An Oct. 24 worship service
paid tribute to Jehu Jones, the first African
American Lutheran pastor to be ordained
In North America 161 years ago

PHILADELPHIA (October 24, 2003) -- He was the first African American to be ordained as a Lutheran pastor in North America and despite financial and other forms of adversity, the Rev. Jehu Jones Jr. proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ powerfully and effectively throughout his lifetime. The 161st anniversary of his ordination in 1832 was celebrated this evening during a simple service at Holy Communion Lutheran Church in Philadelphia.

Participants in the Jehu Jones commemorative service included, rear from left, Karl E. Johnson, Jr., the Rev. Richard Stewart and Susan Ericsson. Front from left are Katharine Dockens, Steve Keiser and Addie J. Butler, representing the African American Lutheran Association.

Jones, a native of Charleston, SC, became a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in that city in the 1820s. His family had originally been associated with the Episcopal Church. St. John's Pastor John Bachman encouraged Jones to seek ordination. And on October 24, 1832 the New York Synod of the Lutheran Church ordained him to serve as a missionary in Liberia and accompany freed slaves to that African nation. But funds never materialized to support the ministry. Undaunted, Jones decided to resettle in Philadelphia, then the largest city in the nation. In June of 1834 the Ministerium of Pennsylvania resolved that Jones "be appointed to labour as a missionary…among the coloured people in Philadelphia under the direction of our Ministers there…."

Jones founded St. Paul's Lutheran Church and purchased two plots of land to build a structure for the church. The building was dedicated in 1836. Jones and his parishioners raised about 40 percent of the funds necessary to cover the cost of the building, but due both to the poverty of the congregation and lack of sufficient support from the wider church, the building was eventually sold at a sheriff's auction in 1839. Jones faithfully served that congregation as late as 1851, where it met in Philadelphia's Benezet Hall. He ministered to some 2,700 families overall in Philadelphia and Chambersburg and Gettysburg. The original St. Paul's structure was recently rediscovered at 310 South Quince Street. The cornerstone of the original church is still part of the undercroft of a structure, which is now serving as the home of the Mask and Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania.

Karl E. Johnson, Jr., left, and the Rev. Richard Stewart reminisce about the research that led to the rediscovery of St. Paul's Church on Quince Street.

Preaching on Mark 10: 35-45, the Rev. Richard Stewart gave a commemorative sermon during the Holy Communion service. "This image of Jesus and the disciples on the move is helpful to me," Stewart said of the passages. "Sometimes I think we become complacent in our work, in the pews, in the parsonage, in our calls and in our witness. Jehu and Elizabeth Jones were willing to go to a land and a country that ina ll likelihood would permanently separate them from any family in the United States. The call to witness was strong enough, so that when funds did not appear to support a Liberian mission, Jones instead focused on the needs of the Black community in Philadelphia. He found plenty of God's work to be done right here.

"Jones was not content to be just a local pastor," Stewart preached. "He found others in need of the Gospel in Gettysburg and Chambersburg. Maybe those of us who are ministers should try to be circuit riders again. It would force our congregations to select some of their members to take care of the spiritual needs of the community in the absence of pastors. It would place both the pastors and the people in less comfortable positions, but our lack of comfort would be for the sake of the Gospel."

Presiding at the service was the Rev. Susan Ericsson, assistant to the bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Others taking part included the Rev. Dr. William Green of Phillips Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia; Brian McCloskey of Old St. George United Methodist Church, and Katharine B. Dockens, a direct descendant of the Right Rev. Richard Allen, founder and bishop of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. LTSP alum Steve Keiser represented the host congregation.

A brief commentary was offered by Karl E. Johnson, Jr., who with Stewart was involved in historical research that led to the rediscovery of St. Paul's Church on Quince Street. The discovery was challenging, because Philadelphia's street grid had been altered since colonial times. Johnson said he hopes that the ELCA at the next churchwide assembly will vote to make October 24 "a permanent date to celebrate the lives and work of Elizabeth and Jehu Jones."