“Everyone is afraid,” Richard Allen said to his friend Absalom Jones.

Absalom nodded. “They are leaving the city,” he said. “Listen. You can hear the clatter of carriages.”

Richard helped a young girl take a sip of water. “Yes. Everyone is scared of catching the fever.” He placed a cool cloth on the girl's forehead. “But if we leave, the sick will have no one to help them.”

It was September 1793, and yellow fever raged in the city of Philadelphia. People dreaded the sickness. No one knew where it came from. No one knew how to treat it. The fever seemed to kill everyone in its path. The clatter of horse-drawn carriages filled the air as people hurried to leave.

Although he knew it was dangerous, Richard did not leave. Someone has to stay to help those too weak or poor to leave the city, he thought. Richard had faced danger before, and God had helped him. Richard knew God would help him now.

Richard was a leader of the citizens of Philadelphia. As a Methodist minister, he had preached to black congregations at St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church before forming a church of his own.

In 1787, Richard organized and led the Free African Society, a group dedicated to helping the poor and needy.

When yellow fever overtook Philadelphia, Richard and his friend Absalom met with the mayor. They discussed how they might help the people in their city. Their friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush, taught them how to care for the sick.

In 1793, little was known about yellow fever. At first, people thought Africans couldn't catch it. No one knew the deadly fever was spread by the bite of mosquitoes carrying the disease. Richard soon discovered that yellow fever could make anyone sick. Many of his friends died while helping others.

Richard organized volunteers to visit homes and care for the sick. He also hired 500 men to bury the thousands of people who had died. For more than two months, Richard helped in any way he could. It was a time of great sadness.

Finally, when the cold winds of winter came, the yellow fever came to an end. The clatter of horse-drawn carriages filled the air again as people returned to their homes in the city.

In January, the mayor of Philadelphia wrote a public announcement. He wrote that he had worked with Richard Allen and Absalom Jones almost daily during the horrible epidemic. The mayor said their hard work, commitment and the way they handled the situation was an outstanding example for everyone to follow.

Today people still remember the bravery, kindness and good deeds of Richard and his friends. In a time of need, their faith in God gave them strength and courage to do what others would not.

Friend to America

Born into slavery in 1760, Richard Allen bought his freedom and became a Methodist preacher. He was a strong Christian who believed it was his duty to spread the Gospel to blacks who were being mistreated. He was also a political leader who sought to help people follow Christian principles. Richard started a movement that encouraged blacks to be first-class Christians and first-class Americans. Richard died in 1831.

Read Luke 10:25-37. How was Richard Allen like the good Samaritan? In what ways can you help your family, friends and people in your city?