Jarena Lee was born on February 11, 1783, in Cape May, New Jersey. She was born into freedom, but Cape May's close ties to commerce and culture, along with Maryland's eastern shore and Virginia's northern borders, meant that she was likely exposed from an early age to the inhumanities that characterized southern slavery. At the age of seven, Lee was separated from her parents and sent to live as a servant for a Caucasian family sixty miles from home. The names and occupations of his parents are unknown, but what concerns them is that they were totally ignorant of the knowledge of God and, therefore, had not given him any instructions regarding the question of God or religion . Lee's lack of knowledge of God caused him great confusion throughout his spiritual journey. Jarena Lee has experienced conviction of her sinfulness on many levels and many times. She had a lifelong battle with the guilt of her sinful nature and it took her a long time to understand her true salvation in Christ. The guilt overwhelmed her so much that on several occasions she thought about ending her life to free herself from her guilt. Finally, true salvation was revealed to her and she was baptized. Several years later, after her baptism, Mrs. Lee received her call to preach. She shared her calling with her pastor, Rev. Allen, but he told her that the Methodist Church “did not call women preachers.” Lee did not receive ordination as a preacher at this time, so she chose to minister as an unlicensed exhorter. In 1818, Lee sought permission from Richard Allen to hold prayer meetings in her home and he granted her request. In his mid-30s, Lee started...... middle of paper...... and inspires us to overcome any situation; pursue our callings without ceasing, knowing that he who began a good work in us will carry it on until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ!BibliographyAndrew, William L., ed. Sisters of the Spirit; Three Autobiographies of Nineteenth-Century Black Women, Bloomington, IN: University Press 1986. Carney-Smith, Jessie., ed. Notable Black American Women. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc. 1992. Kurtzman-Lovecraft. American National Biography. New York, New York. Oxford University Press 1999. Lee, Jarena. The life and religious experiences of Jarena Lee. Philadelphia, PA: Author 1836.Lee, Jarena. Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee. Philadelphia, PA: Author 1849.McMickle, Marvin A. An Encyclopedia of African American Christian Heritage. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press 2002.