Absalom Jones was born a slave in 1746 in Delaware.  He taught himself to read the Bible.  When he was sixteen, he was sold to a store owner in Philadelphia and where he was able to go to school. 

In 1784 he bought his own freedom.  He attended St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church which included both blacks and whites.  The white members decided that the black members should sit only in the balcony. Two black Sunday school teachers, Absalom Jones (1746-1818) and Richard Allen (1760-1830), learned of the decision when ushers tapped them on the shoulder during the opening prayers, and demanded that they move to the balcony without waiting for the end of the prayer. They walked out of the church followed by the other black members.

Absalom Jones talked to William White, the Episcopal Bishop of Philadelphia, who agreed to let the group form an Episcopal parish. Jones would serve as lay reader, and, after a period of study, would be ordained and serve as rector. Richard Allen wanted the group to remain Methodist. He formed a new denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Jones  and Allen were the first two black Americans to be ordained.

Activity

• Look for the stained glass window of Absalom Jones in our church.
• Print a picture of the Absalom Jones Window that you can color.
• What do you believe in that you cannot see?
• Choose a picture from St. George's online coloring book.

To print the picture you will need The Adobe Acrobat Reader -- available free at the Adobe web site. Please consult the Adobe Acrobat page for system requirements and other technical information.