Page:A short account of the rise and progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America.djvu/12

 purpose they called a meeting of some of the most respectable and intelligent religious coloured men of the city, in order to consult upon the best method to proceed in this great undertaking, for coloured people in the city of New-York. The meeting was held in their Meeting-house in Cross Street, but the names of the persons who attended this meeting are not now recollected, as the minutes have not been preserved ; we can only add, from strength of memory, to those already given in the commencement, George E. Moore, Thomas Sipkins, David Bias, George White, Thomas Cook, John Teesman, and George Collins. After they had duly considered the object of the meeting, they concluded that theChurch should be under the Methodist government, and should be named the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. They then appointed nine Trustees, to attend to the business of the Church and getting up the house of worship, among whom were Francis Jacobs, William Brown, Thomas Miller, Peter Williams, Thomas Sipkins, William Hamilton, and George Collins ; the names of the others are at present forgotten. Francis Jacobs was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Thomas Miller, Treasurer, and George Collins, Secretary. The Trustees then issued subscriptions, and solicited the citizens of New-York for aid to build the contemplated house for religious worship; and when they had collected eighty dollars, they deposited the same in the hands of the Treasurer, Thomas Miller, and being anxious to commence the operation of building, they immediately appointed