United American Free Will Baptist Conference
Encyclopedia
United American Free Will Baptist Conference, Inc. is the smaller of the two African-American Free Will Baptist
conferences in the United States
.
, black slaves and Free blacks
were members of predominantly white
Free Will Baptist congregations in the United States. The first black Free Will Baptist minister was Robert Tash, ordained in 1827. African-Americans organized their first separate congregation in 1867 at Snow Hill in Greene County, North Carolina
, the first annual conference in 1870, and the first association in 1887. The General Conference of United Free Will Baptists was formed in 1901. The United American Free Will Baptist Conference, Incorporated, was created in 1968, resulting from a division in the parent United American Free Will Baptist Church
.
In 2003 the United American Free Will Baptist Conference had approximately thirty-five congregations, mostly in Florida
, but also in South Carolina
, Louisiana
, and Arkansas
. In addition to the annual meeting of the General Conference, there are six regional conferences that meet annually: South Carolina Annual Conference, Louisiana/Arkansas Annual Conference, East Florida Annual Conference, West Florida Annual Conference, South Florida "A" Annual Conference, and South Florida "B" Annual Conference. UAFW Baptist Church headquarters are located in Lakeland, Florida
, and Dr. Henry J. Rodmon currently serves as General Bishop.
Free Will Baptist Church
Free Will Baptist is a denomination of churches that share a common history, name, and an acceptance of the Arminian theology of free grace, free salvation, and free will. Free Will Baptists share similar soteriological views with General Baptists, Separate Baptists and some United Baptists...
conferences in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Prior to emancipationEmancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
, black slaves and Free blacks
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
were members of predominantly white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
Free Will Baptist congregations in the United States. The first black Free Will Baptist minister was Robert Tash, ordained in 1827. African-Americans organized their first separate congregation in 1867 at Snow Hill in Greene County, North Carolina
Greene County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,974 people, 6,696 households, and 4,955 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 7,368 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
, the first annual conference in 1870, and the first association in 1887. The General Conference of United Free Will Baptists was formed in 1901. The United American Free Will Baptist Conference, Incorporated, was created in 1968, resulting from a division in the parent United American Free Will Baptist Church
United American Free Will Baptist Church
The United American Free Will Baptist Church is the oldest national body of predominantly black Free Will Baptists in the United States.-History:...
.
In 2003 the United American Free Will Baptist Conference had approximately thirty-five congregations, mostly in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, but also in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. In addition to the annual meeting of the General Conference, there are six regional conferences that meet annually: South Carolina Annual Conference, Louisiana/Arkansas Annual Conference, East Florida Annual Conference, West Florida Annual Conference, South Florida "A" Annual Conference, and South Florida "B" Annual Conference. UAFW Baptist Church headquarters are located in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, and Dr. Henry J. Rodmon currently serves as General Bishop.
Sources
- Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
- Dictionary of Baptists in America, Bill J. Leonard, editor
- International Circle of Faith Colleges and Seminaries