African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas

The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (AECST) was founded in 1792 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the first black Episcopal Church in the United States. Its congregation developed from the Free African Society, a non-denominational group formed by black people who had left St. George's Methodist Church because of discrimination and segregation by class. They were led by Absalom Jones, a free black and lay Methodist preacher. As his congregation became established, he was ordained in 1802 by Presiding Bishop William White as the first black priest in the Episcopal Church. Bishop White also ordained William Levington as a deacon at this church, although he soon became a missionary in the South, establishing St. James Church in Baltimore in 1824. The congregation remains within the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The church moved several times over the years in response to the needs of the congregation, including where the majority of the worshiping community resided. In spite of that, it has remained in constant operations since its founding. St. Thomas became a leading institution in Philadelphia's black cultural life. Its second rector was William Douglass, an African American, former student of Rev. Levington, and an abolitionist. Clergy and parishioners were active in the Underground Railroad in the 19th century. Henry L. Phillips served as the church's interim rect

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