Born into slavery in the U.S. before the Revolutionary War, young Richard Allen believes he faces a hopeless future. But after becoming a Christian as a young man and then seeing his master also come to faith, Allen buys his freedom. As a free man, he serves God first as circuit riding preacher and then as a pastor in Philadelphia. Even so, Allen cannot completely leave the injustice of his past behind. When the White senior pastor tells Allen and other Black congregants to “know their place,”-which is in the balcony, away from White parishioners-Reverend Allen must make a decision. How will he stand up for his people? When an epidemic strikes Philadelphia, will he risk his own life to help those who treated him as a second-class citizen? In this episode of The Torchlighters, meet the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and learn how he faithfully served God in the face of discrimination and plague.
The Torchlighters series is brought to you in partnership with The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). VOM serves persecuted Christians living in the world’s most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. Learn more about their work at vom.org.