By James Grimstead
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| Absalom Jones |
Nearly two-hundred people joined in Sunday, February 28, at Saint Paul’s Memorial Chapel, Lawrenceville, to celebrate the life and legacy two great pioneers, Absalom Jones and James Solomon Russell, who fought vigorously for religious liberty for all people.
Absalom Jones, born a slavery in Delaware in 1746, taught himself to read from the New Testament and others books. At sixteen he was sold to a Philadelphia Quaker store owner and there he attended a school for Blacks. At twenty, he married another slave, and purchased her freedom with his earnings. He later in 1784 purchased his own freedom.
He endured much hardship and discrimination in his early experiences at Saint George’s Methodist Episcopal Church. After being told to move from the sanctuary up to the balcony he and his friend Richard Allen became infuriated and moved their group out of this church and proceeded to form their own parishes. His new parish, Saint Thomas African Episcopal Church, applied for membership in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, with conditions, and was admitted in 1794. Bishop White ordained Absalom Jones as a deacon in 1795 and as a priest in 1802.
Absalom Jones was an earnest preacher and denounced slavery and warned oppressors to clean their hands of slaves. To him, God was the Father, who always acted on behalf of the oppressed and the distressed. His mild manner made him beloved by his own flock and by the community. His church grew to over 500 members during its first year. Known as the Black Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Jones was an example of persistent faith in God and in the Church as God’s instrument.
James Solomon Russell was also born into slavery in 1857 on the Hendrick plantation in Virginia. His father worked on a plantation in another county so his mother raised him until after the Civil War when his father was allowed to join the family. Life was grueling for Russell and his family as they struggled to run a small farm in Palmer Springs, VA. He was a committed worker and had a strong desire for learning and with the support of his parents and community he prepared himself to enter Hampton Institute. Finances were difficult which caused him to drop out of school. He compensated by teaching in the community where he was introduced to the Apostle’s Creed which caused him the fall in love with the Episcopal Church doctrine. Mrs. Pattie Buford, a white woman in Lawrenceville, who was interested in missionary work in the black community, gave him a copy of the Book of Common Prayer and introduced him to Bishop Francis M. Whittle who arranged for Russell to attend the Theological Seminary in Petersburg, VA. He was the first and only student in the new school.
In 1882 he was ordained a deacon and his first assignment was in Lawrenceville where he organized social learning groups and new parishes throughout the counties. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1887 and in 1888 he founded the St. Paul Normal and Industrial School which later became St. Paul’s College.
Archdeacon Russell had great financial challenges during this period but always found ways to meet his obligations through his vast associations with people and organizations from around the world. He was deeply entrenched in the workings of the church and on two occasions turned down the offering of Bishop. He went on to receive many honors and two doctorate degrees. At his passing in 1935, left a school of more than 800 students, fifty plus educators, and numerous buildings. James Solomon Russell was named a saint in the Diocese of Southern Virginia in 1996. The annual event celebrating Absalom Jones is held nationally at parishes around the country. The celebration of Archdeacon James Solomon Russell is held annually at parishes around the Dioceses of Southern Virginia.
One of the highlights of the event was the family message of “Thanks” delivered by eleven year old, fifth generation, John Solomon Russell, Jr. He represented the many Russell family members who were in attendance for the occasion.
The featured speaker was the Reverend Terry Edwards of St. Augustine’s, Newport News. She gave an outstanding message which focused on Moses’ trials and tribulations in Exodus in relationship to the ordeals of Absalom Jones and James Solomon Russell. The audience was attentive to the very end as her conclusion brought us into today’s challenges and the solutions we seek to develop a better community for everyone.
