Read Part One HERE
In this post I will focus on a woman named Jarena Lee. She lived from 1783 -1864. She was born into a free black family, in Cape May, New, Jersey. However, from the age of 7, she began to work as a live-in servant with a white family. As a teenage, she moved from New Jersey to Phildelphia, Pennsylvania, where she continued in domestic service.
One afternoon Jarena attended a worship service at Bethel Church where Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was scheduled to preach. After hearing the powerful sermon delivered by Allen, Jarena became a believer.
In 1807, Jarena sensed a calling to preach the Gospel. She was initially reluctant to pursue ministry, given the male-dominated nature of the church. However, she decided to confide in Bishop Allen and revealed to him her call to preach. Allen told Jarena that he could not grant her permission to preach because he was required to uphold the A.M.E Church's ban against female ministers.
Read Part One Hundred And Thirty HERE
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