June 8, 2026

Brandywine Baptist Church on Route 1 in Chadds Ford Township held a ceremony in honor of America 250 on Sunday. And while there was a reading of the Declaration of Independence, the sermons and ceremonies were more about slavery in America and the Underground Railroad.

Pastor Robert Kossak said in a brief interview that the ceremony was prompted by honoring America’s 250^th anniversary, but there was more than that: we seek God’s blessings.

“It is PA 250, and we do believe that the Lord blesses nations, and our prayer is that no matter where we call home, that God would continue to bless the nation that we call home. We believe as a people, that that can only happen by God’s hand remaining upon that nation, and sharing the love, one with another, that Christ commands us to do,” Kossak said.

He added that he hoped the ceremony would bring people together in love.

“We have so much more that brings us together than that which divides us. The devil has done a horribly wonderful job from the beginning of dividing people. So, we just want to share the love of Jesus, which we believe brings people together,” he said.

A guest speaker was Crystal Crampton, president of the Kennett Underground Railroad Center and the vice chair of Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds.

“We’re here today to celebrate, not only America’s 250^th anniversary, but the history of Brandywine Baptist Church. The history of the church and its congregation is very rich and exciting,” she said.

She said the church was a part of the Underground Railroad movement of the 1860s, but that sadly, many records are somehow lost to history. However, Crampton said, that railroad did go beyond Chester County and moved into Delaware County as those people escaping slavery crossed the Brandywine, hoping to make their way to Philadelphia in the hope of being free.

There were challenges, she said, as those fleeing slavery had to find secure means of transportation and find those who could be trusted since there were still many slave catchers in the area.

She called the Brandywine an obstacle because “Most Brandywine crossings into Delaware County were under constant surveillance by slave catchers in hopes of catching freedom seekers.”

Unfortunately for some, she said. Some were caught and killed on site, but others were smart and made their way to Philadelphia.

She noted that the Brandywine Baptist Church was an offshoot of the Birmingham Friends because many of the members wanted to be baptized, and the church became a possible source of temporary safety, providing food and hospitalization to those seeking freedom. However, as said before, many of the records are missing, and Crampton hopes that there are those who might find family records or shore stories of how the church helped those runaways.

“Unfortunately, these records of the church are not available to look at, which could possibly answer all the questions we have. Now, we have to search for descendants who may still be living in this area,” Crampton said.

Following Crampton was the Rev. Tyrone Thompson, the pastor at Union Baptist Temple in Bridgeton, N.J., who said he was grateful for the opportunity to celebrate, and for the activity of the church and its participation in the Underground Railroad.

Thompson noted that while the country as a whole celebrates 250 years of freedom, not everyone can celebrate all 250.

“We’re here today because people of this congregation made a conscious effort to make the trip of freedom a reality for all,” he said, by taking part in the Underground Railroad. “This church chose to model the character of God.”

Thompson called that an act of civil disobedience.

He then cited the hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which later became known as the Black National Anthem. He said it’s been sung at Super Bowls, but only the first verse, and that all three verses should be sung. All three verses may be found here.

The final sermon came from Kossak, who raised the question of whether God supports slavery. He answered that it’s a matter of context. He said chattel slavery, as practiced in Egypt against the Israelites and later as it was practiced against blacks here in the United States, was wrong and condemned by God. He then spoke of those in bonded servitude to pay off a debt, and that was permitted as long as the person was treated properly and eventually released.

But then he came to another point: “The Bible is unambiguous. The entirety of humanity is divided into two spiritual categories, slaves to sin or slaves to Jesus.”

In that context, and it’s context that matters, he said, the Bible does endorse slavery, but not chattel slavery, but rather the slavery to God, not to sin.

He went on to say, “You can’t follow two masters.”

After the sermon, Deacon Mike O’Shaughnessy read a letter from President Donald Trump apologizing that he couldn’t attend the ceremony at Brandywine Baptist, and he then read the Declaration of Independence.

At the end came lunch, and most of the 50-plus who attended went into the fellowship hall for a minor feast.