Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. While itinerating in Liberia, Bishop Levi Scott ordained the first African deacons and elders in 1853. In 1856, the General Conference created a new position, the missionary bishop, to oversee the foreign mission fields. The Liberian Conference elected Francis Burns to be its missionary bishop, and he was consecrated in 1858, becoming the Methodist Episcopal Church's first African American bishop. As a missionary bishop, Burns was not considered a general superintendent of the church, and his episcopal authority was limited to his assigned field. Domestically, there were efforts among Native American tribes, such as the Wyandotte of Ohio;
St. James Episcopal Church (Amesbury, Massachusetts) St. James Episcopal Church (Amesbury, Massachusetts) St. James Episcopal Church is an historic parish in Amesbury, Massachusetts. St. James parish, in Amesbury, Massachusetts, has its roots in 18th century Anglican worship, and takes its present form from the Episcopal Church of the 19th century. Episcopalians were worshipping in Amesbury as early as 1711. The first Episcopal church was built around 1745, in what is now known as Union Cemetery (originally called Sandy Hill Cemetery). Around 1760, King George III's Chapel, part of the Church of England, was built in the Pond Hill section of town, which was, at that time,