The Annual Diocesan Absalom Jones Observance for the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania will be held on Sunday afternoon, February 12, 2023, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 248 Seneca St., Harrisburg, PA 17110. All are invited to attend all or a some of the events.

Absalom Jones was an African American abolitionist and clergyman who became prominent in Philadelphia, PA. Disappointed at the racial discrimination he experienced in a local Methodist church, he founded the Free African Society with Richard Allen in 1787, a mutual aid society for African American in the city. The Free African Society included many people newly freed from slavery after the American Revolutionary War. Absalom Jones later founded the first black Episcopal congregation and became the first African American to be ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church in the United States.

The observance begins at 2pm with the Dr. George H. Love youth essay/arts contest awards ceremony. All youth are encouraged to participate. More details and deadline for submissions will be available in early December here: https://bit.ly/2023AJLoveAwards

An Agape meal follows the awards ceremony at 3pm. The meal is simple and consists of Mediterranean foods: grapes, vegetables, cheeses, pita bread, and olive oil. The emphasis is on sharing food and fellowship with one another.

The Evensong begins at 4pm and features the St. Paul's Fellowship Choir and the Capital Area Music Association (CAMA). All of the music will be by African American composers. Singers interested in being part of the St. Paul's Fellowship Choir should contact Christyan Seay at seayct518@verizon.net or call him at 717-580-6934 by January 15.

The observance is organized and sponsored by the Bishop Nathan Baxter Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians. Donations to support this observance and other Chapter events can be made at  https://donorbox.org/ube-nathan-baxter-chapter-union-black-episcopalians. Checks can be written to the Bishop Baxter Chapter, UBE and mailed to BBC UBE, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 248 Seneca St., Harrisburg, PA 17110. For more information contact us at ubebbc@gmail.com.