Discover how the Methodist Episcopal Church engaged four million newly freed African Americans with faith, education, and community support. Learn how leaders, educators, and laypeople shaped a nationwide effort that ranged from preaching to schooling and social uplift.
This volume presents a detailed look at the church’s work among the colored members, including how missions were organized, who led them, and what kinds of institutions were built. It blends essays, historical notes, and documentary material to show the scope and impact of these efforts, while highlighting the voices of key leaders and communities.
- Explore the aims and methods of early home missions and church extension among the Black population.
- Meet the leaders, pastors, and educators who shaped religious life and schooling.
- See how organizations like the Freedmen’s Aid Society and the Woman’s Home Missionary Society contributed to education and social uplift.
- Get a sense of the period’s challenges, hopes, and the broader context of race and religion in America.
Ideal for readers of religious history, social reform, and the development of Black educational institutions in the United States.