In American culture, we tend to be taught the history of Caucasian leaders—especially white male historical figures. Sadly, it is less typical that we learn from the legacy of the heroes of Black Church history.

I recently had the honor of presenting at Bethel Church in Gary, Indiana on: Learning from the Legacy of the Heroes of Black Church History. Together, we learned from:

1. Reverend Thomas Jones: Hardships Do Not Make It Too Hard to Love
2. Venture Smith: Pulling the Rope in Unison
3. An Anonymous Son about His Christian Father: Finding Spiritual Freedom in Christ
4. Reverend Peter Randolph’s Mother: Wisdom from the Father of the Fatherless
5. Reverend Lemuel Haynes: An Epitaph Worth Living For
6. Reverend Absalom Jones: God Sees and Frees
7. Reverend Daniel Alexander Payne: Being a Manly Man of God
8. Sister Octavia Albert: Sharing Christ in Suffering—Jesus with Skin On
9. Sister Charlotte Brooks: Finding Christ in Suffering—Filled with the Love of Jesus
10. Sister Maria Stewart: Clinging to Our Identity in Christ—In the Image of God

I’ve uploaded the entire manuscript of my presentation, which you can download for free here. If you’d like to share a shortened link to this download, you can use the following: http://bit.ly/10LegaciesPDF

I’ve also uploaded the entire 60-slide PowerPoint presentation, which you can download for free here. If you’d like to share a shortened link to this download, you can use the following: http://bit.ly/10LegaciesPPT

Beyond the Suffering

These 10 heroes are just the tip of the historical iceberg. To learn life lessons from 100s of heroes of Black Church history, read Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.