This upcoming Sunday marks the celebration of our church’s 141st anniversary. The fact that the church building exists and is still an active place of worship today is remarkable, given the adversity faced when the church was initially founded. It is a story worth telling, as we set our eyes towards a fantastic weekend.
Former slaves gathered together to purchase twelve acres of land for the purpose of building a church, a process that they completed on January 29, 1881 at the cost of $82.00. The names of the men who signed as Trustees for the First Union African Baptist Church were William J. Ficklin, Morris Hamilton, Doctor Morrel, Paris Myers, Richard Bryan, Edward Gibson, Nat Demery, Morris Emanuel and Henry Williams. Presumably, these men also led the charge to fund and construct the church building, which would open its doors later that year.
It is important to keep in mind that this was taking place just sixteen years removed from the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Daufuskie Island was not a place of wealth creation, but rather it was a place of subsistence living. These families who pledged their money to help bring the church to life didn’t have investment accounts to pull their donations from. Rather, the church was built on the basis of sacrificial giving, with these families placing the need for a church above their need for most other things in their lives.
In 1884, just as the church members were getting used to their new church, the building burned to the ground. Fortunately for us, the flames that destroyed that first church didn’t destroy the desire that these church members had to praise the Lord. Fundraising efforts throughout the region took place, and those who had given sacrificially to build the first church reached down a little deeper to give again, offering up their money as well as their time and talents to help build the new church, which opened in 1885.
The building that we worship in every Sunday, and where we will celebrate the 141st anniversary, exists because a group of people realized that the giving of their time, talents and treasure was an act of worship. These men and women understood that they were worshipping a Lord who sacrificed himself for us, so being called to give sacrificially of worldly possessions was not worthy of being compared to the price that Jesus paid. We honor those men and women today every time we gather to worship the same Lord who inspired them to worship with all of their being, giving thanks for their faithfulness and their sacrifice. Frankly, I can’t help but wonder what our community would look like today if we were all willing to worship in the same sacrificial manner that the founders of our church here on Daufuskie did.
We’d be delighted to have you worship with us this Sunday at 10:00 am, and then join us for a fellowship meal following the service (bring a side dish if you can, but join us regardless). Come and take part in celebrating this cornerstone of our community.
Peace and Blessings – Pastor Aaron