Join EDS at Union on February 13 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM ET for a Reception and Gospel Hymn Sing in James Chapel in honor of Absalom Jones, the first black priest ordained in the Episcopal Church. Accompanied by pianist Gary Mitchell, Jr, those gathered in song and prayer will celebrate the importance of black ministry in the Episcopal Church.

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About Absalom Jones
Born into slavery in Delaware in 1746, Absalom Jones became one of the foremost black leaders during the United States’ post-revolutionary period. Both Jones and Richard Allen served as lay preachers and evangelists at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, PA. When white congregants protested the tenfold increase in black membership, Jones and Allen led a historic walk out from St. George’s in 1786 which ultimately led to the founding of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination and the first black priest and black congregation of the Episcopal Church. Bishop William White ordained Absalom Jones as the first black Episcopal priest in 1804 whereupon he denounced slavery and warned slaveholders to “clean their hands of slaves.”

A scholarship in honor of Absalom Jones was established at Episcopal Divinity School in 1986 to support black seminarians preparing for ordination in the Episcopal Church. All past scholarship recipients and alumni/ae are invited to attend.

About Gary Mitchell, Jr.
Pianist Gary Mitchell, Jr. regularly collaborates with renowned singers, instrumentalists, artists, and ensembles, ranging from opera to musical theatre, classical, sacred, jazz, and gospel. A concert and recording artist, Gary has performed throughout the world.