| Format: | Paperback |
| Page Count: | 112 |
| Size: | 5.25 in x 8.0 in |
| Weight: | 8.0 ounces |
| ISBN-10: | 1-4335-9298-3 |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1-4335-9298-0 |
| ISBN-UPC: | 9781433592980 |
| Published: | September 23, 2025 |
The Story of Lemuel Haynes: The Preacher Who Challenged Injustice
By Anthony Coughlin, Illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty
Other Books in This Series:
The Story of Lemuel Haynes: The Preacher Who Challenged Injustice
By Anthony Coughlin, Illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty
Middle-Grade Biography on Lemuel Haynes, First Black Ordained Minister and Voice against Racial Injustice
Lemuel Haynes was a writer, preacher, and influential figure in the abolitionist movement who was determined to spread the good news of God’s grace, justice, and mercy in a nation filled with racism and injustice. Trusting in God’s loving providence throughout his life, Haynes became the first Black man to be ordained as a minister and to receive a master’s degree in the United States.
This short and lively biography takes middle-grade readers on an exciting journey through Haynes’s life, highlighting his difficult upbringing as an orphan and indentured servant, his adoption into a White family, his enlistment in the militia, and his passion for public ministry. His story teaches young readers that despite their sin and trials, God is at work bringing them closer to Jesus and making them more like him. Featuring illustrations, maps, timelines, bonus sidebars, and study questions, this addition to the Lives of Faith and Grace series engages kids ages 8–13 in the drama of history, showing how God worked in the past through ordinary people like them.
- Lively Biography: Explores the influential life of Lemuel Haynes, an important yet often unexplored figure in church history and the abolitionist movement
- Written for Kids Ages 8–13: This short format includes illustrations, maps, timelines, and bonus sidebars to help young readers stay engaged
- Inspiring: Teaches about God’s hand of providence and the power of the gospel to transform anyone, no matter where they come from
- Part of the Lives of Faith and Grace Series: Engages kids with the real-life stories of Christian men and women from history
Author:
Anthony Coughlin (MEd) serves as a pastor for Risen Christ Fellowship in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Anthony worked as an urban educator and curriculum designer for fifteen years and served as a bivocational pastor in an inner-city church plant. He is married to Cindy, and they have three children, one with the Lord (Micah), Jadon, and Olivia.
Illustrator:
T. Lively Fluharty is an accomplished illustrator whose artwork has appeared in such publications as Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Focus on the Family. His work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, Communications Arts, and Spectrum. Fluharty illustrated The Barber Who Wanted to Pray and The Boy and the Ocean, as well as Fool Moon Rising which he cowrote with his wife, Kristi.
Product Details
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Drowning in the Summer Sun (1760)
Chapter 2: Abandoned and Taken In (1753–1773)
Chapter 3: A Tale of Two Evenings (1773–1776)
Chapter 4: The Corpse, Conviction, and a Cause (1774–1776)
Chapter 5: Liberty for All? (1776)
Chapter 6: A Saturday Sermon (1774–1776)
Chapter 7: Sermons to Solemn Vows (1776–1783)
Chapter 8: Plowing New Fields (1785–1788)
Chapter 9: A Battle with Ballou (1805)
Chapter 10: Blood and Bittersweet Goodbyes (1818)
Chapter 11: Providence in Manchester (1819–1833)
Chapter 12: “May We Bring Forth Fruit in Old Age!” (1833)
Conclusion: Lessons from a Life
Timelines
More to Explore
Endorsements
“Anthony Coughlin has given us a treasure in this short, simple, and action-packed biography of Lemuel Haynes—the first Black man in the United States to be officially ordained by a church to serve as a minister. Coughlin helps us see the highs and lows of Lemuel’s life; but more than that, he shows us how God, in his providence, worked these highs and lows for good. And so you hold in your hands a good story about a good God who works all things together for good, as he so clearly did in the life of his son Lemuel Haynes. Take up and read, and learn how a sovereign God might use a weary but willing servant!”
Isaac Adams, Lead Pastor, Iron City Church, Birmingham, Alabama; author, Talking about Race: Gospel Hope for Hard Conversations
“You’re probably familiar with America’s early heroes: George Washington, Paul Revere, Ethan Allen. But in this biography, Anthony Coughlin introduces young readers to another significant figure from the period: Lemuel Haynes, a hero of the faith. Though Lemuel may be lesser known than his contemporaries, his courageous work as a theologian and preacher is no less important. Coughlin helpfully sets Lemuel in his historic context and demonstrates the value of faithful gospel ministry—in any age. May the Lord use this book to raise up more bold preachers like Lemuel!”
Megan Hill, Managing Editor, The Gospel Coalition; author; mother of four
“The Story of Lemuel Haynes is a readable, accessible biography for children. I highly recommend it. It is especially powerful in reminding us that it can be painful to consider sin and God’s judgment, but Anthony Coughlin traces these themes (among others) through Lemuel Haynes’s life to help us appreciate the grace of God more deeply by seeing it worked out through the life of this orphaned, indentured servant who became a preacher and a revolutionary inspiration.”
Raymond Johnson, Senior Pastor, Christ Church West Chester, Pennsylvania