The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr.
Thought for the Week: “Always work to share our AME history, promote our legacy, and help those who simply want sensationalism to find a home; if ours is uncomfortable for them.”
(Author unnamed)
--Reminders--
-Challenge VII – Reading the Bible from Cover to Cover: April 1, 2011
- Palm Sunday: April 17, 2011
- Easter Sunday: April 24, 2011
(Author unnamed)
--Reminders--
-Challenge VII – Reading the Bible from Cover to Cover: April 1, 2011
- Palm Sunday: April 17, 2011
- Easter Sunday: April 24, 2011
1. EDITORIAL – THE ALTAR AND THE SACRIFICE ARE INTIMATELY RELATED TO EACH OTHER:
Dr.
The 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
I am postponing again the editorial scheduled for this week because I have had several inquiries about another subject that is important in our Zion.
The issue was raised about the “altar.”
The question about the altar seems like a simple issue to address because we invite parishioners to “Come to the altar.” In many of our churches, we have an “Altar Call” as part of the worship liturgy, though an “Altar Call” is not listed in The African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal or the AMEC Book of Worship. We sing hymns about the altar. One such hymn is “You Have Longed for Sweet Peace,” which asks the question, “Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
And some church secretaries and pastors have trouble with the word, “altar” often listing “alter,” which means “to change or modify.” When I write about the altar, I have to be sure to spell-check to insure that I haven’t misspelled the word.
Some pastors invite parishioners to leave their problems on, or at the altar.
So the term altar is a part of our lexicon. In most churches the term is probably used every Sunday.
The question is, what is the altar? Where is it? What is its purpose in worship and liturgy. Why do we have altars in AME Churches?
There are things and areas in my home that are sacrosanct; they are special. There are dishes and glasses that are “off limits.” I don’t touch them and there are probably some dishes and silverware that have never been touched. When our children and grandchildren visit, they know certain things and areas are off-limits. The living room and the dining room are off limits for routine gatherings.
No one has ever cautioned me or mentioned to me that certain items or areas in my home were off-limits, but over time I have just come to understand that some things are sacrosanct. I haven’t sat in the dining room since last Christmas. Why are certain areas and certain things in the home off-limits and how did they come to be off-limits, I am not sure. Things happen over time and often we forget why things happen.
I think the same thing has happened with the altar in AME Churches.
It seems that the altar might have become relegated to something that’s off-limits and we don’t know why or how it came to be such an enigma; so much so, that we have forgotten its purpose. I suspect if you ask some of our members to identify the altar, they could not do so. And if you asked them what part the altar plays in the life of our Zion, they would be at a loss.
There are so many questions that need to be answered. What is the altar and what function does the altar play in the life of the AME Church? Does the altar serve some kind of function? Is the altar in our churches simply there for decoration or should it serve some purpose? Pews serve a purpose, we sit on them. The chancel rail serves a purpose; it serves as a boundary and we kneel there. The pulpit serves a purpose; sermons are preached from the pulpit. Prie-dieus serve a purpose; we kneel and pray there. The baptistery or font serves a purpose; people are baptised.
So what is the purpose of the altar or what should the purpose of the altar be in the in the African Methodist Episcopal Church?
The altar
The definition of “altar” in The American Collegiate Dictionary is, “An elevated place or structure, typically a table before which religious ceremonies may be enacted or upon which sacrifices may be offered; a structure, typically a table, before which the divine offices are recited and upon which the Eucharist is celebrated in Christian churches.”
The altar is the table.
In most of AME Churches, the altar is situated in the chancel area behind the chancel rail, which some call the “altar rail” or “Communion rail.” The Holman Bible Dictionary defines altar as, “a structure used in worship as the place for presenting sacrifices to God...”
In biblical times the altar was the place of sacrifice, where the sacrifice was offered. In antiquity, sacrifices, the blood of the unblemished animal was offered on the altar.
So, the altar is the table in the chancel, which is describes in The American Heritage Dictionary describes the chancel as, “The space around a church altar for the clergy and sometimes the choir, often enclosed by a lattice or railing.
Some denominations do not have altars. As an aside, I have noticed that some evangelical churches and some televangelists will invite people to go forward for an “altar call” when the church or worship space does not have an altar.
Many evangelical churches, by design do not have altars. For instance Baptist Churches, historically do not have altars. Generally speaking Baptist churches have three tables: the table for the poor, the table for the Lord, and a table of the pastor.
Protestant Churches from the Reformed tradition, Baptists, Congregational and nondenominational churches have a table with an open Bible and candles; either two candles or two candelabras. The table in those churches are not called altars, they are called communion tables. They view communion as a memorial rather than a sacrament, and so they do not want to confuse their table with an altar because they do not view communion in a sacrificial way. AMEs view communion as a sacrament.
The Methodist family of churches, which includes the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Lutheran churches, Anglican churches, Roman Catholic churches view Holy Communion as a sacrament and the table upon which the elements of Communion are placed is called an altar because of our sacramental understanding of Holy Communion. What sacramental churches call an altar, non-sacramental churches call a communion table.
In Methodist Churches, the altar usually has a cross, an open Bible, two candle sticks or two candelabras and sometimes the offering plates. The Cross on altar represents the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus Christ paid for our sins; the lighted candles represent the presence of Jesus Christ among us; and the open Bible is a reminder of the sufficiency of God’s Word.
After the offertory, the filled offering plates that have been blessed are placed on the altar because the offering represents our sacrifice to God and the sacrifice belongs on the altar. As a matter of fact, the offering plates, filled or empty, because they hold our sacrifices; most appropriately should be placed within the chancel area.
The altar should never be a common space, but a holy and revered space. Clergy and laity should not lean on it; or place books, papers or other items on it. Flower vases, or decorations should not be placed on the altar.
The primary function of the altar today is the place where Holy Communion is celebrated and nothing should detract from the Eucharist. It is appropriate for our sacrifices that have been blessed to be placed on the altar, but not during the service of Holy Communion because the offering plates would detract from the centrality of the Eucharist on a Communion Sunday. When the service of Holy Communion is being celebrated it is more appropriate to place the filled offering plates in an appropriate place in the chancel area.
Our blessed sacrifices (monetary offerings) should be considered sacred and should remain within the chancel area until taken out to be counted. The blessed offerings are made holy by dedicating our gifts to God and should not be treated as something “ordinary.”
Preachers encourage their parishioners to tithe and make sacrifices by giving their best; then instead of treating their sacrifice as holy and acceptable to God, we place their gifts on a table against the wall as we would place some papers and books. When we do that, we do not model to the parishioners that their sacrifices are holy.
Part-time altars
Many of our churches only make use of the altar on First Sundays, and most of our churches do a great job in preparation for Holy Communion. AME stewardesses do a superb job and I love going into an AME Church on a First Sunday.
The sacrifice and offering plates
The offering plates, which should not be called, “collection plates” bear our sacrifices, and should be treated as holy because the offering plates hold that which is dedicated and presented to God when we sing “All Things of Thee…” or “Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow.”
Biblically, where was the place for sacrifices? On the altar.
The money in the offering plate is our sacrifice and it is appropriate to place it on the altar – the table that sits inside the chancel.
There is a logic in placing the offering on the altar
I am afraid that in many of our churches, we treat the offering as collected money and not as a sacrificial offering. Our preachers encourage parishioners to give liberally and to tithe because the church has to pay its bills, which includes the pastor’s salary, presiding elder’s assessment, the general budget, and property upkeep.
Most often, the offering is lifted and the money in the offering plate is placed on another table, not the altar. So parishioners view the collection as “ordinary” and in their minds it is “common,” not sacred. That perception needs to change so that parishioners view their monetary gifts as sacred offerings to God instead of a church collection of dues in support of the church structure and the church staff.
When parishioners have the perception of the offering as a collection or dues, it gives them a wide range of options because what should be treated as sacred becomes, in their minds, ordinary, which gives them options they might not have if they viewed their offerings as sacrificial gifts.
With the perception of their money as a church collection, parishioners have the option to give less or not give at all. If a parishioner gets angry and does not like the pastor, don’t like the church officers, don’t think the general budget should be paid or don’t like the presiding elder; they often “tighten the pocketbook” with a clear conscience.
With a paradigm shift of the giving of money as a sacrificial offering to God and treating the offering as sacred and placed on the altar, over time, the theological and biblical perspectives of stewardship will be embraced and parishioners will understand that their offering is their gift to God.
I have said all of that to say that the offering plates should be considered holy and there is nothing inappropriate about placing the offering plates on the altar - that table that sits within the chancel area. The altar is one of the most sacred places in the sanctuary and it if appropriate to place our gifts on the altar.
The second table
So how did we get the second table and sometimes a third table?
I suspect that we saw other churches using another table for offerings, not realizing that their table had a different meaning in their worship tradition.
I remember seeing two tables in some of our AME Churches when “love offerings” were taken; one for the preacher and one for the church. I guess it was convenient and over time we adopted the practice.
Two or three tables in the sanctuary is not AME, that’s a Baptist or reform church tradition.
We need to get back to our Methodist roots and understand why we do what we do.
.
Hopefully, next week’s editorial: “The Bishop makes the decision, but the weight falls on the Board of Examiners!”
Future Editorials: “Mistakes Made by Parishioners”, “Mistakes made by Pastors”, Mistakes made by Presiding Elders”
2. READER RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL AND OTHER ISSUES:
To the Editor:
RE: TCR Challenge VII to “Read the Bible from Cover to Cover”
I am sure you are aware of the One Year Bible. Although it is designed to take a year to read it is formatted to include Old Testament Lesson, New Testament Gospel, a Psalm and verses from Proverbs. I read rather rapidly so I can do this in less than 10 minutes. It is designed for 15 minutes. It is available in hard cover and paperback.
I think Bishop Green gave out these paperback editions from his campaign booth. They were wrapped in green tissue. When I am traveling I take it with me because it is much lighter than my hardcover.
I am now on another trip through the word, watching God's words fly off the page at me daily. The Bible is formatted so if a day is missed it is easy to catch up because it is dated with the month and the day.
Julie Hagwood, fourth District, Chicago Conference
- To the Editor:
RE: awareness of American Cancer Society’s colorectal cancer screening promotion
First let me thank you and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Darby for bringing awareness to American Cancer Society’s colorectal cancer screening promotion.
In September of 2010 it was discovered that my colon cancer had spread to my liver. I was in shock and because of location. I was diagnosed as stage IV colon cancer. They also saw a spot on my lung that my doctors were concerned about. I was once again placed back on chemo in October of 2010 after completing it 6 months prior.
On February 16, 2011, I once again had surgery, this time to remove the four tumors from my liver, because the liver can regenerate itself, they cut half of my liver off were four tumors were located and they burned the fourth one out.
I had my first scan on last Friday and got my results back on yesterday. For the first time in seven months they don't see any signs of cancer in or around my liver, the Lords Name be praised. The spot on my lung they will monitor and for now treat is as scar tissue.
We must get tested; we cannot allow them to tell us we can wait until we are 50. I was diagnosed at age 45, because I was a foster child I do not know my family history, looking back, I would have gotten tested at age 40.
Now at age 47, I can now begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have four months of chemo to take which will begin in April, all I can say is , I am thankful to be alive and pray I will see many more years of good health.
My congregation Emmanuel AME, Hartly, Delaware has been outstanding in showing me their love, and support these past fifteen months, I cannot thank them enough along with Bishop Richard Franklin Norris, who has prayed with me by phone and in person; for this I will ever be grateful.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Michael Washington
- To the Editor:
As I read The Christian Recorder, last week, I noticed that the Rev. D. Harry L. Seawright's name was left off of the list of Candidates for Bishop that attended the Global Development Council, in South Africa.
Pamela J. King-
Union Bethel AME Church - Public Relations
3. AMEC DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL WITNESS AND
Church World Service
Situation Report
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
March 20, 2011
Situation: Japan is dealing with multiple crises, including the increased threat of radiation exposure from several nuclear power plants. The official death toll from the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami has risen to 2,722 people and is expected to continue to increase.
Some 400,000 people are now living in makeshift shelters or evacuations,
Response:
CWS plans to support response efforts by the Japan Platform, a coalition of 32 non-governmental organizations, government service agencies and media outlets, with CWS providing support and channeling contributions to individual members of the Japan Platform. CWS plans to issue an appeal outlining the specifics of the response later this week.
Church World Service is also prepared to support, if needed, efforts of faith-based partners in Japan, including the National Christian Council of Japan and the United Church of Christ in Japan.
In addition, CWS-member denominations report the following responses in Japan:
++United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples): Primary partner in Japan in Japan is the United Church of Christ in Japan, which has received a small grant from the US denominations. The UCCJ has established a relief planning committee which is responsible for initial actions, including investigation, consolation visits and planning and dispatched to the Tohoku and Ou districts. UCCJ has also provided a status update on their churches, many of which were damaged or destroyed. UCC/DOC also has a number of mission personnel in Japan teaching ESL or working with local churches.
++The United Methodist Church has numerous mission personnel in Japan, one of whom is working with National Christian Council of Japan. There are a number of Methodist churches in Japan. United Methodist Committee on Relief has set up a Pacific Emergency UMCOR Advance Account for those who wish to support this response.
++PC (USA) has nine mission personnel in Japan. The denomination and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are currently determining the focal areas of support, with some perhaps to help local churches and some to support broader humanitarian efforts. PC (USA) has numerous church partners and contacts within Japan and is assessing the impact of the disaster on those partners and their consequent needs.
++The American Baptist Church is related to the Japan Baptist Union and has numerous mission personnel in Japan. ABC also has relationship with independent school in Sendai, which previously was connected to the Baptist Union. ABC has an initial support grant of $20,000 to the Japan Baptist Union for support in coming days/weeks.
++The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a companion relationship with the Japan ELC which also has a social service arm. The ELCA has 22 mission personnel in Japan and numerous churches and has sent some initial funding support to JELC which will be used to provide some immediate food and water assistance to communities/displaced persons.
++ The African Methodist Episcopal Church does not have a partnering relationship with churches in Japan, but for those who wish to contribute may mail your contributions through The Department of Global Witness and
How to Help: Contributions to support CWS emergency response effort may be sent to your denomination (Global Witness &
Church World Service is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance advocacy.
CWS Development and Humanitarian Assistance Program/CWS New York office: (212) 870-3151
Department of Global Witness and
**Received from Dr. George F. Flowers, Executive Director, Global Witness and
4. TCR BOOK RECOMMENDATION BY BISHOP A.J. RICHARDSON:
"American Methodist Worship" by Karen B. Westerfield - Tucker
The hard copy sells for $110.
The paperback sells for $35.
The Kindle download sells for $19.25.
Editor’s Note: I ordered my copy through www.
The book includes not only the things we would expect from the United Methodist
5. TCR CHALLENGE VII TO “READ THE BIBLE FROM COVER TO COVER” BEGINNING APRIL 1, 2010:
I am offering another challenge to read the Bible from Cover to Cover beginning April 1, 2011. I started Challenge VI with the 180-Day reading schedule on September 4, 2010 and finished March 14, 2011. The 180-Day schedule seems to fit my schedule, although I do like the 90-Day Schedule too.
For those of you who may have had difficulty, you might try starting with a goal of just reading the gospels or the New Testament instead of trying to tackle to whole Bible. I encourage those who accept the challenge to set a goal for yourself and stick with that goal. Your goal can be the first five books of the Bible, the prophets, the gospels, the Pauline letters; or any parts of the Bible.
I have sent out TCR News Breaks with the One-Year, 90-Day and 180-Day reading plans for reading the Bible from Cover to Cover.
The most difficult Bible for me was the Message Bible; I found the Message Bible more difficult because the modern language. I am thinking about reading the King James Version of the Bible this time. In the past I have always used the New International Version (NIV) or the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV); and either one of those versions is what I recommend.
I am extending the invitation for you to join me in a regular reading of a portion of the Bible or reading the Bible from Cover to Cover.
The Bible is an exciting book to read!
Message From Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson:
I plan to join you in this wonderful spiritual exercise again. The first time I took the challenge, it was my intent to read the Bible through in 60 days; I accomplished it in 66 days. Do see any significance in that? (66 days corresponding to 66 Books? Believe me, it was not intentional.) It was a great experience!
I recently purchased "The Bible in 90 Days." It is specially designed for the reader to read a mere 12 pages per day to complete the feat in 90 days. I also have on hand "The Story." Each year, my wife and I purchase and distribute Bibles (edited and published for children and teens) to the delegates attending the Christian Education Congress here in the Second District. As you are aware, it is a mere 462 pages. We gave away 1200 copies of the "Teen Edition" last summer. My Annual Conferences begin very soon, it is my aim this time to have read the Holy Scriptures through by the closing of the Western North Carolina Conference on June 4. That's 74 days from today.
So, what is the point and purpose of such an exercise?
1). It reconnects the reader to the ancient words that have come to us almost unmolested. It is the reason we can still use it as the foundation and starting point for our sermonizing. I continue to be amazed at the wisdom and insights that are, in many ways, quite "modern." I am made to wonder how ordinary - assumed to be untutored - men (and undoubtedly a few women) could manage to have this kind of insight except through an anointing of divine "inspiration."
2). It is the satisfaction derived from actually having accomplished what amounts to a spiritual discipline. As Methodists, our fundamental "difference," indeed our contribution to Christendom is the practical discipline of daily devotion. It is the paradigm of what we inherited from John and Charles Wesley, the Holy Club, and from Richard Allen. It is a methodical, daily exercise; and as with any daily exercise regimen, muscles develop and grow. In this case, spiritual and intellectual muscles will be the product of daily devotion which includes the deliberate reading of the sacred writ.
3). It is reading (and perhaps re-reading) these narratives in context; re-introducing ourselves to these characters and finding new angles and insights to their words, their character, their ways of solving problems and personal crises, and to discover new insights about why their lives and their words still have meaning, value and relevance in our own reality - today.
Well, I had better stop chatting and start reading since I have set my sights on a 74 day
Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson
Presiding Prelate, 2nd Episcopal District
Message From Bishop Sarah Frances Davis:
I accept your Challenge VII to read the Bible from cover to cover beginning April 1, 2011, and I am also challenging the 16th Episcopal District family to join me. During the WMS Convention in Barbados tonight I challenged the Windward Islands Conference Missionaries. [We will let you know how many accept the challenge.]
I have been reading the One Year Bible from cover to cover since 1990. In that time I have only missed one year of not reading the complete Bible.
Occasionally during this time I have changed the versions of the Bible that I read each year, but I have never altered the different reading plans until this year. This year I am currently following the Chronological Reading Plan. April 1st, however, I will switch to the 180 day plan and join you and your readers who accept your challenge.
Bishop Sarah F. Davis
Presiding Prelate, 16th Episcopal District
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Editor’s Note: Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson has accepted the position of Honorary Chair of the 90-Day Reading the Bible from Cover to Cover and Bishop Sarah Frances Davis has accepted the position of Honorary Chair of the 180-Day Reading of the Bible from Cover to Cover.
I hope those who will accept the challenge to read the Bible from Cover to Cover understand, “Discipline” is the key, whether one chooses the One-Year, 180-Day, the 90-Day or The Story.
For additional information and Reading Bible from Cover to Cover Reading plans, email chsydnor@bellsouth.net
7. WORDS OF WISDOM FROM TWO RETIRED “GIANTS”:
- “Unconditional Love”
*Bishop Vinton R. Anderson
When I question who I am and fret about who I’m not,
I listen quietly to you, Lord, speaking about unconditional love,
And I love who I am.
I love whom you whom you made me to be,
What I am and what I’m not
Because that’s who I am and that’s not who I’m not.
Forgive me the sin of downgrading self:
Filled with your love sufficient
I will love without condition
All and everything you put in my life.
Teach me to pass on to others that love:
To love who they are and who they are not
For in Your image You made us all
To love unconditionally and never not.
For the soul I shout unconditional love
To You, God who made me and for all whom you have made
For the person I am and for the person I’m not
And for the soul I shall become.
*Bishop Vinton R. Anderson, My Soul Shouts, P. 96
- To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required
*Bishop Frank Curtis Cummings
In doing God’s work, we should all strive to be truly committed to the roles which we have been entrusted, and we should not accept positions just for the sake of holding office.
It is important for all leaders to know that we are called to serve others with love, compassion, equity and integrity. We must leave a legacy to the next generation.
And never forget, through every valley low and mountain high, through every trial and triumph, and through every struggle and success, to whom much is given, much is required.
*Bishop Frank Curtis Cummings, To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required, back cover
8. RETIRED AME BISHOPS HONORED AT 13TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT MIDYEAR MEETING HELD IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE:
Bishop Richard Allen Hildebrand (in absentia), Bishop Vinton R. Anderson, and Bishop Frank Curtis Cumming were honorees of the 13th Episcopal District’s “Legendary Leadership Award” presented at the 13th Episcopal District Midyear Meeting held in Memphis, Tennessee March 17-19, 2010. Other recipients of the “Legendary Leadership Award” were Mr. John Clayborn, Mr. Claude Johnson, Attorney Herman Morris, Jr., Dr. Edwards W. Reed and Mrs. Cecelia Wilson Sawyer.
Bishop Hildebrand’s Living Well Prayer was prayed and statements written in the books authored by Bishop Anderson and Bishop Cummings were shared in the worship bulletin. Bishop Anderson wrote in My Soul Shouts, “I love whom you made me to be, What I am and what I’m not, Because that’s who I am and that’s not who I’m not.” Bishop Cummings in his book, To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required, wrote of leadership, “It is important for all leaders to know that we are called to serve others with love, compassion, equity and integrity. We must leave a legacy to the next generation.”
A luncheon honoring Mr. Stan McKenzie was a Friday Midyear Meeting highlight. The luncheon venue was full and every seat was taken with over two-hundred persons in attendance.
Dr. Clement Fugh, AMEC General Secretary preached a dynamic sermon at the opening worship service on Friday evening and the Rev. Quentin Smith, pastor of Greater Payne Chapel AME Church in Memphis preached a dynamic sermon for the closing worship service. Our hearts were filled with great preaching and great singing, especially by Psalmist Kathy Taylor, accompanied by pianist, Mr. Amos Phenix Saint-Jean.
Former Episcopal Supervisor, Mrs. Vivienne Anderson and former Episcopal Supervisor Martha Cummings were in also in attendance at all of the 13th Episcopal Midyear events.
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is the Presiding Prelate of the 13th Episcopal District and Mr. Stan McKenzie is the Episcopal Supervisor.
**A more detailed of the 13th Episcopal District Planning Meeting is forthcoming from the 13th Episcopal District.
9. BISHOP ADAM JEFFERSON RICHARDSON GIVES SHARES KUDOS FROM THE CONSULTATION OF METHODIST BISHOPS:
We AMEs should feel proud about the way our Episcopal leaders did with their assignments during the Consultation (inclusive of six Methodist denominations) that was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
Bishop John White served as chair of the Steering Committee and should be commended for the great job of organizing the event. The gathering of Methodists for Sunday evening worship was held at Big Bethel AME Church, Atlanta. Bishop William DeVeaux (introduced and presented in exquisite fashion by Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry) was in rare form as he took us on what I have termed a Pauline Excursion. What a blessing! The service, filled with liturgy and great music, took us to our roots. Anyone unfamiliar with the
Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson
Presiding Prelate, 16th Episcopal District
10. YPD CORNER: SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IS EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY:
*Miacia F. Porter
Something about this year pushed and urged me to change my career goals. I didn’t want to be a journalist anymore, so I just stopped trying. I had lost all my drive to write, so I forced writer’s block upon myself. I neglected my pen and pad as if it was a century old building, whose frame and foundation had given way to the hardships of life. There was nothing left for me to say; at least not in print. I was mute, not in thought, but in sharing it.
I don’t know what caused this. I am not sure if it was the pressure of knowing that I was overworked, and stressed-out for a degree that might never hold any significant value to anyone outside of my family. Or, if it was the realization that I was 9 months away from another major milestone without a clear idea of what the future held?
I am not sure if it was either, or; it possibly was a combination of both. Whatever it was, caused me to freeze right in the middle of time and I was immensely satisfied with my empty pages.
Then it hit me…I had used the fact that I no longer desired to be a journalist, to be a scapegoat to free me from something that had nothing to do with my career choice.
Truth is I don’t want to be a journalist.
However, the greater truth is I stopped writing because I no longer wanted the burden of social responsibility for the things I wrote.
So what is social responsibility?
Wikipedia provided a great definition. According to this site, "social responsibility" is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act or benefit the society at large. This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active by performing activities that directly advance social goals.
I began to feel like it was becoming more and more challenging to believe, push, and motivate people; our people, who refuse the to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Pessimism started to weigh down my optimism when I was trying to persuade others that they could achieve goals, and all they seem to decode was they could not.
Playing tug of war with ignorance, laziness, and the lack of drive can pushed me down, so much so, that even my own tears couldn’t convince me that the fatigue and mental anguish was worth the fight. And I am sure I am not the only one that has been at this point.
I’m pretty sure this need to free ourselves from social responsibility is an attitude or desire that plagues our churches. I am certain of this because I am sure the church does not preach and teach like we use to because we don’t want the burden of social responsibility. We don’t witness and share because the responsibility of doing it, is just too demanding.
Doing the right thing and going the extra mile just seems like too much responsibility in a world that does not demand that we go an extra mile.
But it’s necessary for me to go the extra mile … I picked up my pen and pad again, not because I am a flawless wireless writer, but because I reckoned with the fact that the message is greater than the struggle. There is life embedded in the truths I speak, and I will not rob myself, or anyone else from being inspired.
The same is true for our churches. There is so much life in our AME lineage. We are a life-line to our black community and we need to make sure this "breath of life" falls on every man, woman, boy, and girl in our communities.
I had to write again and now I challenge preachers to preach again, Church School teachers to teach again, parishioners to witness again, all of us to share and love again, even in the mist of all of the dysfunction and economic problems because there is something we have been called to say that can free us all again.
*Miacia F. Porter is an Intern for The Christian Recorder and is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University
11. ADRIAN LAND HONORED AT SIXTH ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH GALA:
Alrick L. Banks, M.S.
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA (USA) – Brother Adrian Land, member of Bethel A.M.E.”Bethel Bloom” Church (Bloomington, Indiana), was honored recently by the City of Bloomington (Indiana-USA).
Land received the 2011 City of Bloomington’s Outstanding Young Black Male Leader of Tomorrow Award, an annual award presented by the City of Bloomington’s Commission on the Status of Black Males. Land has lived in Bloomington since beginning his graduate studies at Indiana University in 2005 and is a
He is a member of the Midwest Crossroads Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. His volunteer activities include an ambassador for
Bethel Bloom was formally organized on September 27, 1870. Bethel Bloom is the oldest “black” church in Bloomington, Indiana (USA); actively involved in community affairs and collaborations.
Bethel AME Church, Bloomington Indiana – Pastor (the Rev.) Dennis Laffoon
12. THE 61ST SESSION OF THE WASHINGTON ANNUAL CONFERENCE - TUESDAY APRIL 25 -- SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011:
The 61st Session of the Washington Annual Conference meets Tuesday April 25--Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Ebenezer AME Church, Fort Washington, Maryland
The Washington Annual Conference hosts its 61st Session under the dynamic leadership of the Presiding Prelate for the Second Episcopal District, the Right Reverend Adam J. Richardson, Jr. and the Episcopal Supervisor for the WMS, YPD, and Clergy Families Organization of the Second Episcopal District, Dr. Connie Speights Richardson.
The 61st Session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25 – Saturday, April 30, 2011, at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, 7707 Allentown Road, Fort Washington, Maryland 20744, where the Reverend Dr. Grainger Browning and the Rev. Dr. JoAnn Browning are the pastors.
This year’s theme: The Call to Vigilance: Continuing a Prophetic
The Reverend Dr. Louis-Charles Harvey (Potomac District) is the host presiding elder and the Reverend Dr. Goodwin Douglas (Capital District) is the associate presiding elder. The Conference Coordinator is the Reverend Dr. Ronald E. Braxton, pastor of Metropolitan AME Church, in Washington, DC.
Join us as we come together to worship, educate, fellowship and celebrate the 61st Session of the Washington Annual Conference.
Points of Contact:
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Weaver
2011 Washington Annual Conference Public Relations Chairperson
jonathanwea@gmail.com
Telephone: 301-249-7545
Sister Patricia Matthews
2011 Washington Annual Conference Public Relations Coordinator
padima@msn.com
Telephone: 240-398-8038
13. BETHEL BOSTON HOSTS HISTORIC CONFERENCE FOR THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH:
Candice Alexander
Jamaica Plain, MA (March 25, 2011) – Representatives from 25 churches in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut will gather at Jamaica Plain’s Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church for the 160th Session of the New England Annual Conference. Free and open to the public, the conference is scheduled from April 4th to April 10th. Bethel AME Church is located at 38 Walk Hill Street in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.
According to Bethel’s Pastor, Dr. Ray Hammond, “This is a historic event. Upholding a tradition that dates back to 1852 is a real honor for which we are very grateful. We believe that the theme of this year’s conference, “Reach, Reclaim, Engage, Empower: We Lift As We Climb (Luke 10:1)” is particularly apropos during these troubled times in our nation. Now more than ever we must work to ensure that the mission of the Connectional Church—housing the homeless, providing jobs for the jobless, and encouraging thrift and economic advancement—is the preferred choice for a country in desperate need of spiritual and ethical direction.”
The New England Annual Conference, led by the Right Reverend Richard Franklin Norris, Bishop of the 1st Episcopal District, will include ecumenical services, youth programs, a historic tour Roxbury (a ticketed activity), and the participation of local vendors.
The first New England Annual Conference was held at Bethel AME Church, New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1852. Bethel AME Boston will become a first time host of the 160th Session of the Conference.
For conference details and more information about Bethel AME Church, Boston, please visit www.bethelame.org, or email us at annualconference@bethelame.org.
Who: Representatives from 25 churches in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, hundreds of guests and the general public.
When: April 4 – 10, 2011
Where: Bethel AME Church, St. Andrew’s Campus, 38 Walk Hill Street, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Cost: Free and open to the public.
14. CONFESSIONS OF A PREACHER’S KID:
*The Rev. Gloria L. Sydnor Smith, Esq.
Growing up in a preacher’s house was not easy. I felt “pressure” to be perfect. I felt “pressured” to live up to the expectations that other people had for me. I felt like I couldn’t be myself. I did not like it at all. I always said, “I would never marry a preacher.” I said this because I did not want my children to be preacher’s kid. It never occurred to me that I might be the preacher.
After years of living under “pressure”, I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided that I would do things my way. I rebelled from the way that my parents taught me. As it turns out, doing what I wanted to do, put me on the journey back to God. As soon as I took my first step away from God, I was taking a long trip back to God.
Along the journey back to God, I learned some very important things about God.
God is love. God’s love is unconditional. God loves the saintly widow that makes her way to church every Sunday, no matter what, and God loves the drunk that is vomiting in the middle of the street every Saturday night. God loves us because that is who God is; God is Love. There is nothing we can do to change God.
God is patient. God understands that this world is not easy and that it is easy to get lost along the way. Therefore, God does not panic when we fall short. He patiently waits for us to recognize Him as the Most High God.
God is merciful. If it had not been for the Lord on my side, I do not know where I would be. I also do not want to know, because it would not be anywhere good. God did not leave me to myself. God had mercy on me, so when I recognized that I needed God, God was right there.
God is graceful. I don’t deserve anything that I have. None of us do. But despite who I am (a sinner saved by grace), God is still who God is. God still blesses me each day. God wakes me up in the morning and God orders my steps every day.
God is good. It took me a while to figure things out as a preacher’s kid. I was living under the mistaken belief that I was good. I thought that because I was a preacher’s kid, went to church every Sunday, and was generally obedient to my parents; I was good. But towards the end of my journey back to God, I realized that I was no good. I realized that it is God who is good.
God is ever-present. I describe the journey as my journey back to God, but I know that God was with me the entire way. I am thankful for the journey back to God because I believe that God will use it for His glory. Along the way, God filled my heart with the desire for God’s will to be done in my life and to live according to God’s purpose for my life.
My theology is shaped by my journey back to God. If it wasn’t for this journey, I probably would not understand these things (and more) about God.
My journey back to God and everything I learned along the way is why I am so in love with God and thankful to Him for sending Jesus to show us the way to Him.
*The Rev. Gloria L. Sydnor Smith, Esq. is the pastor at Whitman Chapel A.M.E. Church in Belpre, Ohio and trial attorney/post-conviction attorney for The Gloria L. Smith Law Office LLC in Dublin, Ohio (www.reversetheconviction.com ) and is pursuing a D.Min. at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, for which she is developing a
15. GOD IS SOVEREIGN, EVEN NOW:
*The Reverend Dr.
As we ponder our everyday lives and watch the sometimes-horrific developments in our world, I think it is very timely to acknowledge the sovereignty of God.
As pastor, it is a difficult question to answer, when congregants ask, “why?”
Why would God allow such a catastrophe? Why did we lose this pastor who was so young? Why did my child have to die?
As human beings with finite knowledge, we cannot answer these questions. We can only stand on God’s word, and proclaim what we do know. God is sovereign; he knows all. He will decide when to send us the answers we need. He is ever-present, even now. He is a gracious God, even now. And most importantly, one day, he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces. (Isaiah 25:8). It is with that knowledge and in that spirit that I pray we can all take comfort. And so it is.
*The Reverend Dr.
16. MACON GEORGIA CONFERENCE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION WORKSHOP:
Mr. Alphonso Varner
A wonderful experience of learning more about Christian Education
The Workshop was conducted on a beautiful winter day Saturday, January 23, 2010 at St. Peter African Methodist Episcopal Church located in the "Peach Blossom" city of Fort Valley, Georgia. The Rev. Bertram C. Smith, Host Pastor and the Rev. Alan H. Wicker serves as the Presiding Elder of the Macon District.
"Meeting the Needs of Children, Teens, and Adults Through Christian Education and Service" was the theme. Sister Verneda M. Appling, CED, Macon Georgia Conference was the Workshop Facilitator.
Dr. Daryl B. Ingram, Executive Director, Christian Education Department of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Rev. Esther K. Powers, Christian Education Director, Griffin District of the Macon Georgia Conference and Staff Advisor for the Sixth Episcopal District were extraordinary presenters for the workshop.
The Workshop proceedings were outstanding. Sister Verneda M. Appling was the Workshop Facilitator. The Hymn of Praise, "We Praise Thee O God" was led by Sister Latrellis O. Dent, President, Lay Organization, Macon Conference. the prayer was given by Sister Verneda M. Appling (East Macon/Milledgeville District). The Scripture Lessons were led by Sister Barbara H. West, (CED, East Macon/Milledgeville District). Sister Latrellis O. Dent sang a soul stirring solo "I Love Jesus." Warm greetings extended to the participants by the Rev. Benjamin Ridley, Presiding Elder of the East Macon/Milledgeville District.
Sister Annie Marshall, CED, Macon District was the General Session convener. The presenter was Dr. Daryl B. Ingram - Topic, "Meeting the Needs of Children, Teens, and Adults Through Christian Education." Dr. Ingram elaborated effectively on several points of interest, along with the audience by establishing a working definition of Christian Education: The teaching
Sister Jarquetta Madison, CED, Macon Conference, was the Session I, Laity - Convener. The Rev. Esther K. Powers, CED, Griffin District was the presenter. Her topic was, "Are You A Servant Leader?" The Rev. Powers employed the teaching method of stating rhetorical question of her topic to a capacity audience in the fellowship hall. She enhanced the learning experience of the participants by using the slide presentation. She visibly made the distinction between a servant-leader as opposed to a self-servant leader.
She shared that leadership is first a matter of the heart and leaders should put God first in leading others. A servant leader never asks anyone to do something he or she wouldn't be willing to do. The quality of your service will be a direct result of your spiritual preparation. She explained the two key acts of a servant leader; Visionary - doing the right thing and implementation, doing things right. Two parts of a servant leader; inward - change the heart and mind and outward - behavior of the leader and their interaction with others. Set a positive example.
A self-servant leader has many of the qualities of a servant-leader, however they are interested in feedback, as long as it's praise. The self-servant leader fails to train someone else to take his or her place.
The Rev. Powers concluded an interesting presentation by quoting a portion of Scripture from the book of Matthew 20:25-28. "Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a
Session II - Dr. Daryl Ingram lectured to the clergy on the "Biblical Model for Leadership."
The benediction was given by Elder Alan H. Wicker.
Each registrant received a Certificate of Attendance.
Congratulations to Sisters Verneda M. Appling and Jarquetta Madison, Christian Education Directors, Macon Georgia Conference for spearheading this ultra successful Christian Education Workshop.
Special thanks to Sister Doris M. Gosier (St. Peter A.M.E. Church) for contributing a portion of the proceedings to this article.
17. THE AME CHURCH ON THE ONE-YEAR BIRTHDAY OF HEALTHCARE REFORM:
March 23, 2011
(Los Angeles, CA) The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) firmly re-stated its belief in the right of every American to have accessible, affordable and comprehensive healthcare options. It joined with President Obama; our own trailblazer - Congressman James Clyburn who stated, “We are going to get there”; fellow AMEs and all those who believe that there was a need to reform and transformation of the healthcare system in the United States of America.
As a result, HR 3962 became the law of the land and today we celebrate with the rest of America the One Year Anniversary of this trailblazing legislation. While some are seeking to roll back the clock, we stand firm with the onward march and say to the retrogressors – “Shame on you!!”
Thank you for your role in making it happen on behalf of the poor, oppressed, un-empowered and disenfranchised. As we celebrate, we re-commit the ongoing vigilance that will be needed to protect and perfect its provisions. To God be the glory!!
Submitted by the AMEC Social Action Commission, Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chairperson; Jacquelyn
The Congressional Tri-Caucus Chairs Celebrate the One Year Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act:
Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Congressional Tri-Caucus—comprised of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus— marked the one year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law with the following statements:
“Last Congress the Congressional Black Caucus worked tirelessly with President Obama to provide the American people with more freedom for their families’ healthcare”, said Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, II. “Today we celebrate the one year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. As a Caucus we endured hateful attacks and contentious town halls, but remained steadfast in our effort to reform our healthcare system. Up to 1 in 5 African Americans lack health insurance, one of the highest rates for any community. Nearly every aspect of the Affordable Care Act positively impacts minority communities: from protecting those with preexisting conditions, ensuring dependent coverage, providing vital preventive services and care, making health care affordable for small businesses, bringing more doctors and nurses to chronically underserved communities, and increasing Medicare benefit coverage.
“The Republican Leadership is focused on repealing patients' rights, and putting insurance companies back in charge. Repealing the Affordable Care Act will have a negative impact on all Americans, especially minority communities. As I have said before, they seek to defund, and we seek to defend. We will not stand by and allow our communities’ rights to be trampled on. We are committed to seeing the full implementation of healthcare reform all across this great nation.”
“Today we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, a historic piece of legislation that ensures access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans”, said Chairman Charles A. Gonzales. “Although many of its provisions are yet to be rolled out, there is no doubt that we have already benefited from its enactment. Seniors are getting help paying for their prescription drugs, young adults can now stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26 and children no longer face discrimination due to a pre-existing condition. What’s more, insurance companies can no longer cap health coverage or drop patients when they get sick, and small businesses are receiving tax credits to help them cover their employees.
“Middle-class families, and especially Latinos, stand to gain the most from implementation of the ACA. In fact, 16 million Latinos will gain access to health coverage because of the ACA. One in five Latinos suffering from diabetes will be able to see a doctor before it’s too late and 50% of all Latinos who didn’t have access to a primary care physician, will have the opportunity to see one. Furthermore, community health centers that are so vital for the primary care needs of Hispanics, will be able to serve nearly 20 million new patients because of the investments made by the ACA.
“But, in order for us to fully benefit from the ACA, all of the provisions we worked so hard to achieve have to stay intact. We must build on the foundation the ACA established. Any efforts to repeal the ACA ignore the needs of all Americans.”
“A year ago today, we rewrote the history books with the passage of the Affordable Care Act”, said Chairwoman Judy Chu. “Healthcare reform saves money and saves lives. That is why we must continue fighting back against the Republican repeal efforts that harm middle-class families, and work to ensure that affordable health care is available to all Americans.
“The Affordable Care Act is a victory for working families, especially those of Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent since many in our community are uninsured and have been hit hard by the economic recession. All in all, 35% of Korean Americans, 18% of Vietnamese Americans, and 18% of Indian Americans lack health coverage. Not only will healthcare reform provide AAPI families with improved access to affordable health care and essential health services, it lays the groundwork for addressing health disparities and providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services. AAPIs account for over half of the chronic Hepatitis B cases in the U.S. and are more than two times as likely as white Americans to have diabetes. Without the Affordance Care Act, our community would continue to suffer needlessly from these diseases.”
18. WHAT’S IN THE POT?:
*The Rev Tulane Msibi
When we Africans have a feast or gathering, we believe in communal feeding and the cooks are picked to prepare the menu and meal for the feast. All of us eat the meal prepared from the same pot, because we trust the ability and skills of those who cooked and we put our trust in them. The condition is, no one interferes with the pot except those who have been tasked with the responsibility.
The rationale , is basically to hold them accountable should anything go wrong, when there are many hands, each person wants to add the ingredients and mess the good recipe , the good work already begun in the pot and the outcome become disastrous and cause illness to people. There are instances when the pot is not well cooked, those dished get sick and sometimes die.
The highly anticipated GDC meeting hosted by my wonderful 19th District has come and gone. This pot has long been on fire, since 1980, with a clear vision to develop leadership in Africa, and thanks to the Church for electing Bishop H.B. Senatle in 1984, in respect and honor of that vision. I salute him for serving his Episcopal tenure in his home and during his tenure there were good ingredients in the pot. He never brushed away his pride of being an African. There was vibrancy and excitement of the church in Africa and we need to ensure that good things remain in the pot...
*The Rev Tulane Msibi is the pastor of Mokone Temple AME Church in Ga-Rankuwa, in the city of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
19. THE 115TH SESSION OF
Bishop William P. DeVeaux, Dr. Pam DeVeaux, and the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church continued the 2011 series of Annual Conferences with the 115th Session of the
On Tuesday, March 15, 2011, the Annual Conference experienced a soul-stirring opening worship service with the Reverend Kenneth Cody, pastor of Wesley Chapel-Blakely AME Church preaching the Annual Sermon, after which, the business of the Annual Conference began.
The following
Ministerial Delegates elected:
Presiding Elder Elijah Smith, Sr.
Presiding Elder M.S. Karl Colquitt
Presiding Elder John W. Bass
The Reverend Richard Allen Washington
The Reverend James Alexander
The Reverend Millie Rambeau
The Reverend Sherryl Sneed
The Reverend Debora Grant
Ministerial Alternates elected:
The Reverend Richard Yancey
The Reverend Sonja Rivers
The Reverend Wayland Conner
The Reverend Kenneth Cody
The Reverend Nathaniel Veal
The Reverend Eddie
The Reverend Lodenia Coleman
The Reverend A.J. Jones
Lay Delegates elected:
Bobby Jackson
Anna Wynn
Daisy P. Belt
Henry Chavers
Jacqueline T. Allen
Jacqueline Jennings
Almeta Coachman
James Alexander, Jr. (Youth Lay Delegate)
Alternate Lay Delegates elected:
Forrestine Buford
Nettye Thompson
Bobby Hunter, Sr.
Maldvina Anderson
Chinita Richardson
William Youngblood
Goldie Virgin
Christopher Carter (Youth Lay Alternate)
The Annual Conference was blessed with powerful preaching throughout the Annual Conference. The Reverend Melvin Wilson, pastor of Saint Luke AME Church in New York City preached a dynamic Ordination Sermon and powerfully proclaimed “The Trouble with Traditions.”
**Submitted by the Rev. Conitras M. Houston, Administrative Assistant to Bishop William P. DeVeaux and Dr. PAM DeVeaux, Sixth Episcopal District of the AME Church
20. EMPOWERMENT TEMPLE AME CHURCH EXPANDS TO AN ADDITIONAL LOCATION:
An Invitation is extended!
We are proud to announce that on Easter Sunday Empowerment Temple will be opening and having church worship services at an additional location -- a “new location” in addition to the three services already being held at our original church location at 4217 Primrose Avenue in Baltimore.
Dr. Jamal H. Bryant, is the pastor of Empowerment Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Submitted by Ms. Nicole Kirby, Public Relations Director, Empowerment Temple Church
21. AN INVITATION:
*The Rev. Miriam J. Burnett, MD, MDiv, MPH
It is with great pleasure that I invite you to the New Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Women’s Day Service will be held on Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Our guest speaker for the afternoon service is the Rev. Lynda Rassmann, pastor of
I pray that your calendar will allow you to worship with us. You are welcome to join the New Bethel women and service participants in wearing white and pastels colors.
As I celebrate my first Women’s Day as Pastor of New Bethel, I also invite you to support the Women’s Day Souvenir Journal.
*The Rev. Miriam J. Burnett, MD, MDiv, MPH is the pastor, New Bethel AMEC in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and is the Medical Director, AMEC Connectional Health Commission and Chair, NCCC Justice and Advocacy Commission
22. IS IT TIME TO WRITE THE EULOGY?: THE FUTURE OF SEMINARY EDUCATION:
The Rev. Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr.
Editor’s Note: I am glad that I am not the only one concerned about theological education. I was almost feeling badly after writing the editorial, “We Must Relook Where Our Preachers Are Trained” After reading the article below that I received in my Inbox from the Duke Divinity School News and Ideas Newsletter; I feel somewhat vindicated. Something I wanted to say in the editorial, but took out, I feel comfortable saying now: “Some of the seminaries have such watered-down curricula that it’s no wonder that some of seminary graduates are not fully trained to effectively lead congregations. I am serious about the need for the AME Church to take a serious look at where our seminarians are trained.
**Article extracted from: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Is-It-Time-to-Write-the-Eulogy-Frederick-Schmidt-03-21-2011?offset=1&max=1
The Spiritual Landscape
Is It Time to Write the Eulogy?: The Future of Seminary Education
Our seminaries are dying and the Master of Divinity degree has been discredited. Will we make the necessary changes to better prepare leaders for the Church, or will we limp and wander into the future?
By Frederick Schmidt, March 21, 2011
Our seminaries are dying and the Master of Divinity degree has been discredited.
Bishops and other church leaders once believed both were essential to effective
A large number of the mainline seminaries are selling their buildings and property, cutting faculty, and eliminating degree programs. Those that are not, are competing for a shrinking pool of prospective students and rely on scholarships and lower academic standards to attract the students that they do have.
There are countless reasons for the crisis, some of them as old as the professional preparation of clergy itself.
In the quest for academic respectability, seminaries have not always remembered that preparing clergy was the mission and lifeblood of their institutional life. Some have focused on preparing scholars, which though essential, is secondary to its primary
Changing trends in theological education often truncated and colored the theological education that many received. In the '60s, seminaries prepared a generation of seminarians that rightly attended to issues of social justice. That was fair enough—sin has its corporate dimensions. But some professors argued there was really little else to the Gospel and soon the church's teaching on justice became little more than a brand of political discourse. In the '70s and '80s, this trend gave way to the importance of pastoral counseling. Here, too, there were important lessons to learn, including the realization that many people are defeated spiritually by psychological and familial systems that, narrowly speaking, cannot be easily traced to any classical definition of sin. But, as with other excesses spawned by trends in theological education, the net result was a generation of clergy who practiced unlicensed therapy.
Now the trend is leadership and there can be little doubt that among the next generation of graduates will be the aspiring CEOs. There has never been any doubt that the church needs to be better led, but one has to wonder how much spiritual guidance there is to be had at the hands of clergy who think of themselves as ecclesiastical managers.
Seminary faculty often lack any real affinity for the church and, that too, has colored the kind of graduate that seminaries have produced. In part this state of affairs can be traced to the seminaries themselves, which hired faculty from a wide array of institutions, including many that were shaped not so much by theological categories as they were the assumptions of religious studies programs. But churches also made it difficult, if not impossible, to be ordained and, at the same time, prepare for an academic career. The complaint that anyone with a Ph.D. isn't really interested in the church or is looking for
Faculty have also indulged their academic interests, creating both classes and curricula that correspond with their research issues and academic agenda but don't necessarily speak to the basic and perennial needs of the church's ordained
In spite of the fact that there is room for so many extras, the degree itself is bloated and expensive. The Association of Theological Schools require at least 72 hours of course work, but some seminaries require as much as 106 hours; and the inside joke among most seminarians is that they will be fortunate to crowd three years into four . . . or five.
Meanwhile, whatever the canon law or discipline of mainline denominations may appear to suggest, the church has failed to articulate what it wants from its seminaries and its graduates.
The church uses seminarians to fill the chinks in its clerical armor, appointing them to serve in churches long before they have completed the education that is needed to do their work safely and with integrity. Denominations have left seminarians to pay for their educations, saddling them with debt that they cannot comfortably repay because beginning salaries for clergy are often below the poverty level. And, at the same time, they have offered alternative routes to ordination bypassing seminary entirely, leaving those who do go to wonder why they worked so hard to accomplish the same goal. What we will never know is how many prospective clergy are lost because they conclude that if the
To make matters worse, most mainline churches give little more than fitful attention to the formation and support of clergy. Relying on the occasional workshop and briefing from denominational lawyers, churches are effective at insulating themselves from liability for clergy misconduct, but there is often little more attention given; and in the earliest stages responsibility for the effective preparation of ordinands is being tossed back and forth between the church and the seminary, leaving the ordinands themselves to pick their way through a conflicting minefield of expectations.
Seminarians often head off to school, uproot their families, and begin paying tuition bills with little clear indication from their churches that their denominations share their enthusiasm for their vocation; and there is little honest information about the shape of the opportunities that lie ahead. In some cases a seminarian can wait five to seven years before learning if she will be ordained, and in the meantime he is forced to run a gauntlet of committees and requirements that is more akin to hazing for membership in a fraternity, than it is serious preparation for
So, should we throw the system out, disband our seminaries, and launch even more deeply into the brave new world of clergy preparation? Should we throw the task back on the churches, requiring each one to grow its own clergy? Or should we rely on regional choices and an array of on-line approaches? All of those options are currently in play.
Realistically speaking, I am afraid that we will limp along with a struggling seminary system and a church that never quite clarifies what it wants from its clergy. As one bishop told me, "We (bishops) don't have strategic conversations about this or anything." Although he spoke for his own denomination, I have no doubt he could have spoken for many others. In the absence of bold, creative leadership there is little chance that things will change. Only time and Darwinian forces may resolve the dilemma. But I am equally certain that the survival of the fittest will not provide the church with the faithful, sophisticated leadership that it needs and deserves.
If the world of theological education were mine to remake—and it is not—I would be guided by the following convictions:
One, rigorous academic preparation is absolutely essential to creative, competent, servants of Christ who are deeply formed and capable of forming others.
Two, that kind of preparation is more important than ever before. We live in a complex and fast-changing world that will require a generation of leaders who are as well trained and educated as are the people in any other profession. It is a crime and miscarriage to require anything less. I often tell my students, "If you were laying in the operating room and some one bounded in and declared, 'Hi, I'm Fred, and I don't know a thing about anatomy or the practice of medicine, but I just love the idea of serving God through surgery,' you would use your remaining moments of consciousness to roll off the gurney and claw your way down the hall. And yet it was Jesus who said, 'Fear not those who can kill the body, but those who kill the soul.'" Churches that fearfully cast around for quick fixes to the training of clergy, give it scant attention, and then abandon their priests and pastors to the vagaries of forming themselves cannot expect to be a spiritual force in the world. Nor can they expect their clergy to be positive spiritual forces in the lives of others.
Three, I am also convinced that as many new creative approaches to education as there might be, a residential model of focused, face-to-face education and formation in the faith is the best means of preparing a generation of thoughtful, faithful servants of the Gospel. This is not to denigrate those who have been encouraged by the church to pursue alternative means of completing the requirements for ordination. It is to say that the church should instead make resources available for all those who do pursue the church's
So, many will argue that what I have outlined below is impractical, but this is what I would do:
Candidates for ordination would be required to:
• Attend seminary and complete a Master of Divinity.
• Prepare in a residential setting.
• Select their schools from a well-honed list of seminaries.
• And perform at the top of their ability.
In exchange, the church would:
• Help to pay for a significant amount of their education.
• Provide close, caring, thoughtful, formative companionship along the way.
• Support a handful of seminaries financially in their effort to prepare their ordinands.
• Provide their candidates with an early, honest, responsible evaluation of their candidacy. (The ordination process should not take more years than the forming of doctors and lawyers.)
• Abandon alternative approaches to ordination, confining its attention to preparing properly everyone it does ordain.
• Do what it takes to see that new clergy receive a living wage.
• Support the best and the brightest of their clergy in academic formation and pursuits, seeing them as an extension of the church's teaching
In return the seminaries would promise to:
• Create a Master of Divinity that is lean and designed to do what it should do, covering a set of definable core competencies that were offered and taught—no more, no less. (The M.Div. is not a research degree; it is a professional degree analogous to the Juris Doctorate required of lawyers and it should be treated as such.)
• Educate and spiritually form the students sent to them.
• Enlist a faculty that is both willing and able to teach an essential body of knowledge and skills, as well as teach the faith.
• Communicate effectively and often with the church about the preparation of its candidates.
The result would be fewer ordinands and students. There already are.
But if churches and seminaries focus on the rigorous formation of clergy we could produce a generation of leaders who, God willing, might change the world and save mainline Christianity. The alternative is to limp and wander into the future, trusting Darwin with the lives of our clergy, seminaries, and churches. If we do, others will preach the Gospel, but God will not compensate us for faithless, feckless, unimaginative neglect.
The Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. is Director of Spiritual Formation and Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality at Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas. An Episcopal priest, he also serves as the director of the Episcopal studies program. He is the author of several books, including Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Luke (Morehouse, 2009) and What God Wants for Your Life (Harper One, 2005).
23. WORDS OF WISDOM ABOUT WHY SOME CHURCHES GROW AND OTHERS DECLINE:
(Author Unknown)
In a recent study of church growth, the following factors and strategies were noticed as being utilized in growing churches while churches that were declining were not using these principles.
1). Reach out to Newcomers. Focusing on the needs and concerns of newcomers, making inquiry convenient and non-threatening, and allowing people to move at their own pace, characterized the growing churches.
2). Build Member Commitment. While reaching newcomers is most important, the growing churches expected much of members, and active involvement of everyone was sought.
3). Train and Involve Laity. There was always a bold, compelling vision for the congregation’s future as well as ways of equipping and deploying laity drawn to the vision for
4). Make Bold Plans. Churches with goals and dreams far beyond current ministries and resources were more likely to grow than other churches, all other things being equal.
5). Pace Change. Conflict over the implementation of these bold and innovative plans was one significant cause of membership decline. When change moves members so far out of their “comfort zone,” resistance and conflicts set in and diminish the congregation’s capacity to reach out to new people.
6). View Laity Positively. A “we- they” relationship between leaders and members leads to a defensive posture by all and works against outreach. A more positive view of human nature assumes that people want to be part of God’s vision for the church and have much to contribute to understanding and implementing the vision.
**Shared by the Rev. Ralph Johnson, Presiding Elder of the Louisville-Paducah District, 13th Episcopal District who received this as an email message.
24. CLERGY FAMILY CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Congratulations to Rev. Marla Coulter-McDonald
The Rev. Marla Coulter-McDonald, AME Itinerant Elder in the Indiana Conference, recently received two Awards from the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Marla is currently the Manager of Pastoral Education at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been serving on the National Board of Representatives for the ACPE since 2008 and also serves on the Regional Level on the ACPE Accreditation Commission since 2007. She is also an active member of the Racial Ethnic Multicultural (REM) Network of ACPE and advocates for Diversity and Inclusiveness for the educational and leadership aspects within the organization. As a result of her excellent leadership and service Marla was named from her Region (East Central Region) to be a recipient of the Emerging Leader Award at the National ACPE meeting in April, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Additionally she was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award at the National REM meeting that was held in Richmond, Virginia in February, 2011. Marla is a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains and is also a Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor in ACPE. She currently serves on the Ministerial staff of St. John AME Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Congratulatory responses can be sent to:
The Rev. Marla Coulter-McDonald, ACPE Supervisor
Pastoral Education Coordinator
The Christ Hospital
2139 Auburn Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45219
marla.coulter-mcdonald@thechristhospital.com
rev_marla@
- Congratulations To Rev. and Mrs. Marcus A. Cylar, Birth of Baby Girl
We are praising God for the birth of Candace T. Cylar, born Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 11:50 a.m. Baby Candace T. Cylar weighed only two pounds and a few ounces. But, what a "Blessed Child" she is. Baby Candace is the first child of Pastor Marcus A. Cylar and Evangelist Chariece J. Cylar, Tanner - Price AME Church in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and the first grandchild of the Reverend Deborah Smith-Satterwhite, pastor of New St. John AME Church, Dearborn, Michigan.
We know that the late Birdtrice J. Smith and the late Sadie Cylar would be very proud. The two very proud grandfathers are Brother Ken Cylar, a member of Price AME Church, Windsor, and Brother Edwin Satterwhite, a member of New St. John AME Church, Dearborn. It has been a rough road, and we are grateful to the many persons who stood by and prayed mightily for Evangelist Chariece and for the delivery and birth of Little Miss Candace.
Congratulatory messages can be sent to:
The Rev. and Mrs. Marcus A. Cylar
Tanner Price AME Church
733 McDougall St.
Windsor, Ontario
Or emailed to the proud grandmother (Pastor Deborah Smith-Satterwhite): newst.johname@hotmail.com
25. PASSING OF FORMER EPISCOPAL DISTRICT SUPERVISOR, MRS. VERDELLE JOHNSTON:
We are saddened to share news of the passing, today, March 22, 2011, of Mrs. Verdelle Johnston, a former Supervisor of the Second Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Verdelle Johnston served as Episcopal District Supervisor during a portion of the Episcopal Administration of Bishop H. H. Brookins.
Service Arrangements for Mrs. Verdelle Johnston:
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Family Visitation: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Funeral: 11:00 a.m.
St. Joseph A.M.E. Church
2521 Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27707
919-683-1379
919-682-8960 - Fax
Email: stjosephamec@stjamec.org
The Rev. Philip R. Cousin, Jr., Pastor
Professional services are entrusted to:
Scarborough & Hargett Funeral Home
923 Old Fayetteville Street #B
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 682-1171
(919) 683-1548 - Fax
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
The family of Mrs. Verdelle Johnston (daughters Doris & Loretta)
1017 Akron Avenue
Durham, North Carolina 27713
Phone: 919-596-2633
Email condolences may be sent to:
Dhayes73@nc.rr.com (Doris Hayes)
LRJohnston49@gmail.com (Loretta Johnston)
26. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to announce the Homegoing of Harold Rucker Johnson, the father of Deborah Hale, the father-in-law of the Reverend Frederick E. Hale (Retired Pastor of the Kentucky Conference), the grandfather of Pastor William Hale (Saint Paul AME Church, Richmond, KY) and the Reverend Joshua Hale, Itinerant Elder of the Kentucky Conference.
Harold Rucker Johnson passed Tuesday morning, March 22nd and he leaves behind his beloved wife of 64 years, Allie Gay Johnson, 6 daughters, 1 son, and a great host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other family and friends. Your thoughts and prayers for the family are greatly appreciated.
Services for Harold Rucker Johnson:
Visitation - Thursday, March 24, 2011 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Ramsey Funeral Home
315 Richmond Street
Lancaster, KY 40444
Telephone: (859) 792-2621
Email: WeCare@ramseyfuneralhome.com
Homegoing - Friday, March 25, 2011 at 11 a.m.
Ramsey Funeral Home
315 Richmond Street
Lancaster, KY 40444
Internment - Camp Nelson Cemetery, Nicholasville, KY
Expressions of sympathy may be mailed to:
Deborah & Rev. Frederick Hale
224 Danville Street
Lancaster, KY 40444
Email Condolences:
Deborah Hale - sweetdlh@aol.com
Frederick Hale - ame9515@windstream.net
William Hale - pastor@saintpaulrichmond.com
Joshua Hale - brohale@
27. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Mr. Perry Hughes of Melbourne, Florida. Mr. Hughes is the father of Mrs. Beverly Postell and the father-in-law of the Rev. Henry L. Postell, First Lady and Pastor of New Bethel AME Church in
Services are announced as follows:
Wake: Monday, March 28, 2011 @5-8 p.m.
Greater Allen Chapel AME Church
2416 S. Lipscomb Street
Melbourne, FL 32901
Funeral Services: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 a 12 Noon
Greater Allen Chapel AME Church
2416 S. Lipsomb Street
Melbourne, FL 32901
Phone: 321 724 1557
Fax: 321 724 1293
Services entrusted to:
Postell's Mortuary
811 N. Powers Drive
Orlando, FL 32818
Phone: 407 295 3857
Fax: 407 295 0307
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
Mrs. Beverly Postell
6423 Jackwood Ct.
Orlando, FL 32818
Phone: 407 295 3004
email: postellsmortuary@aol.com
28. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to share news of the passing of Mrs. Florine Montgomery, mother of Mrs. Teresa Norful, and the mother-in-law of the Reverend W. R. Norful, Sr., pastor and first lady of St. John AME Church, Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
Funeral arrangements for Mrs. Florine Montgomery are as follows:
Celebration of Life Service:
Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 11:00 a.m.
1st United Methodist Church
615 E. Main Street
Batesville, Arkansas
(870) 793-3803
(870) 793-3804 - Fax
In acknowledgment of Mrs. Montgomery's faithful and dedicated services to the connectional A.M.E. Church, her local Church, Bethel AME, and the Women's Missionary Society, we are asking that all missionaries who will attend, to wear white.
Thank you for remembering the Norful family in your prayers, thoughts and deeds.
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
The Rev. and Mrs. (Teresa) W. R. Norful, Sr.
206 North Poplar Street
Pine Bluff, AR 71601-3469
Phone: (870) 535-3123
The Reverend W.R. Norful's email address: RABBI3@PRODIGY.NET
29. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We celebrate the passing of William H. Haithco, Sr., 88 years old. He was the father of the Rev. Jai S. Haithco, Sr., pastor of Cosmopolitan A.M.E. Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Haithco was a Registered Pharmacist and founder of the Saginaw County Parks and Recreation Commission. The William H. Haithco Recreation Area was named after him including a lake also named on his behalf. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 2:00 pm at:
W. L. Case and Company Funeral Homes
4480 Mackinaw Rd.
Saginaw , MI 48603
(989) 793-9700
Condolences may be sent to:
Cosmopolitan A.M.E. Church
170 Vine Street, NW
P.O. Box 92385
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
(404) 525-0168
Or
The Rev. Jai S. Haithco, Sr.
5007 Duxford Drive, SE
Smyrna, Georgia 30082
(770) 634-4966
revjai@hotmail.com
Or
Shari L. Clarke
115 Virginia Place
Fayetteville, Georgia 30214
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Saginaw Community Foundation in his memory. A wake will also be held Friday, March 25, 2011 from 2-8 pm at W. L. Case and Company Funeral Home.
30. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICES AND CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
The Clergy Family Information Center
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action
Ora L. Easley, Administrator
AMEC Clergy Family Information Center
E-mail: Amespouses1@bellsouth.net
Web page: http://www.amecfic.org/
Phone: (615) 837-9736 (H)
Phone: (615) 833-6936 (O)
Cell: (615) 403-7751
BLOG: http://ameccfic.blogspot.com /
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMEC_CFIC
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-AME-Church-Clergy-Family-Information-Center/167202414220
31. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Richard Franklin Norris; the Publisher, the Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour and the Editor of The Christian Recorder, the Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III offer our condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the peace of Christ will be with you during this time of your bereavement.
