Edler Garnet Hawkins facts for kids

Edler Garnet Hawkins (1908–1977) was an important Presbyterian church leader from New York City. He is remembered for bringing different Christian groups together and for being the first African American to lead the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. This top role was called the Moderator of the General Assembly.

Edler Garnet Hawkins' Story

His Early Life and Ministry

Edler Garnet Hawkins was born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1908. His parents had moved there from North Carolina and Virginia. He had four brothers and sisters, but two of them sadly died when they were babies.

As a child, Hawkins worked as a housepainter. He went to high school in the Bronx. After high school, he went to Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Later, he studied at the Union Seminary in New York City to become a minister.

Some of his teachers and mentors at the seminary included Henry Sloane Coffin, Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, and Harry F. Ward. He finished seminary in 1938. After graduating, he was asked to become the first pastor of St. Augustine Presbyterian Church in the Bronx.

In the 1930s, this church mostly had white members. However, the neighborhood was changing, with more African American families moving in. One church member convinced them to invite an African American minister to lead the church.

Leading St. Augustine Church

As the minister at St. Augustine, Hawkins had a lot of freedom in how he led the church. Soon after he arrived, he spoke out against the "Bronx slave market." This was a place where African American women were hired as domestic workers for very low pay. It was an unfair system.

Hawkins became known as the "Renaissance Man" because of his many talents. Under his leadership, St. Augustine grew from a small church into a very important place in the Harlem–Bronx community. It had over 1,000 members. At one point, famous singer Sammy Davis Jr. even held a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall to help the church.

Bringing People Together: Ecumenism

After World War II, Hawkins became more involved in the national Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. He strongly supported groups that worked to bring different Christian churches together. This effort is called ecumenism.

He was involved with groups like the World Council of Churches, the Federal Council of Churches, and the National Council of Churches. For the National Council of Churches, he represented the Presbyterian part of the group.

In 1958, Hawkins was chosen to lead the Presbytery of New York. Then, in 1964, he made history. He became the first African American to be elected as the Moderator of the General Assembly for the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA). This was a very high honor.

Meeting the Pope

While he was Moderator, Hawkins became the first Protestant leader from the United States to visit the pope. Pope Paul VI met with him in August 1964.

After his time as Moderator, Hawkins went to the 1968 meeting of the World Council of Churches in Uppsala, Sweden. He represented the UPCUSA there. In 1974, he was elected to the World Council's Central Committee. In this role, he played a big part in supporting the council's program to fight racism.

Later Life and Teaching

In 1971, Hawkins accepted a job as a professor at Princeton Seminary. He taught about practical theology and black studies. Edler Garnet Hawkins passed away a few years later in 1977.

See also

• List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America