Is this name familiar to you? Me neither. The Reverend Jehu Jones, son of slaves, became the first black American ordained in the Lutheran Church.

Pastor Jones was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1786 to Jehu Jones, Sr and his wife Abigail Jones who were both slaves at the time of his birth. Mr. Jones, Sr. was trained as a tailor and was very talented.  He bought his family’s freedom in 1798. He went on to become a successful hotel owner in Charleston catering to white travelers.

Mr. Jones, Jr. took over his father’s tailoring business before his entrance into the religious life. While he was originally associated with the Episcopal Church, he developed an interest in the Lutheran religion. His ordination by the New York Synod took place in 1832. When he lived in Charleston, he was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

If you recall your early American history, slavery and what to do about it was a significant topic of public discussion at this time. The country of Liberia on the western coast of Africa was formed by former slaves from the United States on land purchased by the American Colonization Society. It is the only African nation to have escaped colonial rule.

It was to Liberia that Jehu Jones traveled after his ordination to provide missionary services to the recently freed slaves. However, he did not stay in Liberia but returned to Charleston where he was arrested and briefly went to prison. The laws in South Carolina at this time prohibited freed slaves from returning the state from which they had left.

After his release, he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here, he worked as a missionary among the very poorest of blacks and established St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. While the congregation raised significant funds to build the church, financial complications caused the building to be sold. When St. Paul’s was opened in 1834, it’s congregation consisted of 20 impoverished blacks-the first of its kind. The building still stands in Philadelphia, although it belongs to the Mask and Wig Club.

Jones continued to work among the poor and established several other congregations. He died in 1852 at the age of 62.

I did not find any first-person accounts in my research. However, I can imagine that Pastor Jones’ journey to become an ordained minister in a predominately white religion took an immense amount of courage, trust, and love for God’s work. The world in which he lived was cruel. His work and that of other valiant black and white people in pre-Civil War America set the foundation for the work that continues today.

That work? Taking the word of God’s unconditional love for His children to all the world. Remember God loves you unconditionally.

Terri

Source: Florida-Bahamas Synod E-Spirit Weekly Newsletter, February 7, 2023, and additional references noted in article.