Evening star., 1936-05-03
BY LUCY CHURCH TERRELL.

Did he say ten million dollars or
ten thousand?" I whispered to my
friend who sat beside me.
We were attending a meeting Of the
Baltimore Annual Conference OF the
African Methodist Episcopal Church,
which was held recently in the Metro
politan Church, M street between Fiji
teenth and Sixteenth streets northwest.
We were listening to report made by
DR.. John r. Hawkins. who has been the
financial secretary for "a years and
has an Office on the corner of Four
teenth and @ streets northwest.
My friend nodded and wrote in big,
black letters: He said ten million dol
lars. of course" She was a member
of the church and was proud of its
record.
The $10.56O.7lO.57 which have
passed through Dr. Hawkins hands in
"a years were raised by what is called
dollar money" The pastors are asked
to collect 81 from each member of
their congregations every year and
this is sent to DR.. Hawkins Washing
ton Office.
No Local Funds Included.
This sum does not include money
raised in the churches for local purposes
or payment of salaries of presiding
elders and pastors. Nor does it include
any of the thousands of dollars raised
on general days" for mission work and
church extension and educational
day." in September, for schools and
colleges. plus the thousands of dollars
raised in special rallies. II it were
possible to state how many millions of
dollars have been given for all the
activities sponsored by the church,
many doubling Thomases would shake
their heads.
Eleven years after the Declaration
of Independence had been signed. in
Philadelphia, Richard Allen and others
in that city began to insist that the
colored Methodists organize a So
ciety separate from the white Metho-
dists.
This agitation continued for nearly
80 years. The African Methodist Epis-
copal Church was finally organized in
1916, with Richard Allen as its first
bishop. Washington became a part
of the Baltimore Annual Conference
| six years after the church was or
| ganized
For first one reason and then an
| other the effort to establish churches
of this denomination in some sections
| failed. For instance, three years after
ar uprising of slaves in Charleston,
S. c., the city and State officials re-
fused to allow either free colored
people or slaves to assemble for any
purpose. African Methodism in that
State, therefore, was stifled.
Suppressed in Other Sections.
Again, since the African Methodist
Episcopal Church was an independent,
ecclesiastical organization, it was op-
posed by some, because they believed
it would inspire slaves with a desire
for freedom. In certain sections,
therefore, warfare against it was
waged. until it was practically sup
pressed. But in spite of obstacles the
church increased in influence and
| pOWSI uIlIll IL IldS ICdCllCQ pISScllL
mammoth proportions.
During the Civil War both the
clergy and the laity rendered valu-
able service. Two years after the
slaves were freed, one of the clergy
men, Rev. Highland H. Garnet, who
represented this country as Minister
Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Lii
/ ~, T,,it tnl
| Senate Chamber.
| 1t is significant that the first thing
the A. M. E. Church did after it was
founded was to establish book con-
Germ on Pine street in Philadelphia.
Under the auspices of this book con-
Germ. whose name has been changed
to the Publication Department. three
weekly papers are now issued: The
Christian Recorder, published at
Philadelphia; the Southern Christian
Recorder, published at Nashville,
Tenn, and the Western Christian Re-
corder, published at Kansas City,
Kans. The A. NJ E. Church Review
is a quarterly which contains articles
that appeal to the taste of the in
tellectual members Of the denomina-
ton, both the clergy and the laity.
Has Many Missionaries.
The Foreign Missionary Department
Of the church covers an extensive
field. Its missionaries are found in
West Africa, South Africa, South
America, the Islands of the Sea, West
Indies, Virgin Islands, Nova Scotia