The History of the Negro ChurchWoodson, Carter Godwin
Religion
The History of the Negro Church
Woodson, Carter Godwin
African Americans -- Religion
Becoming interested in the thorough indoctrination of these slaves, Mr.
Taylor planned for their instruction, encouraging the slaveholders to
teach the blacks at least to the extent of learning the Lord's Prayer.
Manifesting such interest in these unfortunate blacks, their friends
easily induced them to attend church in such large numbers that they
could not be accommodated. "So far as the missionaries were permitted,"
says one, "they did all that was possible for their evangelization, and
while so many professed Christians among the whites were lukewarm, it
pleased God to raise to himself devout servants among the heathen, whose
faithfulness was commended by the Masters themselves." In some of the
congregations the Negroes constituted one-half of the communicants.
This interest in proselyting the Negroes was extended into other parts.
In 1723, Rev. Mr. Guy of St. Andrew's Parish reported that he had
baptized a Negro man and woman. About the same time Rev. Mr. Hunt, in
charge of St. John's Parish, had among his communicants a slave, "a
sensible Negro who can read and write and come to church, a catechumen
under probation for baptism, which he desires."
A new stage in the progress of this movement was reached in 1743 when
there was established at Charleston, South Carolina, a special school to
train Negroes for participation in this missionary work. This school was
opened by Commissary Garden and placed in charge of Harry and Andrew,
two young men of color, who had been thoroughly instructed in the
rudiments of education and in the doctrines of the church. It not only
served as the training school for missionary workers, but directed its
attention also to the special needs of adults who studied therein during
the evenings. From this school there were sent out from year to year
numbers of youths to undertake this work in various parts of the colony
of South Carolina. After having accomplished so much good for about a
generation, however, the school was, in 1763, closed for various
reasons, one of them being that one of the instructors died and the
other proved inefficient.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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