Richard Allen Postage Stamp Petition - SIGN TODAY
 

The AME Church's Social Action Commission is encouraging all AME's to sign the petition to create a Bishop Richard Allen Commemorative Stamp.  For more information about the Social Action Commission, go to http://www.ame-sac.com/index.php

Action petitioned for:
We, the undersigned, petition the United States Postal Service to create a stamp honoring Bishop Richard Allen, a true American whose life and legacy has impacted millions throughout the world. As one of American’s strongest early advocates for racial equality, Bishop Richard Allen is often considered an intellectual precursor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his extraordinary life shows a man deeply devoted to his religion, his community, and his desire to expand the rights of African Americans. We, the undersigned, feel he should be honored today by America the same way he honored American and his fellow man.
SIGN PETITION

Petition and Summary Background:
Richard Allen (1760-1831), though widely known as the founder and the first elected and consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, developed as a significant African American leader in the early American Republic. He was born a slave in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the household of Benjamin Chew, a lawyer who later became Chief Justice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chew, however, sold Allen and his family into Delaware. After his conversion in 1777, he and his brother worked for years to buy their freedom from Stokeley Sturgis in 1783. Included among his many jobs Allen drove a salt wagon during the American Revolution to raise the 00 in Continental currency to pay Sturgis. Like other blacks, the liberty language of American colonists created a context which influenced his desire to be manumitted from slavery.

After he settled in Philadelphia in 1786, where he lived until his death, Allen, a businessman who pursued several vocations including that of a chimney sweeper, became a leader among blacks in the bustling city. He and several blacks founded in 1787 the Free African Society, perhaps the earliest black mutual aid society which disbursed funds for widows, orphans, and the sick within the membership. Philadelphia’s mayor turned to him and Absalom Jones in 1793 to help during the dreaded yellow fever epidemic to relieve victims of the disease and to bury the dead. When President George Washington died in 1799, he penned a eulogy which showed his adherence to the founding principles of the republic. His home and church, which was dedicated in 1794, became venues where fugitive slaves hid from slave catchers. In various publications he denounced the latter because he viewed it as a scheme to rid American society of free blacks and thus deprived slaves of strong advocates for their freedom. In 1830 he hosted the first national black convention.

Allen’s accomplishments placed him within a frontline vanguard of African American leaders in the early American republic.
 

Member Directory Request for Info

Please take time to complete a contact information card so that your information is up-to-date for the church directory.  You can pick up a card in church to complete or email the following information to classleaders@adamschapelamechurch.org :

Name:
Address:
City:
State and Zip:
Telephone (home and cell)
e-mail address:
Date of Birth (Month and Day)
Wedding Anniversary:

Lay Witness Sunday Honorees

On Sunday, Oct. 9, Adams Chapel and churches across the U.S. observed Lay Witness Sunday.  Lay Witness Sunday is set aside on the 2nd Sunday in October to recognize the role and importance of the laity in the ministry of the church. 

The Lay Organization at Adams Chapel took a moment to recognize several laity for their commitment and dedication in ministries that help to serve beyond the walls. The following persons received citations from City Council:
 

Community Activism - Bro. Johnie McCaskill
Political Activism - Bro. Bill Henry
Community Health - Sis. Sharon Leeds & Sis. Marguerite McClammy
Community Outreach  - Sis. Susie McNair & Sis. Blanche Wells
Outstanding Organization - Mary L. Fisher Missionary Society
 

The Adams Chapel Lay Organization meets on the 3rd Saturday of each month and is a ministry comprised of any non-ordained members of the AME Church. Its  purpose is to teach, train, and instill great love and appreciation for Christ, and the history, tradition and principles of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.