February is recognized as Black History Month in the United States. The Church would be wise to take time to reflect on the history and ministries of our African-American brothers and sisters in particular.
John Marrant (1755-1791) is an often overlooked, yet important, individual in U.S., Canadian, and British mission history. Marrant was born a free man in New York, but spent a good deal of time in the South. He was converted through the ministry of George Whitefield and his associate. He later went on to preach to Native Americans/First Nations peoples and blacks in the U.S. and Canada. He had British support from Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, to travel to Nova Scotia as a missionary.
Much of what we know about Marrant comes from two writings: A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings with John Marrant: A Black and A Journal of the Reverend John Marrant.
Marrant was one of the early Black American preachers and missionaries.
Here is a recent video I posted at my YouTube Channel on the fascinating story of Marrant’s conversion and imprisonment among Native Americans that resulted in them coming to faith in Christ.