabama's s
gift to the colored Methodist Episcopal
church. Just at the same time he real
" needed the care Of a mother she was
called away by death. He was then
twelve years old, and a sister three
days old was left to the care of a
grandmother, while four other children
remained with their father.
Wesley Mckenzie, his grandfather
purchased twenty acres Of Alabama
land, or, at least, had contracted for it,
and erected house, but death claim.
ed him before he could pay for it. But
i this brilliant preacher started his. ca.
reer on the farm, yet he had a great
desire for knowledge He had heard
big men preach and said he wanted to
be q useful man some day.
It is needless to say that his early
school advantages were limited, being
In the, rural districts, where only
three months was allowed for school,
thus 1t would take a child a long time
to get an education going to school
three months out of the twelve. Young
Mckenzie had been inspired by his
mother, who spent much Of her time
on her knees praying to God for the
life Of her children, and then around
the fireside she would talk to them
about the future. She had faith in her
own children.
Seeing his education was coming
slow, this young boy started out one
day to seek better educational facili-
ties and walked from Riley to Thom-
asville, Ala, distance of fifty miles.
Wanting more education and knowing
that 1t required money, he left the
farm, got job at saw mill. where
he received better wages. He laid It
aside until he got enough to enter Sell
ma university. All the time he had
been reading the lives Of Abraham
Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and other
men who had worked to the top, and
this helped him to think that there
was future for him.
After being in Selma university for
q short time he took the county ex-
animation and became a. small prOfes
sor, but at the same time continued to
study, saving his money to better pre-
pare himself. Much Of his early re-
ligious training is due to the Sunday
school, and it was when thirteen that
he was converted and Joined Anderson
chapel, colored Methodist Episcopal
church. While yet under his majority
years he held five Offices in the church
trustee, steward, class leader, Sun
day school superintendent and church
secretary.
It was in February, 1901, in the
church Of his choice and where he had
started his Christian career that he
was licensed to preach by the Rev. P.
Wheels. presiding elder; ]. 81. Bluster.
pastor. In November Of the same year
he was admitted into the conference at
Opelika, Ala, Bishop L. n. Holsey pre-.
siding, and the same conference recog-
nized him by electing him a lay dele
gate to the general conference.
Now he thought that it was time for
him to better prepare for the ministry.
20 he closed out his school and then
entered Paine college. Augusta, Ga.
He worked in lumber mills and doing
,ther hard work during vacations pre-.
pairing for college. He graduated from
Paine. college department, 1909 and
then went to Cannon Theological
Atlanta, Ga. and completed
he theological course there 1911. Since
the active ministry he has
continued his studies. He has pastored
It the following places with gratifying
success. beginning at Tallahassee, Fla.
n 1905. where he served one year; Sha-
on, Ga. one year; Augusta. Ca, one
rear; Atlanta, one year; Sharon, Ga.
me year; Congers. Ga; Bessemer.