THE CROSS, THE CANDLE AND THE CROWN is the inspirational story about how members of a church in Augusta, Georgia, had the idea that black men, just two years after the end of slavery, could be educated for service to their communities. With a strong faith and a sincere hope, they established a school for young men that would produce literate preachers and teachers. The school faced financial exigencies and housing challenges in its early years but survived to become one of America's leading institutions of higher education. In 1866, this idea was fostered by three men, Edmund Turney, Richard Coulter, and William White, who believed that African American men--some free, others just out of bondage; some literate, many others illiterate--could be educated to serve their people. The idea came to fruition in 1867 when Augusta Theological Institute was opened in the sanctuary and balcony of Springfield Baptist Church. The school met the challenges of the late nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century and was eventually named Morehouse College in 1913, now located in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the story of Morehouse College, which still fosters the idea that black men can be educated for stewardship and service not only to their communities but to the world. The beliefs and dreams of the founders of Augusta Theological Institute in 1867 have developed into a world-class institution of higher education primarily for black men in keeping with its original mission but which is also open to men of all races and ethnicities. Morehouse did not develop in isolation but in conjunction with other colleges. Since 1965, when the Higher Education Act became law, Morehouse has been identified as an HBCU.