The Most Sacred Work We Can Do Is Service Work

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” – Matthew 16:17.

As an enslaved child, Richard Allen attended church. One day he heard a Methodist preacher denounce slavery as an evil institution. After hearing this, Allen converted to Methodism himself.

After buying his freedom, in 1786 Allen became a preacher for St. George’s Methodist Church in Philadelphia. But his spirit grew weary. He was not allowed to preach to whites or mention abolition. 

Allen and more than 40 Black members of St. George’s congregation left in protest. 

In partnership with his community, Allen built Mother Bethel A.M.E. church. The church quickly became one of the city’s most important Black institutions.

Under Allen and his wife Sarah, Mother Bethel became a stop on the Underground Railroad. 

Allen also co-founded the Free African Society, which assisted free Black people in finding work, resources, and assuming leadership roles in their communities. 

After his death in 1831, Allen was buried in the basement of Mother Bethel.

His legacy reminds us that the best way to uplift the spirit of Black liberation is to serve our community.