Gilbert Haven
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Haven was a Bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
, elected in 1872. He was consecrated a bishop on May 24, 1872 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
in New York. He was an early benefactor of Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University
), visualizing it as a university of all the Methodist schools founded for the education of freedmen (former African American slaves). He succeeded Bishop Davis Wasgatt Clark
(for whom Clark College was named) as the President of the Freedman's Aid Society
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
.
He married Mary Ingraham in 1851; she died ten years later. They had two children, one of whom, William, served for 29 years as the general secretary of the American Bible Society
.
He was born September 19, 1821 in Malden, Massachusetts
and died there the evening of January 3, 1880. In 1846 he graduated with honors from Wesleyan University
and then taught Greek and Latin He traveled widely, visiting the Holy Land
, Africa, Mexico
and Europe, and was an early proponent of equality of the sexes. He became a member of the New England Annual Conference
in 1851, and served as bishop in Atlanta
to a conference composed entirely of African Americans. When in Liberia
three years before he died, he contacted malaria
, from which he never fully recovered, and which finally caused his death.
He believed in the absolute equality of all persons, and if they are equal in the eyes of God, he held that civil society would have to recognize their equality under law and in practice. He was absolutely opposed to the practice of any type of racial separation in churches. Due to his radical egalitarian views, shocking at the time, no Northern conference would have him as a bishop---hence, his appointment to an all black mission conference.
Among the books he wrote were The Pilgrim's Wallet (1864) on travel; National Sermons (1869), Sermons, Speeches and Letters on Slavery and its War, and Life of Father Taylor.
After the Civil War he was editor of Zion's Herald, a weekly newspaper for New England's Methodists.
After his death Benjamin Tanner, editor of The Christian Recorder, wrote: "he was one of the few that made public opinion rather than followed it; and happily...he made it on the side of the poor..and the ostracized."
Bishop Haven is included in the Calendar of Saints
prepared by the Order of Saint Luke
and recommended for The United Methodist Church.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
, elected in 1872. He was consecrated a bishop on May 24, 1872 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
in New York. He was an early benefactor of Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University...
), visualizing it as a university of all the Methodist schools founded for the education of freedmen (former African American slaves). He succeeded Bishop Davis Wasgatt Clark
Davis Wasgatt Clark
Davis Wasgatt Clark was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1864; the first President of the Freedman's Aid Society; and the namesake of Clark Atlanta University, an HBCU.-Birth and Rebirth:...
(for whom Clark College was named) as the President of the Freedman's Aid Society
Freedman's Aid Society
The Freedmen’s Aid Society was founded in 1861 during the American Civil War by the American Missionary Association , a group supported chiefly by the Congregational, Presbyterian and Methodist churches in the North. It organized a supply of teachers from the North and provided housing for them,...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
.
He married Mary Ingraham in 1851; she died ten years later. They had two children, one of whom, William, served for 29 years as the general secretary of the American Bible Society
American Bible Society
The American Bible Society is an interconfessional, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, founded in 1816 in New York City, which publishes, distributes and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible.It is probably best known for its...
.
He was born September 19, 1821 in Malden, Massachusetts
Malden, Massachusetts
Malden is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,450 at the 2010 census. In 2009 Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine.-History:...
and died there the evening of January 3, 1880. In 1846 he graduated with honors from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
and then taught Greek and Latin He traveled widely, visiting the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, Africa, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Europe, and was an early proponent of equality of the sexes. He became a member of the New England Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
in 1851, and served as bishop in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
to a conference composed entirely of African Americans. When in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
three years before he died, he contacted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, from which he never fully recovered, and which finally caused his death.
He believed in the absolute equality of all persons, and if they are equal in the eyes of God, he held that civil society would have to recognize their equality under law and in practice. He was absolutely opposed to the practice of any type of racial separation in churches. Due to his radical egalitarian views, shocking at the time, no Northern conference would have him as a bishop---hence, his appointment to an all black mission conference.
Among the books he wrote were The Pilgrim's Wallet (1864) on travel; National Sermons (1869), Sermons, Speeches and Letters on Slavery and its War, and Life of Father Taylor.
After the Civil War he was editor of Zion's Herald, a weekly newspaper for New England's Methodists.
After his death Benjamin Tanner, editor of The Christian Recorder, wrote: "he was one of the few that made public opinion rather than followed it; and happily...he made it on the side of the poor..and the ostracized."
Bishop Haven is included in the Calendar of Saints
Calendar of saints
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...
prepared by the Order of Saint Luke
Order of St. Luke
The Order of Saint Luke is an ecumenical religious order, dedicated to sacramental and liturgical scholarship, education, and practice.As a Christian religious order, it is a dispersed community of women and men, lay and clergy, from many different denominations, seeking to live the sacramental life...
and recommended for The United Methodist Church.