The Work Continues
The Work Continues: A Reflection on Joining St. Paul AME in Honoring the Legacy of the Freedmen’s Convention - Pastor Kevin
Today, 160 years to the day, we stood on holy ground. At St. Paul AME Church, we gathered to relocate the Freedmen's Convention marker to its rightful place - the exact spot where over 100 delegates from 34 counties met on September 29, 1865, to demand equal rights and justice just days before the white constitutional convention.
St. Paul's congregation was formed from the enslaved membership of Edenton Street UMC. This is our shared history - painful, complex, and calling us forward.
A little over a year ago, September 1, 2024, my very first day as pastor of ESUMC, Denise and I worshipped at St. Paul AME Church. Rev. McDonald graciously invited me to join him and the other ministers at the communion table. It was not lost on me that my very first official act as the newly appointed pastor of ESUMC was not at 228 W. Edenton Street, but at 402 W. Edenton Street with Rev. McDonald at the Lord’s Table.
The very first words I spoke in a worship service in Raleigh were when Rev. McDonald handed me the Book of Worship and invited me to pray the prayer of humble access: "We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies."
Beginning my ministry on my knees, alongside Rev. McDonald, at St. Paul's table - I couldn't have imagined a more fitting start.
Today felt like coming full circle. I was honored to share remarks alongside Rev. Dr. Larry McDonald, Former Governor Roy Cooper, Senator Dan Blue, The Right Reverend Reginald T. Jackson, Bishop Clevie Brandon, Mrs. Melody Hunter-Pillon (St. Paul historian), Ms. Florence Avery (St. Paul Historical Commission Chair), and other distinguished leaders.
James Walker Hood, president of that 1865 convention, said: "We have been living together for a hundred years and more, and we have got to live together still; and the best way is to harmonize our feelings as much as possible, and to treat all men respectfully." My hope, my prayer even, is that we will not just live together for the next 160 years, but that we might find ways to “convene” anew around a shared commitment to justice, diversity, inclusion and freedom.
Just before the sign unveiling, Bishop Jackson issued the challenge that will stay with me. He reminded us of those familiar words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Then he spoke plainly: "We have not always lived up to our words and that is our challenge today... to get this nation to live up to its words. So North Carolina, Raleigh, St. Paul AME, Edenton Street UMC … that is our challenge - to help us live up to our words and to actually be the UNITED States. The world at its worst requires the church to be at its best. I hope you will accept the challenge that we might continue the unfinished work of 1865."
I went directly to the Bishop after his remarks and said: "Bishop, I accept the challenge."
As for our part - Edenton Street UMC offers our hands, our hearts, and our commitment as partners in this unfinished work - with St. Paul AME, with our city, and with all who share a common hope for beloved community and a better tomorrow. The Freedmen's Convention wasn't a single moment but the beginning of a movement. The work continues. The call goes forward. And we will answer.
