The last several columns I’ve written have been to recognize and honor certain missionaries and preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that most of us have never heard of. They are some of the Unsung Heroes of the Faith.  

In this column I would like to focus on another gentleman that followed the Call of Christ to preach the truth of the Good News of Salvation, a freed Georgia slave named George Liele.  

George Liele eventually left America and went as a missionary to preach the gospel in Jamaica. Before he became a free-man in Georgia, Liele became a “free-man” in Christ when he became a Christian in 1773, at the age of 23, and he was baptized by a white pastor. Sometime after Liele came to Christ, his owner, a man by the name of Henry Sharp, who was a Baptist deacon, gave Liele his freedom so he could pursue God’s call on his life. So as a freed man, Liele preached for two years to the slaves on the plantations surrounding Savannah, Georgia and on into South Carolina.  

In 1773, he was instrumental in starting the first Black Baptist Church in North America, a church that still exists today in Savannah, called First African Baptist Church.  

On May 20, 1775, George Liele became the first ordained Black Baptist preacher in the American Colonies. As a result of Liele’s godly example and his Spirit anointed preaching, many slaves and freedmen surrendered their lives to Christ.  

In 1778, George Liele’s friend and former master, Henry Sharp was killed in the Revolutionary War. Shortly after Sharp’s death, his heirs, seeing George Liele’s notoriety, tried to re-enslave him. As a result, Liele was thrown into prison.  

Eventually, Liele was able to produce the proper documents showing he was a legitimately freed man, and he was eventually released from jail Soon after Liele’s release, Colonel Moses Kirkland of the British army, befriended Liele and helped him and his family leave the country. Liele repaid his debt to Kirkland, and he obtained a certificate of freedom for himself and his family. He and his wife, Hannah, and their four children left Savannah and landed in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1782.  

Back when the Lieles arrived in Jamaica it was a British colony; but soon, Liele found land to preach on and he found an enslaved people who needed a missionary for Jesus Christ. The slaves were brought from Africa to Jamaica to work on the sugar plantations. These men and women didn’t know about Jesus Christ and the Christian message of love and hope and forgiveness, so George and Hannah began to teach and preach the gospel to them.  

Soon the Lieles started a church, and they held baptism services every three months. These baptisms were made public events and those professing Christ were baptized in the nearby ocean or river. Large crowds would gather to witness the events. It wasn’t long and the work of this Black Church and the public baptisms gained a lot of attention which led to periods of persecution. 

Eventually, George Liele was charged with “preaching sedition” and he was arrested and placed in prison. He was later acquitted of the charges, and he was once again released. Despite facing these hostilities, during the eight years of preaching, he was able to baptize 500 people and establish a strong church there in Jamaica. Not only did Liele’s ministry have a spiritual impact on the island, but his work also made a social difference for the Jamaican slaves.  

By July 31, 1838, slavery was eradicated in Jamaica. In 1814, there were only about 8,000 Baptists in Jamaica. This number included slaves, freedmen, and some white people. However, as a result of George Liele’s ministry, by 1832 there were over 20,000 professing believers in Jesus Christ on the island of Jamaica. Liele was an anointed preacher, church planter, missionary, evangelist, and a great disciple-maker. He was known for encouraging his converts to go themselves and preach the gospel to the lost. As a result of the leadership of George Liele, Jamaican missionaries were sent to Savannah, Georgia in America; to Nova Scotia in Canada; and to Sierra Leone in Africa.  

The Rev. Adoniram Judson is often called the first Baptist missionary from the United States; but, in all reality, this designation belongs to a former slave by the name of George Liele, the black man who earned the name of “Negro slavery’s prophet of deliverance.”  

George Liele died in in Jamaica in 1828. However, by 1887 the number of Jamaican churches had grown to a membership of 31,000 as a result of George’s ministry. He may have begun his life as a slave, but he lived as a free man in Christ. He left a rich legacy of thousands who were transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian author, David Shannon, summed up Liele’s life of ministry this way:  

“The Christianity practiced by Liele was not limited to one nation, colony, or ethnic group but was a faith found and spread through interaction with colonists and national leaders in the Americas and England.  

“In turn, this broad vision of Christianity shaped and spread a variety of Christian experience that became widespread and influential in black, white, and integrated congregations in Georgia, South Carolina, Jamaica, Nova Scotia, Sierra Leone, and beyond.”  

His story is an important part of the history of Christian missions and George Liele is worthy of recognition and honor.