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1785: First ordained African American pastor |
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Lemuel Haynes, first African American ordained by a Protestant denomination.
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Ordained by the Congregational Churches (forebears of the United Church of Christ), Lemuel Haynes is the first African American minister so invested by an established Protestant church.
Haynes writes in a 1776 manuscript "an African... has an undeniable right to his Liberty." The treatise goes on to condemn slavery as sin, and points out the irony of slaveowners fighting for their own liberty while denying it to others. For a list of 20 notable UCC Firsts, check out the More Options menu at the bottom of the left-hand column on this page.The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a union of four principal traditions: Congregational, Christian, Evangelical, and Reformed. Each of these traditions has left a mark on U.S. religious and political history, often in the lead on issues of peace, justice and equality.
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