George Liele
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George Liele (also spelled Lisle or Leile, c. 1750–1820) was an
Liele was born into slavery in Virginia in 1752, but was taken to Georgia. As an adult he was converted by Rev. Matthew Moore of
First African Baptist Church Founding
Liele was licensed to preach by
He played a major role in the founding of the church by converting its first members. After being freed by Sharp, Leile converted and
Evacuation
Liele chose to leave with the British to ensure his freedom rather than risk reenslavement in the American South. He migrated to Jamaica, then a British colony and slave society, with his wife Hannah and their four children. He preached at the racecourse at Kingston, the capital, where the novelty of a black itinerant ex-slave preacher attracted considerable attention. Liele was soon able to gather a congregation and purchase a piece of land about a mile from Kingston, where he gradually built a chapel.
Ministry in Jamaica
To support his work, and expand it, Liele sought support from London. He was helped in this endeavour by Moses Baker, an
Ryland's first missionary was funded by the Baptists rather than the London Missionary Society. His achievements were limited since he died early. Later, in the early 19th century, a trio of Baptist missionaries from Britain,
In 1792 Liele penned the church covenant, which served a dual purpose for the Ethiopian Baptists of Jamaica. First, it was a shared teaching tool, to instruct Baptists about commonly shared principles from the Scriptures; secondly, it gave great comfort to slave-holders; ensuring that their slaves would be law abiding. The church covenant was shown to members of the legislature, the magistrates and justices to secure their approval that they might give their slaves permission to become members of the congregation.[3]
References
- ^ Part Twenty: African American Church in the Revolutionary Era, The African Americans Search for Truth and Knowledge, by Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Jr.
- ^ Walter H. Brooks. (1910. The Silver Bluff Church: A history of Negro Baptist Churches in America. Washington, D.C.: R.L. Pendleton Press. p. 41. Google Books website Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- S2CID 150092032.
Further reading
- Davis, Robert S. "The Other Side of the Coin: Georgia Baptists Who Fought For the King." Viewpoints Georgia Baptist History 7 (1980): 47–58.
- Hall, Billy (April 8, 2003) "George Liele: Should be a National Hero", Jamaican Gleaner. Archived from Wayback Machine
- Shannon, David T., Julia F. White, Deborah B Van Broekhoven. 2013. George Liele's Legacy: An Unsung Hero. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0881463897
- Morrison, Doreen. 2014. Slavery's Heroes: George Liele and the Ethiopian Baptists of Jamaica 1783–1865. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1500657574
External links
- "George Liele", Africans in America, PBS
- "George Liele : America's First Missionary"
- Sermon, MP3 Audio Podcast: The Cross and Faithful Ministry As Seen In The Pastoral and Missionary Ministry of George Leile: First Baptist Missionary To The Nations – Galatians 6:11–18, 24 Aug 2010, Daniel L. Akin, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary