The last S&SD post mentioned the First African Baptist Church - a church constituted in 1777!!! I was very intrigued by this - mostly due to my ignorance of slavery in general and more specifically slavery in Georgia and the impact it had (or not) on religion. I didn't think blacks would be permitted to have their own places of worship - was I wrong!!!
The church at one time had over 3000 parishioners (and currently has about 800). The physical structure is impressive:
The tour of this church was absolutely fantastic - it caused both Dave and me to pause and reflect for a very, very long time. Our tour guide was a 23 year old male named Johnny MacDonald (picture below - he's the one in the white t-shirt). His family has been part of this parish for a very long time. From what Johnny shared with us, he is a real "mover and shaker" in the church. He had us captivated from the time he first opened his mouth. I intend to remember this young man's name, and hold the pictures of him close - because there is no doubt in my mind that we will hear of him again some day.
Johnny spoke of the pastors of the church, the ongoing activities of the church and the history of the church, including the role the church played in the "underground railroad". From National Geographic: "The Underground Railroad was the network used by enslaved black Americans to obtain their freedom in the 30 years before the Civil War (1860-1865). The “railroad” used many routes from states in the South, which supported slavery, to “free” states in the North and Canada."
To view the actual underground railroad routes, go to http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/undergroundrailroad/?ar_a=1&ar_r=999
I can't remember the actual number of slaves who passed through this church to gain their freedom. What I do remember is that song and quilts were tools of communication in the liberation of the slaves. I also remember that the slaves passing through the First African Baptist Church were hidden in a subfloor crawl space that was 4 feet high - they may have been there for up to 48 hours!!! They were able to get air via a number of air holes in the floor of the basement - there were in the shape of religious symbols, so were ignored by the authorities.
Jewish Church: Also noteworthy (and mentioned in the last post) is the congregation Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation in America! A bit more history - the founder of Georgia, James Oglethorpe, originally disallowed anyone of any religion other than those of the Protestant faith (ps. he also disallowed lawyers :) But, during one of the yellow fever outbreaks, a ship of Jewish settlers approached Savannah. On board was a physician - between the physician and the other caring passengers, the health of many who would have otherwise died was restored. Their place as respected citizens of Savannah was assured. (It would still be many years before any lawyers were bestowed with the same honour). Worth note, their temple is, we were told, the only one which resembles a Christian structure:
Catholic Church: A beautiful structure
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