Formation of First Independent African Church
In 2001, a new historical marker was erected in Silver Bluff, SC. The reading on the marker read as follows: "this church, one of the first black Baptist churches in America, grew out of regular worship services held as early as 1750" (Silver Bluff Baptist Church Dedicates Marker). The worship services were held at Silver Bluff, the plantation of Indian trader George Galphin, originally a racially diverse, non-denominational congregation, but organized as Silver Bluff Baptist Church in 1773, with Reverend Walter Palmer as its first pastor(Silver Bluff Baptist Church Dedicates Marker). This is an impressive piece of information, but just as impressive is the history of how the first independent African churches developed in America. Research of this topic revealed the abbreviation "AIC", which depending upon the source, is defined as standing for African Independent Churches, African Indigenous Churches, Afric
As the research clearly proves, the AIC, since its foundations over 200 years ago, has served as the blueprint for the religious freedom of Africans, even at a time when personal freedom for those in America did not exist. Moving forward in history, after slavery was abolished by President Abraham Lincoln, personal freedom gave the AICs more opportunity to grow and thrive. Today, the Independent African Church boasts millions of faithful members who worship, befriend one another, and remember the struggles of their ancestors. The future will surely bring the Independent African Church more achievements and success, all starting from a small, poor church in Silver Bluff, South Carolina. Because the early African churches were typically poor from a financial standpoint, very few written records from these churches exists today, but the information that we are able to research today offers a wealth of facts about the early African church and its leaders. an Initiated Churches,
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Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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