What is the name of the reverend at First Purchase Church?

The reverend at First Purchase Church is Reverend Sykes. He leads the African Methodist Episcopal congregation that Calpurnia attends and welcomes Scout and Jem when she brings them to church.

First Purchase is named because it was bought with the first earnings of formerly enslaved people. The church’s modest building, limited resources, and distinctive hymn-leading practice give Scout an important glimpse into Calpurnia’s community and the social world beyond the Finch household.

Reverend Sykes also supports Tom Robinson’s family after the trial. He organizes a collection for Helen Robinson and her children, showing the congregation’s solidarity in the face of racial discrimination and economic hardship. The character is sometimes confused with other ministers in adaptations or study materials, but Sykes is the novel’s named church leader.