Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia,

Photo courtesy of alfredstreet.org

MIAMI – Eleven graduating college seniors from Saint Augustine University, a private historically Black Christian college in North Carolina, had the debts relieved thanks to one of the oldest Black megachurches in the nation.

According to a press release, Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, which was founded in 1803 and currently has roughly 10,000 members, donated $132,469 to eliminate the college debt of the graduates.

The donation was given before the May 3 commencement, with representatives of Alfred Street Baptist attending the graduation service.

“This is what ministry looks like,” the Rev. Howard-John Wesley, senior pastor of Alfred Street Baptist, said in the press release. “We believe in investing in students, in HBCUs, and in a future where financial hardship should never be a barrier to graduation.”

The donation comes at a time when SAU has been struggling to maintain its accreditation due to extensive financial woes that have forced The Episcopal Church-affiliated school to cut staff and many in-person classes.

Earlier this year, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges voted to terminate SAU’s accreditation.

Presently, the university is pursuing an arbitration process to appeal the decision.