28th Annual Liberation Sunday Celebrated at Mother Bethel AME Church
The 28th Annual Liberation Sunday was held on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, with their new, dynamic pastor, Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, leading the charge.
(The Historical Black Church Movement commemorates the past with the observance of Liberation Sunday, that historic day, 3rd Sunday in November of 1787, when Ricard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others led a walkout of Philadelphia’s St. George Methodist Church in protest, declaring their God-given right to worship in freedom and dignity.)
Retired Supervisor Ernestine Lee Henning, Founder of the Richard Allen Foundation, and her Godson, Errol W. Briggs, recognized and honored Reedy Chapel AME Church in Galveston, Texas, where the Rev. Lernette Patterson is the Senior Pastor.
Reedy Chapel AME Church, established in 1848, is the Mother Church of Texas. At Reedy Chapel, slaves in Texas learned the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years earlier. This was also the site of the first Juneteenth celebration.
The first Pastor of Reedy Chapel was the Rev. Molliston Madison Clark, who served as the first editor of The Christian Recorder. The Reverend Clark was succeeded by the Rev. Houston Reedy, for whom the church is named.
The Reverend Carolyn C. Cavaness preached a rousing message, “The Power To Walk Away,” from Matthew 4:18. She emphasized Richard Allen and Absalom Jones walking away from St. George’s to form their own churches.
Supervisor Henning’s Grandson, Massiah Garnett Henning Moore, carried the candle and wreath downstairs in Mother Bethel to the tomb of Bishop Richard Allen. Once there, the Rev. Cavaness lead the group of worshippers in prayer.
Retired Supervisor Henning said, “Now that the Pandemic is over, I look forward to returning to Mother Bethel AME Church each 3rd Sunday in November to recognize another historical Black church doing incredible work in our nation to uplift our people.”
