The African Methodist Episcopal Church has a unique and glorious history.

Richard Allen our founder was born 1760 into slavery in Philadelphia, PA. At the age of 7, his mother and siblings were sold to a Delaware farmer names Stokeley Sturgis.  At the age of 17 Sturgis sold Richard Allen’s mother and three siblings.   In 1777 at the age of 17 after hearing a white itinerant Methodist minister preach protesting slavery, Richard Allen converted to Methodism and he started preaching.   Allen convinced his owner to have one of the preachers come to the farm and preach.  His owner Master Sturgis hearing the sermon from Daniel 5:27, the preacher believed having slaves was inhumane and on judgment day all slaveholders would be held accountable.  After hearing this sermon, Master Sturgis allowed Richard Allen in 1780 to hire him-self out and to purchase his freedom at the cost of $2,000.00.Founder Richard AllenAllen_RichardIt is unique in that it is the first major religious denomination in the Western world that had its origin over sociological injustice rather than theological beliefs and differences.