Rev. Absalom Jones was born enslaved in Delaware, moved to Philadelphia with his owner and worked in his grocery store. Jones saved enough money to buy his own freedom in 1784, and when he married, he sent out appeals for donations and loans with which to buy the freedom of his wife. He knew that if she were free, their children would be, also. They worked overtime for years to be able to repay those loans. He became a lay preacher at Philadelphia’s St. George Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1787 he and Richard Allen led a walkout of black members of the church because of its discriminatory seating policy — blacks were required to sit at the back of the balcony. Rev. Jones persuaded the Episcopal Bishop of Philadelphia to accept the group. He and Allen were the first two black Americans to be formally ordained in any denomination. Rev. Jones spoke out against slavery and in support of liberty. His church, St. Thomas, soared in numbers the first year to more than 500 members. “God acts on behalf of the oppressed,” said Rev. Jones.