As our society becomes more secular, it also becomes more transactional. As a result, the ideals of compassion, love, and grace diminish, and Christianity becomes more and more countercultural. Our children must learn early in life that coercion, greed, and force fail to foster a society built upon the biblical injunction of justice and righteousness. The only response to coercion, greed, and force are our Christian core values. These forces of good, which come from God, will outlive the vices that continue to corrupt our culture.
Deaconess Anna Ellison Butler Alexander realized this in the 19th century. As a first-generation free African American woman living in a culture of racism and bigotry, she used her faith and wisdom to serve those in her community and beyond. She taught in the public schools of Pennick, Georgia and at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church Church in Darien, Georgia. In 1894, the Deaconess founded a mission and school for African Americans in rural Glynn County, Georgia.
The Church of the Good Shepherd’s School in Pennick taught generations of students to read and write, which helped instill the values and beliefs of the Episcopal Church. In addition to traditional academic subjects, Deaconess Alexander also focused on teaching students how love, compassion, and grace impact the world—even the world full of racism and bigotry such as the rural south.
Today thousands of Episcopal Schools across the country not only teach students the “hard skills” of math, science, literature, and history but also foster in their students a sense of virtue by teaching them the Christian principles of love, joy, peace, mercy, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The core values reflected and reinforced in chapel worship services teach students that they part of something greater than themselves. God calls them to respect the dignity of every human being, to care across our differences, and to make the stranger our neighbor. In essence, the core values become more important than the “hard skills” instruction of the classroom.
Deaconess Alexander fostered in her students the reality that they were created in the Divine image and therefore they too inherited reason, intellect, and skill that could be coupled with compassion , love, and grace. She inspired many students to attend historically Black institutions throughout the South, including her own alma mater, St. Paul Normal and Industrial School, which became St. Paul’s College, in Lawrenceville, Virginia. She paved the way for future generations of children to succeed as Christians and good citizens.
Education was only one element of her mission. As the first African American deaconess of the Episcopal Church, she served the people of Peninck and Darien her entire life. She led by example throughout her 60 years of ministry at Good Shepherd Church. She never allowed inconvenience to stand in the way of her ministry. For example, in addition to running her two-room schoolhouse, she also rowed 15 miles down the Altamaha River to serve the people of St. Cyprian’s in Darien. Her faith and fortitude inspired others to serve in Christ’s name. Her parishioners supported the poor and marginalized in surrounding communities as well as people in need throughout the world. Church members surrendered their pennies and nickels to raise funds supporting the rebuilding efforts in Japan following the 1932 earthquake that killed 200,000 people.
Her legacy lives on in our Church. Episcopal schools across the country lean on core values reflecting the values and ministry of Deaconess Anna Ellison Butler Alexander. If we lead our students in school and at home to carry out these core values, then the future of the Episcopal Church will be in good hands.
Discover more from Grow Christians
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
This is a wonderful article, and speaks so well of the dediation of Deaconess Anna Alexander. She should be honored for assisting a neglected culture to have skills to grow beyond their birth. I suspect, many of African disent who have excelled can trace their success to her dedication. In todays world I wonder if we need to discribe her kindness as honoring the humanity of each other. Unfortunately the title Christianity has been used in ways that cause some in our culture to immediately create a mental wall.
Thank you for your response to the article. I agree with your perspective and it is a shame that “Christianity” creates a mental wall. I know for many of my Jewish friends and colleagues the cross has extremely negative connotations. As Christians, we have a history of non-Christ-like behaviors for which we have to atone.