"Jaren Lee" [February 11 1783- Unknown]

Was the first woman known to petition the Frican Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church for authority to preach.She was born in Cape May New Jersey,and is recorded to have made a first request to preach in 1809 a Bethel African Methodist Church of Philadelphia. The denial of this request did not stop her from preaching, and neither did her family life.Jaren married Reverend Joseph Lee,and AME pastor, in 1811 and moved to Show Hill,New Jersey.In the sixth year of marriage,Joseph Lee died,and Jaren was left with two children and a commitment "to preach his gospel to the fallen sons and daughters of Adam's race." Jaren returned to Philadelphia and renewef her request to preach.Reverend Richard Allen,who who at Jarren first request could not find no precedent in Methodist discipline for women preaching,had become a bishop of the newly organized African Methodist Episcopal Church.Jaren asked "to be permitted the liberty of holding prayer meetings in my own house, and of exohorting as i found liberty." Bishop Allen granted the request and was affirmed in the decision when Jaren was moved to speak when Reverend Richard Williams,the assigned preacher for Bethel Church, appeared to lose the spirit.She spoke so well and so connecyed the text to her life that Bishop Allen publicly proclaimed her gifts.She went on to preach throughout the northeastern region.She ofen travel alone,her autobiography reports constant companship among African American evangelical women.Because Rev. Lee was intinerant preacher and bececause she carried out her ministry with and among  other "sister in Christ," she was a pathfinder for future preaching women, particularyly women of the AME Church.The constant and successful preaching efforts of AME women eventually forced the denomination to create gender-specific positions where no organizational authority for women had previously existed.