Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1934-05-19
St. Paul Church
To Observe 6Oth
Birthday May 2O-27

May 20 to 27, st. James A. M. E.
Church, st. Paul, will observe the Goth
anniversary of its founding.
The historical background of St.
James founding is very interesting.
According to Mr.. T. M. Mewson in his
"Pen Picture of St. Paul." the Negro
has had much to do with the establish
ment of church life in St. Paul. Some
time little prior to 1889 Rev. Bron-
son collected $1,000 in the East to
purchase and free a Negro slave
named James Thompson. The slave
was once the property of a nephew of
former President Monroe.
Rev. Bronson was a Methodist min
lister who served the Protestant set
tiers along the Mississippi River be-
tween what is now st. Paul and
Prairie de Chen, Wisconsin. He had
no church edifce. The former slave
saw a need and was called to service.
To quote Mr.. Newson, Though a
poor colored man, once slave, yet he
not only aided with his own hands to
build the little Methodist Church on
Market St., but he furnished 1000 feet
of lumber and made out of lumber
taken from the Mississippi River,
$500 shingles for the roof, and then
gave a lot which he owned towards
paying for the church" The location
was back of the St. Paul Hotel, facing
Rice Park.
By 1876 the acts of James Thomp-
son were forgotten. "There was
ruler in Egypt who knew not Joseph"
st. Paul was no longer a frontier
settlement. 1t was the capital of Min
nesota. A city with history and
promise. Within it's confines there
were many Negroes, largely servants
of a we'll established and growing
weather. class. One of the leading
citizens Of the commonwealth was the
elder D. C. Shepherd. In his employ
as butler was a former Negro slave
and a Methodist named Daniel Hard
ing.
Whatever all the facts, Daniel and
some of his race group did not feel
comfortable in the high steepled
churches. And in explanation Daniel
quoted scripture that we wanted to
worship God under our own vine and
fig tree" AS a result, st. James
African Methodist Church was organ
lied.
One morning Mr.. Shepherd was eat
ing breakfast and heard a strange
noise in the kitchen. Upon receiving
no response to a call for Daniel, Mr..
Shepherd opened the kitchen door and
stumbled over his buffers feet. Daniel,
who was surprised in the midst of
prayer, jumped up to be of service to
the master of the house. "What's the
matter, DAM" was the hurried query.
Nothing, sir" was the composed
reply, 81 was just praying" The Shep-
herd household was place where the
devout servants few requests were
highly regarded. "Praying for WHAT"
was the kindly question. Whenever
Daniel Harding related the incident
his face would light up as one in
spired, and he would explain that God
gave him the words and power to
reply. 81 was just praying that God
would bless you and your children's
children if you would just give me
$1,000 to buy lot for my church."
Mr.. Shepherd gave the $1,000 and
Daniel bought lot at Jay & Fuller,
for his church. The actors in the little
drama have passed. The "children's
children" are highly respected, sue
cessful, sharing, lifting citizens. The
D. C. Shepherd money, and Daniel
Harding's prayer are doing big bust
ness at Jay and Fuller under the di
rection of Peter MacFarlane as an
auxiliary of the st. Paul Boys Club.
The church has moved to new struc-
ture on W. Central Ave., near Dale
St. It is a struggling, but worth while
religious agency.
Just this year, of the II Negro stu
dents who graduate from st. Paul
High Schools, seven are from st.
James Church. Of the $50 students
enrolled in Ramsey County School of
Religious Education, twenty are from
st. James. Besides those who have
pursued the even tenor Of their way"
in the more humble walks of life,
young people from st. James Church
are furnishing leadership for their
race group in other communities of
the country as ministers, lawyers, doc
tors, teachers, editors, and welfare