2/08/2013

THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER ONLINE ENGLISH EDITION (02/08/13)



Bishop T. Larry Kirkland - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, the 20th Editor, The Christian Recorder

February:
Black History Month

Mark your Calendars:

Richard Allens Birthday February 14, 2013
Ash Wednesday- February 13, 2013
Easter Sunday March 31, 2013
AME Church Connectional Day of Prayer April 13, 2013
Pentecost Sunday May 19, 2013



1. EDITORIAL – WE ALL HAVE A DOG IN THIS FIGHT:

Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III,
The 20th Editor, The Christian Recorder


When a person says, “I don’t have a dog in this fight,” the person is saying that he or she doesn’t have a personal stake in the outcomes of the issue being addressed and means that the person making the statement is just watching an event as a spectator and not participating in any way, like watching a dog fight without entering a dog in the lineup.  Not having “a dog in the fight” sometimes mean you don't care about the outcome of a given issue and have no interest in who wins, but it also could mean that even though you don’t “have a dog in the fight,” you have an interest in the outcome.

In the issues raised in this editorial I believe that “We all have a dog in this fight,” because every AME should have an interest in what happens in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. When I see the AME Church mentioned in the news, it immediately piques my interest. I have been reading a lot of negative news that should not be public. If I have an issue with my wife or my children, I am not going to grant any media interviews; no matter how right I might think I might be about the issue. Some issues just stay in the home.  We had a saying, “What we say here, what you see here, what you hear here, let it stay here – we don’t talk about home issues outside the home.”

There is too much AME “dirty laundry” in the streets that we put it “in the street.” Nobody else put it “in the street”; we put it “in the street.”  If we had followed the rules of The Discipline, there might not be AME “dirty laundry” story in Jet Magazine, The Los Angeles Times and other news outlets. There wouldn’t be coverage in The Christian Century magazine, AP, BBC and other media outlets.

The issue I want to address is the intent of the Ministers’ Bill of Rights.

The intent of the Ministers’ Bill of Rights was to correct the practice of inappropriate or vindictive pastoral appointments. In the early days of Methodism, bishops had unlimited power; not only in Methodist churches, but in other denominations where bishops had the power of pastoral appointments.

In The Book of Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church 2008 (Page 120, Sec. VII) the intent of the Ministers’ Bill of Rights as it relates to pastoral appointments states that itinerant ministers receive, “A pastoral appointment equal to their abilities, training, and experience, when available.” The Discipline goes on to state, “The new appointment, when available, shall be comparable to or better than the previous one, provided the pastor has not been found guilty under Judicial Administration. I am not an attorney and I have not consulted with an attorney, but the statement, “when available” does not seem to me to prohibit a pastoral transfer.

Let me digress

The itineracy in Methodism is the foundation of the profession of ministry and the effectiveness and sustainability of the itineracy must have a moral and ethical foundation, underpinned by integrity. The profession of ministry is not, nor should it be a casual entity within the AME Church. The itineracy has to be ferociously guarded and protected because the itinerant ministry is the umbilical chord or lifeline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Committed and dedicated clergy have a direct impact on whether local churches and denominations succeed, fail, or subsist in mediocrity. If the itinerant ministry in the AME Church is diluted or compromised we may as well become a congregational or independent religious organization. There is a perception that the intake process for the AME itinerate ministry has deteriorated and the “gate has been left wide open.” We have opened the gate wide and people walk right through the gate.

When I answered the call to ministry, the Rev. Jesse Owens, my “father in the ministry” went on and on about the itinerant ministry. I didn’t understand it then, but I came to understand it and I understand the importance of the itinerant ministry even more today.

The most sacred duties of bishops

In my reading of The Book of 2008 in the Order of the Consecration of a Bishop on Page 544, the most critical responsibility and commitment of the episcopacy, in my opinion, is the answer and promise in response to the question, “Will you be faithful in ordaining or laying hands upon others?” 

The local church, the quarterly conference, district conference, board of examiners, the annual conference all bear some responsibility for allowing persons to be ordained who should not be in the ministry; but the bishop is the bottomline and it is the bishop who promised to “be faithful in ordaining or laying hands upon others.” I have heard of instances where bishops in wanting a person to be ordained, admitted the person in the first of the series of annual conferences; ordained the same person a deacon in the second annual conference of the series and in the third annual conference of the series ordained the person an itinerant elder and gave the “reverend” a pastoral appointment.  When that happens, unless there is an unusual circumstance, the “gate” to the itineracy was unguarded.

It’s hard to say “no,” but sometimes a “no” today is better than the heartache of dealing with extended legal and negative ecclesiastical issues, which a simple “no” could have solved.

Not enough “no”

The AME Church continues to ordain persons who will most likely never serve as itinerant preachers or in itinerant ministry.

The church also ordains persons who have not been thoroughly vetted to determine their fitness and availability for itinerant ministry. And, sometimes it’s hard to say “no” to a son or a daughter of one of the “old saints” of the Church. 

On the other hand we lose outstanding, well-educated candidates for ministry because they see the inequity and sometimes the unprofessionalism in the ordination process. For instance, some women have made sacrifices earning seminary degrees and going through the ordination process, only to be denied pastoral appointments and not being treated as professionals. In those cases the “no” to outstanding candidates for ministry are inappropriate. 

Religious organizations, and the AME Church is no exception, tend to be “compassionate and patient” with ineffective clergy. “Compassion and patience” exist in the ranks and pastors feel pressured to tolerate ineffective and even non-functioning church officers. “Compassion” and “patience” are normally positive terms, but when those attributes are extended when they should be withdrawn, become negative and harmful attributes. 

My father-in-law and the Army taught me that it’s the people you “bend or break the rules for” who will come back and “bite you.”  Both my father–in-law and the Army enjoined me, “Follow the rules and treat everybody equally and you will save yourself and the organization a lot of trouble.” I, too, advised young non-commissioned and commissioned officers to follow the regulations and not make-up rules as they went along; and to be even-handed and predictable.

Let me get back to the subject at hand

If we, as the AME Church, would just follow the rules of The Discipline and the Bible, and common sense, we could function more effectively and absent ourselves of many of the distractions of ministry.

The Committee on Ministerial Efficiency is tasked to “pass upon the efficiency and moral conduct of pastors.

For instance, the issue of a bishop referring pastors to the Ministerial Efficiency Committee because they fail to make a “round” report is worthy of comment. Some of the older bishops used to do just that and it signaled the importance of pastors being faithful to their pastoral annual conference financial responsibilities and was indicative of their ministerial efficiency.

It appears from what is stated in The Book of Discipline 2008 that a bishop, not only may, but, if he or she follows the law, is obligated to refer deficient pastors to the Ministerial Efficiency Committee because, absent of a “round report,” they are not in good-standing.  When pastors and laity are allowed to function when they are not in good-standing, their presence has a negative effect upon morale. 

A pastor might also be referred to the Ministerial Efficiency Committee for failing to win souls and convincing others to come to Christ, which goes back to the Mission, Vision, Purposes and Objectives of the Church.

A pastor referred to the Ministerial Efficiency Committee should not presume to be guilty. If a pastor has done all in his or her power to address or deal with a negative pastoral situation and the negative situation remains the same, there would be no reason to assume that the pastor is incompetent.

Most of our pastors are dedicated, competent, Spirit-filled models for ministry, but like other denominations we have some pastors who are nice individuals, but ineffective. They have not honed their pastoral skills and have little or no demonstrated leadership skills. They do not know how to build teams, but that’s when training must be provided.

If the African Methodist Episcopal Church is going to experience healthy growth, it needs to be concerned about ineffectiveness and incompetence, which requires bishops to make hard unpopular decisions. It might mean repositioning pastors and their families. The consecration vows for bishops stress commitment, love, peace, gentleness, mercy, the will of God, and Godly judgment.

Now, let me get back to the subject

The Ministers’ Bill of Rights was developed for effective and competent pastors, as a way to protect them and their families from frivolous transfers. It was not implemented to protect ineffective and incompetent pastors.

The Ministers’ Bill of Rights may be hampering pastoral efficiencies because some episcopal leaders seem to think that they cannot reassign a pastor unless the pastor is given an equal or better pastoral appointment. I don’t believe that there is legal entity that would use the Ministers’ Bill of Rights to force the AME Church or any denomination to keep incompetent or inefficient pastors, if documentation exists to substantiate the incompetence. Every other profession has competency standards; and we do also, but we need to follow the procedures that have been put in place.

Accusations against clergy should be routinely handled by the Ministerial Efficiency Committee to determine guilt or innocence; no exceptions. 

If the 21st Century itinerant system is going to work, it means that meticulous record-keeping needs to be in place. There has to be integrity in the pastoral appointment system. Godly judgment needs to be the standard, the rules need to be followed; and everyone rewarded equally and everyone disciplined equally as appropriate; no exceptions.

Integrity and professionalism in the today’s 21st Century environment with technology, more highly educated applicants for ministry, particularly well-educated woman in ministry, increased professionally-trained bi-vocational pastors; calls for changes and doing things differently. Ideally, bishops need to talk with pastors about potential pastoral appointments before the convening of the annual conference. Pastoral appointments the night before or the day of the Commissioning Service should be a thing of the past.

The protocol for the 90-day notice needs to be re-thought. The intent of the 90-day notice was to inform a pastor that he or she might be transferred to another pastoral appointment. But, when every pastor receives a 90-day notice, it defeats the intent of the rule because everyone receiving a 90-day notice is the same as no one receiving a notice. Having said that, the hardest job for a bishop is making of pastoral appointments because with every pastoral appointment there is disappointment. I would even go so far as to say there is never a pastoral appointment with 100% agreement. The 90-day notice “buys” the bishop and his or her cabinet more time in making pastoral appointments, but it dilutes the pastoral appointment system.

Making pastoral appointments is a difficult job, but we elect and pay bishops to do that and to bear the disappointments and negative comments from those who disagree with pastoral appointments.

Efficient, consistent and professional record-keeping is essential

It amazes me that bishops and Boards of Examiners do not require official transcripts sent directly from academic institutions directly to the office of the presiding bishop. Photocopied or scanned documents are not “official” and anyone with a computer can make any document look like an official document.

I am equally amazed that those who say they served in the military are not required to provide an “official raised copy” of the DD Form 214.

Record-keeping and accountability will increase ministerial efficiency and help episcopal district offices to function more even-handedly and more professionally. 

The offices of the bishop should have confidential files and official documents of all clergy; and that file should be forwarded when the clergy transfers to another episcopal district.

If a pastor’s performance is questioned or he or she is accused of ineffectiveness, the Ministerial Efficiency Committee is the appropriate venue for resolution. If an accused pastor feels he or she is not at fault, he or she should demand a hearing before the Ministerial Efficiency Committee. Issues involving pastors should be cleared up and dealt with before a pastor is given a pastoral appointment or is transferred.

The Church must raise the bar of professionalism by rigorous training, supervision and accountability, more training and dealing forthrightly with pastoral issues and accusations.

I am reminded of a story told by Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr. who relates that a bishop sent him “so far out in the country that the sun didn’t shine.” He went on say, “That pastoral appointment was the best blessing the bishop could have given me. The bishop may have thought he was punishing me, but God meant it for good.”

I have my own story. Bishop Frederick D. Jordan gave me an opportunity to pastor my first church. I left the Philadelphia Annual Conference with a bank job, fulltime seminary grant to attend Conwell School of Theology and the ability to substitute teach whenever I wanted to and moved to Paris, Kentucky to pastor Shorter Chapel AME Church; a church I had never seen. The church didn’t look anything like the church of my dreams; I was ready to return to Ardmore, Pennsylvania, but my wife encouraged me to remain and fulfill my dream to be a fulltime pastor. The pastorate at Shorter Chapel AME Church was a blessing that gave me a firm foundation for ministry. When I first saw the church building I questioned Bishop Jordan’s godly judgment, but quickly discovered the building was not the church and the people were absolutely wonderful. I came to understand and accept the will of God in my life from that experience; no matter how bad a situation looks, if God is in the plan, the situation will be positive.

The challenge for itinerant elders

The biggest challenge for those being ordain itinerant elder is their response and intention to the question in The Ordination of Elders: “Will you reverently obey your chief ministers to who is committed the charge and government over you, following with a glad mind and will their godly admonitions, submitting yourselves to their godly judgments?

The challenge for bishops

If the itineracy is going to survive, the African Methodist Episcopal Church must have bishops who will be committed to their promise to “be faithful in ordaining or laying hands upon others”; that is “guarding the gate” for those wishing to be ordained itinerant elders.

The challenge for pastors

Pastors must trust God and commit themselves to reverently obey their chief ministers to whom is committed the charge and government …following with a glad mind and will their godly admonitions, submitting to their godly judgments.

My old fogey thought

If pastors are obedient and committed; and submit their will to God’s will, there will be no harm from any pastoral appointment whether the pastoral appointment was made in the Holy Spirit of godly judgment or from the spirit vindictiveness. I believe that God’s will prevails in every situation.  

We all have “a dog in every fight” that involves the African Methodist Episcopal Church!

*We welcome op-eds and we welcome other opinions. Please feel free to address this and other issues.

Editor’s Note: I will be preaching for Founder’s Day at Allen Temple AME Church in Cincinnati at 11 a.m. service this Sunday (2/10/13) where the Rev. Dr. Alphonse Allen is the pastor; for the 2nd Episcopal District Founder’s Day in Raleigh next Thursday at 7 p.m. Worship service that will be held at the North Raleigh Hilton, 2415 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, North Carolina, Bishop William P. DeVeaux is the Presiding Prelate; and on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 3rd Street Bethel AME Church in Richmond, Virginia at 11 a.m. worship where the Rev. Dr. Godfrey Patterson is the pastor.

2. READER RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL AND OTHER ISSUES:

- To the Editor:

RE: Centennial Anniversary of Rosa Parks Birth Celebrated in Detroit…

This piece about Rosa Parks was informative.  Missing from it is her legacy in the tradition of Bishop Richard Allen as a civil rights activist and a person who lived out her faith by fighting for justice as a woman of God.(Micah 6:8) 

Let us not forget that for all she was in the political arena, Rosa Parks was even more within our Zion. She was a lifelong member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and as a consecrated deaconess within our Zion.

The Rev. Anita Marshal

3. “YOU ASK”:

Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry
I Ask

What does The 2008 Discipline say about the role of itinerant Elders in local church relations? Are they voting members of the official board, church conference, and quarterly conference? Can they participate in the conduct of the business of these bodies by making motions? Page 128 Section Xi, C does not list any of these duties
Thanks

(Name withheld

Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry’s Response to the Question:

An “Itinerant Elder” is required to answer the roll in a Quarterly Conference to be in “good and regular standing” in the Church. This requires membership in a local congregation.

Itinerant Elders who are members of a local congregation are referred to as "preachers" in Section C on Page 128 of The Book of Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church 2008.  However, such persons who hold membership in a congregation would be included in "Church Membership," Page 62, Part D, Paragraph 2.

"All persons eighteen (18) years of age or over (and processing all other qualifications) belonging to any of our societies shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of holding office in the church, local or general, to vote and be voted for, etc."

Even Itinerant Elders who are not pastors, but members of a congregation should be, in my opinion, "Working out their soul's salvation"; in other words, involved in the life and work of the church.

4. IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW GET A MONTHLY SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS:

This message is important, especially for Social Security recipients who do not registered to have their Social Security payments sent to a bank; and is especially important for those persons who don’t have bank accounts. Pastors and local church leaders should talk with their senior citizen members who are on Social Security to insure they understand the change that is taking place.

On March 1, 2013, paper checks will not be sent to Social Security recipients. If Social Security recipients have not signed up and registered to have their Social Security checks changed over to Direct Deposit, they will receive a debit card in the mail. They do not want to inadvertently throw away the debit card.

5. CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF ROSA PARKS BIRTH (1913-2013) CELEBRATED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013 IN DETROIT:

Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute of Self Development founded by Rosa Parks and Elaine Eason Steele celebrated the centennial anniversary of Rosa Parks’ birth on February 4, 2013 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of the African American History, 315 E. Warren, Detroit, Michigan by unveiling the Rosa Parks U.S. Postage Stamp.

Rosa Parks’ refusal to give her seat to a white male passenger December 1, 1955 and her subsequent arrest was the catalyst that began the 381 day boycott, December 5, 1955 which changed the course of history in the United States.  Distinguished as the “mother of the modern civil rights movement,” she has been recognized with many awards including Honorary Doctorate Degrees, the NAACP Spingarn Award, the President’s Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor to name a few.  She was the first woman and the second African American to lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda where thousands paid tribute. 

This year, Rosa Parks, will become the first person commissioned by Congress for a full-size statue since the 1870s, whose likeness was authorized by a special act of Congress.  Her life of pride, dignity and courage will forever permeate the world and the Institute she founded.

Read More: (www.rosaparks.org)

6. RESPONSES TO TCR NEWS BREAK (2/5/13) – LET’S STAY ON TOP OF THE ROSA PARKS STAMP…:

The Bad News:

From the Rev. Al Paris on Monday (2/4/13)

“I went to my local Post Offices (Grandview Texas and Cleburne Texas) and neither had the stamp available. The Grandview Post Office said they were small and had not received the Stamp yet.  The Cleburne Post Office said they did not have it and suggested that I might call and register a compliant. I called (800) 782-6724 and they informed me that each Post Office had to order the stamp. This is contrary to the statement on the USPS Web Site saying that the Stamp would be available of February 4 at all Post Offices. I suggested that perhaps the Stamp was not available because Rosa Parks is a Black Woman and filed an Official Complaint. They took my information and promised that I would be contacted within 24 hours. I am still waiting!”

From Sister G. H. Cox, Assistant Recording Secretary, SED WMS

“Just in from my local post office...was told that the Rosa Parks' stamp order did not come in YET.  I was advised to check at the main post office where the orders usually come in ‘on time.’"

From Sister Barbara Ransom

“I went to a post office branch here in Bakersfield, CA for the stamp, the clerk said they did not have it, they would have to sell their other "specialty" stamps first! I came right home got on the USPS website and saw where you can order the stamps directly from them, so that is what I'll be doing. It might be good to pass it along that that is the way to be assured of getting the stamp(s).”

From Sister Billie D. Irving, AMEC Connectional Officer

Thanks for this information.  I had been inquiring at my Melrose Branch as well as the Royal Drive Main Post Office and was told they would be out in February but never given a date.  I am glad to know they are available.  I plan to buy some for me personally and for the office although we do most of our mailing via the postage machine here in the office.


The Good News:

From Senior Bishop John R. Bryant

Dear Recorder readers - I went to the Post Office in my community and the clerk had the stamp on her counter. She thought they didn't go on sale until the next day, but I and her co-worker convinced her otherwise. With a great deal of pride, I purchased 100 stamps. That afternoon I was informed by one of my Presiding Elder, Walter Bauldrick, that the main branch sold out of theirs that afternoon.

Come on AMEs this is a purchase we need to keep making.

From the Rev. Dr. Byron J. Grayson, Pastor - St. Paul AME - Lenoir, North Carolina

"Yesterday I went to the post office in Lenoir, NC. The stamps were available. It is an impressive stamp which I showed to others as I was leaving. We may run out of them. St. Paul AME is spreading the word to buy the stamps."

From Brother Russell L. Livingston

I wanted to check for availability, so I went to two different post offices in Fort Worth, Texas; both of them had the stamps. But, both Post Offices had to go to the back to get them because they were not readily available up front.

From TCR Editor Sydnor

I bought 10 sheets of Rosa Park stamps and I must have been the first person to purchase them because the clerk waiting on me showed my stamps to the other clerks working the counters at the Post Office. They commented how beautiful her image was on the stamp. I agreed the stamp was the most beautiful stamp I have ever purchased. I am planning to use only the Rosa Parks stamps until the Richard Allen stamp is released; and then I plan to alternate between the two.

From Yvonne Henning Parks, former Episcopal Supervisor

I purchased 100 Rosa Parks stamps on Monday, February 6 around 1:30 p.m.  My postman informed me that they were almost gone. Individuals had been buying them all morning.  He did tell me that they would not be able to reorder for two weeks which is the normal time to replenish stamps.  This particular post office had ordered 2000, the number allowed to order at a time. So, please don't give up trying to purchase the Rosa Parks stamps. Thanks.

From Julie Hagwood

I guess it depends on where you live.  I live in a largely Jewish neighborhood and the stamps were readily available. The clerk even commented on how beautiful they are!  I will use them in my correspondence with prisoners.  This gives me another opportunity to witness plus talk about the AME Church. 

My Church, Bethel AME in Evanston, Illinois has one of the best ministries to prisoners in the AME Connection.

Additional Comment

From the Rev. Al Paris, Retired AME pastor

My problem with the Rosa Parks Stamp: I received a call from the Grandview Postmaster and he said he had the stamp in stock but not in the usual place, so the clerk did not know where they were. I suggested that he put up a sign indicating that the stamp was available. I'll check on that tomorrow.

I knew that I could order the stamp. My objection was that the Postal Service "assumption" that the majority population would not want the stamp. Another Post Office said they were in the "Safe". I asked why. Are they so valuable that they must be kept in the safe?

I would suggest that we not order the stamp but demand that our local post office stock the stamp. I plan to visit all the POs in my area and demand that they stock the stamp.

I consider this an attempt to marginalize the Stamp and what Rosa Parks was about. Every AME should purchase at least one sheet from his/her local PO and then a single stamp from every PO they see.

AMEN to Bishop Bryant.

Additional information

From Sister Karen A. Davis Burton


Or go to www.usps.com, the Shop menu, to buy stamps. The Rosa Parks stamp is the first featured.

7. SUPERVISORS COUNCIL OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH:

Resolution

Whereas, gun violence in the United States continues to increase year after year, resulting in death, injury, broken families and tragedy all across the nation; and

Whereas, the United States has the highest percentage of death by gun violence in the world, with more than 50,000 deliberate and more than 25,000 accidental gunshot injuries in 2012; and

Whereas, much press coverage and attention has been focused on mass shootings such as those at Columbine High School, Virginia Tech University, the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, and the devastating shooting of 20, six and seven year old children and their teachers in Newtown, Connecticut; and

Whereas, these shootings received much media attention, shocked the world and reenergized the national debate regarding gun violence, urban communities every day suffer from the plague of gun violence, which has desensitized policy makers to the real impact of gun violence in those communities; and

Whereas, the increase in gun violence has also demonstrated the critical need to increase resources and access for mental health evaluation, treatment and programs, and for parents and families to monitor their children’s exposure and influence by video games, movies and other technology which promotes violence and other inappropriate behavior, we must also call on the video industry to assist in the technology and entertainment it produces, markets and sells; and

Whereas, the gun lobby in this country has resisted all efforts to regulate and provide accountability for guns, arguing that any effort to require background checks and other measures for gun possession, violate rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U S Constitution, and vow to block any and all efforts to reform gun laws, instead arguing to arm teachers and provide more citizens more guns; and

Whereas, following the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, President Barack Obama appointed Vice- President Biden to chair a Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to make recommendations to reform gun laws in the United States; and

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved that the Supervisor’s Council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church supports the Obama Administration’s legislative proposals to reform gun laws which include:

- Mandatory background checks
- Ban on assault weapons
- Ban on sale of magazine clips with more than ten rounds
- Strengthening penalties for gun trafficking
- Increased funding and requirements for mental health examination and assistance
- and we also support Executive Orders issued by the President; and

Be It Further Resolved, that each missionary is asked to sign petitions available in each local church, supporting this legislation, and call their US Senators and Representatives urging them to support the Obama Administration’s legislative proposals, recognizing the importance of our support being heard to influence Congress; and

Be It Finally Resolved that the Supervisor’s Council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, will work with and reach out to the Obama Administration and other ecumenical organizations to achieve reform of gun laws in the United States.

Done By Order of the Supervisors Council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church this Second Day of February in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Thirteen.

Supervisor Phyllis Green, Secretary                                       
Supervisor Stan McKenzie, President
                                                             
8. ANNUAL MINISTRIES IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION TRAINING & PLANNING MEETING:

The Annual Ministries in Christian Education Training & Planning Meeting will be held April 18-20 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Theme: The Cost of Discipleship - Cultivating & Modeling Christ-Like Christianity!

Participants can register now for the Annual Ministries in Christian Education Training & Planning Meeting at the early registration rate of $125 per person.

The meeting will be held on April 18-20, 2013 at the Hotel Preston in Nashville Tennessee.

To register now for conference details, featured preachers and presenters visit the AME Christian Education website, www.ameced.com or call 615.242.1420.

Christian Education directors, church school leaders and teachers, and other ministries officials are encouraged to attend.

Submitted by the Rev. Dr. Daryl B. Ingram, Executive Director, Christian Education Department

9. LISTEN TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S 2013 NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST SPEECH:

Allocate 18 minutes to listen to President Obama Speak at the National Prayer Breakfast.

Click on the link or type in your browser:


10. JOSHUA DUBOIS LEAVING WHITE HOUSE POST:

The Rev. Joshua DuBois, White House Director of Faith-Based Office is leaving his post. His departure was announced by President Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

A White House official announced that the Rev. DuBois planned to teach at New York University, and would create an organization to help government; nonprofit and private institutions develop partnerships with religious groups to solve social problems.

11. ACCESSIBLE ARCHIVES PROVIDE ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER AND OTHER HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS:

Accessible Archives http://www.accessible-archives.com/ utilizes computer technology and a large team of conversion specialists to provide easy to use access to vast quantities of archived historical information previously available only in microformat, hard copy form or as images.

Diverse primary source materials reflecting broad views across American history and culture have been assembled into comprehensive databases. Developed by dedicated instructors and students of Americana, these databases allow access to the rich store of materials from leading books, newspapers and periodicals then current.
We will continue to add titles covering important topics and time periods to assist scholars, professors, students, genealogists and historical societies in their pursuit of knowledge.
Search African American Newspapers:


Search The Christian Recorder 1861 – December 1902:


12. WARWICK GATHERS TO HONOR, TO REMEMBER MARTIN:

Journalist Dominic Carter is the guest speaker at Union AME Martin Luther King Day

WARWICK — Members of the Warwick Union African Methodist Episcopal Church  and guests from throughout the Warwick community, including local pastors and officials, celebrated Martin Luther King Day, this past Monday, Jan. 21.

The guest speaker was Dominic Carter, a reporter and political commentator for Fios/RNN News, a blogger for The Huffington Post and former anchor of the NY1 news and commentary program Inside City Hall.

“I’ve met Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump,” he said. “I’m not impressed by them.”

But pointing to Rev. Kevin Taylor, pastor of Union AME Church, he said: “I am impressed by your new pastor.”

A well-attended congregation that morning had gathered to honor the memory of King, the civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prizewinner who was assassinated in 1968.

Early in the service WTBQ radio host Dick Wells led the congregation in singing the National Anthem.

Richard Kuntz of the Bellvale Community read a passage from the New Testament, which was followed by the reading of the Litany by the Rev. Bruce Barnard, lead pastor of Warwick Valley Church of the Nazarene.

New for this year, young members of the Black Dirt Dance Studio performed a creative dance in tribute to King.

Guests, who gave short presentations, included Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, Mayor Michael Newhard, Judge Nancy D’Angelo, Judge Peter Barlet and Cedric Glasper, president and CEO of Mechanical Rubber and past President of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce.

“I believe he (Dr. King) personified hope,” said D’Angelo, who began her comments with definitions of hope.

Newhard, who is also an artist and a painter, described the canvas he would paint as a birthday gift to King: “It would be strong and bright and beautiful,” he said. “It would be a painting of a dream come true.”

The UAME Tabernacle Choir and the Praise Team for the Church of the Nazarene helped to make this a memorable occasion.

- Roger Gavan

* This article originally appeared in The Warwick, N.Y., Advertiser (www.warwickadvertiser.com). Used with permission.

13. INVITATION TO ALL METHODISTS AND WESLEYANS FROM THE WORLD METHODIST EVANGELISM INSTITUTE (WMEI):

“ReThinking Mission” – A WMEI Training Seminar at Emory University.

Our World Methodist Evangelism Institute (WMEI) is announcing “Rethinking Mission” in the Methodist/Wesleyan Movement in North America. This is an evangelism/mission training event, especially organized for clergy and laity, and being held at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University on Saturday, March 23, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We invite Methodist/Wesleyan clergy and lay leaders to sign-up.

This training will expose leaders to new thinking and practice of evangelism and mission in the Methodist/Wesleyan movement in North America.

Featured speakers include: Dr. Winston Worrell of WMEI, Dr. Phil Schroeder of the United Methodist Church, Evangelist DeWayne Golightly of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. James Wade of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Dr. Otis McMillan of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Worship leader from Candler School of Theology is Rev. Barbara Day-Miller.

Registration cost of $70.00 per person before March 1 or $80.00 after March 1, 2013 - covers registration, materials and resources from UMC, CME, AME and AME Zion; lunch and snacks. Special $50.00 registration fee per person for local congregations sending 5 or more persons. Special rate for seminary students. Register on our website at www.wmei.ws.

14. KAIROS COMMUNITY AME CHURCH CELEBRATES PERMANENT WORSHIP FACILITY AND ANNIVERSARY:

Nashville, TN – Kairos Community African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) will celebrate its 8th Year Church Anniversary and Dedication Celebration on Sunday, February 24, 2013. The church anniversary service will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the church dedication service will begin at 3:00 p.m. Both services are open to the public and will take place at 413 Veritas Street, Nashville, TN 37211.

The Rev. Roderick D. Belin Presiding Elder of the South Nashville District of the AMEC will lead the 9:30 morning worship service in praise and celebration. The afternoon dedication service will include an official “Acts of Dedication” ceremony led by Bishop Jeffrey N. Leath, Presiding Prelate of the 13th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Dedication Celebration will mark the end of an extensive search for the purchase of a permanent church building.

“The purchase of our church building marks the beginning of new worship opportunities; it’s a time in the Kairos moment where, we as a church, now have adequate space to meet the emergent needs of a diverse community on a daily basis”, said the Rev. Tyronda Howse Burgess, pastor of Kairos Community AME Church.

Kairos is the first AME church to be planted in the South Nashville area since 1911. The first worship service was held on the second Sunday in February 2005 in a temporary worship location.

The Rev. Burgess adds that, “The name of the church, ‘Kairos,’ is a Greek term for ‘time’ denoting a special, significantly critical point in human history when God’s will and purposes are carried out – and that time for our church is now”.

To mark this propitious occasion, the church will develop a digital Church Anniversary and Church Dedication Journal to be distributed to guest present on the day of the dedication. A limited number of printed journals will be available to those who place ads in the journal.

If you are interested in purchasing an ad, please contact the church at 615-332-3320 or email info@kcame.org. The deadline for submission is Sunday, February 17, 2013.

15. CELEBRATING 118 YEARS OF HISTORY:                                      

From left to right:  Pastor Karl A. Stevens, Pastor of Byrd’s A.M.E. Church, Reverend Richard Worthy, Presiding Elder of the Wilmington District, Darneisha Reed, Church Historian, Right Reverend Gregory GM Ingram, Presiding Prelate of the First Episcopal District, Rapheal Young, Church Historian, Bernard Williams, Sr. , Chairperson

Two years ago, two young members of Byrd’s African Methodist Episcopal Church, located in Clayton, Delaware, inquired about the framework and the history of their church.  Due to the lack of records available, the two querying members were given the opportunity to do the research themselves.  Under the pastorate and blessings of the Rev. Karl A. Stevens, Sister Darneisha Reed and Brother Rapheal Young became the church’s historians and were able to discover information about the history of their church.

Byrd’s African Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1894 to function as a convenient, spiritual dwelling for the increasing African American population that had to walk several miles to Mt. Friendship AME Church. Mt Friendship was considered the “home church.” 

The black community, mostly consisting of railroad workers, generally walked the Kenton Road to Mt. Friendship rather than through Smyrna to Bethel Church.  Originally, the church bore the name of Clayton AME Church. The church’s name was changed to Byrd’s AME Chapel to recognize the Reverend Elijah Byrd, who on May 27th, 1895 was appointed to the church. The Reverend Byrd paid the debt of $300.00 to prevent the church from being sold in two weeks. 

Many of the earlier records for Byrd’s have been lost, but we do know that the land upon which the church was built was purchased on July 13, 1894. The trustees, John H. Murray and others (unnamed) purchased the site for $100.00.  On August 28, 1901 Byrd’s AME Chapel along with its sister church Mt. Friendship AME purchased 5 acres of land as a camp meeting site.  With this meeting ground, the two churches were able to hold annual 10-day tent meetings that raised money for both churches, and also provided an inspiring retreat for members and friends. On December 12, 1907 Byrd’s AME Chapel brought the property which is now West Street in Clayton, Delaware for $110.00 for parsonage. In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, the church expanded to include the section that now serves as the kitchen and dining hall.  Byrd’s A.M.E. Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on October 19, 1982.
  
The planning and organization of the celebratory events to celebrate this historical achievement, Brother Bernard Williams, Sr., chair and Mrs. Sharon Burton–Young, co-chair and the trustees of the church spearheaded. Byrd’s African Methodist Episcopal Church hosted a revival Thursday October 11 and Friday October 12, 2012. Pastor George W. Anderson of St. Luke Christian Community Church in Chester, Pennsylvania was the revivalist for both days.  Friday, November 9, 2012 consisted of a joy night where members, family, and friends gathered to glorify and uplift the Name of Jesus.

A dedication ceremony for the unveiling of the historical marker, an open house, and a banquet took place Saturday, November 10, 2012. 

On Sunday, November 11, 2012 the Right Reverend Gregory G.M. Ingram, 118th Elected and Consecrated Bishop of the AME Church and Presiding Prelate of the First Episcopal District was the speaker for the morning service.  He preached from Psalms 100 with the topic of “With thanksgiving and praise.” 

Also attending the events were Reverend Richard R. Worthy, Presiding Elder of the Wilmington District and his wife the Reverend Vera Worthy. 

Submitted by Darneisha Reed and Sharon Burton–Young

16. PAUL QUINN APPROVED TO ADD CONCENTRATIONS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FUNDRAISING AND PHILANTHROPY TO BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM:

Dallas – February 4, 2013 – Paul Quinn College has received approval from its accrediting body, the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools which is also known as TRACS, to include Entrepreneurship and Fundraising and Philanthropy as concentrations in the College’s Business Administration program which confers a bachelor of science to its graduates.  Students will be able to declare the two concentrations starting fall 2013. 

“Our goal is to empower students from under-resourced communities around the world use their power, abilities, and imagination to change not just their circumstance, but those of everyone around them” said Michael J. Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn.  “This is the Quinnite Nation’s new urban college model. We will use higher education as an economic development incubator for under-resourced communities. These programs are another step in that direction.”

Entrepreneurship at Paul Quinn will train students to become conscious business developers and investors in under-resourced communities.  Entrepreneurship students will be expected to carry out the College’s mission of servant leadership by applying the principles of business ethics and social responsibility. Graduates of the program will have learned to resolve ethical dilemmas to improve business opportunity and development in underserved communities. Courses will include social entrepreneurship, a social entrepreneurship internship, small business management, and leadership.

The first of its kind to be established at a historically black college or university and only the second undergraduate institution to offer such a degree in America, Paul Quinn’s undergraduate program in Fundraising and Philanthropy is a comprehensive curriculum that will prepare students to compete for careers related to the emerging field of philanthropy. Recognized as one of the hottest 25 future careers by U.S. News and World Report, fundraising creates leaders among diverse career paths related to the philanthropic sector. Courses at Paul Quinn will include advanced fundraising, donor relations; grant proposal writing, and prospect research.

Paul Quinn was accredited by TRACS in 2011. The College overcame accreditation challenges by achieving full accreditation status in a record-breaking 18 months. TRACS is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

About Paul Quinn College
Paul Quinn College, the 2011 HBCU of the Year, is a private, faith-based, four-year liberal arts-inspired college founded by and affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The College was founded in Austin, Texas, on April 4, 1872, and is one of the nation’s consortia of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The College provides a quality, faith-based education that addresses the academic, social, and Christian development of students and prepares them to be servant leaders and agents of change in the global marketplace. Members of the College’s student body, alumni, faculty and staff, called Quinnites, embrace the institutional ethos of “WE over Me” and are dedicated to honouring the “Four Ls of Quinnite Leadership,” which are: Leave places better than you found them; Lead from wherever you are; Live a life that matters; and Love something greater than yourself.

17. EDUCATION AND LEARNING SHOULD BE A LIFETIME ACTIVITY:

Technology, along with a computer and connection to the internet makes education and learning accessible to everyone. Today, there is no excuse for not engaging in some type of learning.  Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are available to anyone who had access to a computer and the internet. MOOC are provided by private, public, large and small colleges and universities in the United States and around the world; and the courses are free. Some courses may be taken for self-improvement and general learning; to earn certificates; and still other MOOC may be taken for college credit.

Anyone, anywhere in the world with internet access may take Massive Open Online Courses.

On the internet: MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses.  Although there has been access to free online courses on the Internet for years, the quality and quantity of courses has changed. Access to free courses has allowed students to obtain a level of education that many only could dream of in the past.  This has changed the face of education.  In The New York Times article Instruction for Masses Knocked Down Campus Walls, author Tamar Lewin stated, “in the past few months hundreds of thousands of motivated students around the world who lack access to elite universities have been embracing them as a path toward sophisticated skills and high-paying jobs, without paying tuition or collecting a college degree.”

I perused the internet and found some of the following websites informative and interesting.

Free MOOC Certificate Programs

http://www.openculture.com/free_certificate_courses  (Recommend you start here; this website provides excellent list of MOOC resources)

TCR Editor’s Note: Take your time and peruse the website and open links to learn more about MOOC courses and dates. 

Read more:


18. THE SMALL CHURCH (FROM THE ALBAN WEEKLY 2/4/13):

By Steve Willis

Quite often I drive by the Peaks Presbyterian Church on my way to hike through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The little white clapboard church sits in a beautiful setting, looking up to Sharp Top and Flat Top Mountains of the Peaks of Otter, among the highest elevations in Virginia. This congregation has always been a small country church since it was founded in 1761. It has survived the Revolutionary War, the trauma of our nation’s Civil War, the Great War to end all wars, the Second World War, Vietnam, the culture wars of the sixties, and now continues its ministry today. The Peaks Church’s beginnings hearken back to a time that had a quite different understanding of church and pastoral leadership.

During the period when the Peaks Church came into existence, stability was the norm for ministers, who most often pastored the same church their entire ministerial life. A study of Congregationalist ministers who graduated from Yale College during this era shows the difference between then and now. Robert W. Lynn and James W. Fraser, church analysts, who in 1977 contributed to one of the first books written specifically about the small church, summarize the differences:

The eighteenth-century New England Congregationalists did not view the successful pastor as one who changed churches. That 7 percent with more than two pastorates consisted of the “ne’er to do wells.” The situation was precisely the reverse of today, that is, Congregational pastors of that time looked upon themselves as holding identical offices with identical problems. There were no essential spiritual distinctions between the minister who labored in a small Connecticut hamlet and the pastor of the prominent church in New Haven or Boston.1

Until the late nineteenth-century, the small church had been the normative model for congregations in any context: city, town, or country. Not until the construction of public mass-transit systems in major urban areas had the large church, as we now know it, been a possibility. Tony Pappas, American Baptist Area Minister in Massachusetts and small-church advocate, describes it this way:

So for the first time in human history, thousands of people could get to a one- or two-hour event and get home for lunch! So large churches, big steeples, big pulpits, Old Firsts came into being. As we think of them today, large churches have only been around for a little over a century--only 5% of the history of our faith.2

The large church’s development in major urban centers also coincided with the growing American industrial economy. The prototype for the megachurch was the famous Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York, which built an unmatched membership of two thousand people. The business entrepreneurs John Tasker Howard and Henry Chandler Bowen were the businessmen behind the congregation’s formation. Spiritual as well as financial incentives provided the impetus for building supersized churches. Debby Applegate describes this dynamic in her biography of Plymouth Church’s first pastor, Henry Ward Beecher, who came to New York in 1847:
On a practical level, a popular church was an excellent investment. It was exempt from taxes, its revenues were regular, it was unlikely to chisel or default and it brought up the real estate values of the neighborhood, creating more opportunities for wise investors to make money. The church paid the owners rent or a mortgage with a profitable interest rate, and they could make extra money by hiring out the building for speeches, concerts, meetings, and other entertainments during the week.3

But before parishioners could travel by car, train, or Beecher boats to church on Sunday, churches had been small. The normative model for the vast majority of church history has been the small church, and the percentages show that this is still true today.

Of course, today is not the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, and much has changed, including changes both welcome and lamentable. If we consider the church’s position in the larger culture and the influence and power of the mainline Protestant church on society, things today more closely resemble 1761 than 1950. By this I mean that denominational Christianity has found itself in the periphery of the dominant American culture. Even our central-culture churches have found themselves at a new periphery. We have experienced a loss of social influence and status in the culture and a loss of resources. As much of a shock as it is to our system, we know that the church’s position in any culture ebbs and flows. We have little control over whether we are flowing or whether we are ebbing.

Today there is knowledge to explore that comes from healthy, sustainable, rural churches. We need to start thinking the other way around about where we are in the culture and what place we inhabit. Mainline Protestantism has grown comfortable and accustomed to the center, but we need to relearn gifts and skills from the periphery. Our social location is changing--really, it has already dramatically changed. So our learning needs to change as well.
I wish and pray for a time in the church that values and grows from the insight, experience, resources, and stories of all our diverse and varied ministries. A more in-depth collaboration among and learning from both central- and peripheral-church ways of being will provide needed perspectives and skills for living into an ever-changing future. Sharing our diverse voices and gifts can help us all remember that it is the sovereign, gracious God of Jesus Christ who is the center of our life together.
  
1. Robert W. Lynn and James W. Fraser, “Images of the Small Church in American History,” in Small Churches Are Beautiful, ed. Jackson W. Carroll (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1977), 7 - 8.  

2. Anthony C. Pappas, Vital Ministry in the Small-Membership Church: Healthy Esteem (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2002), 10.  
3. Debby Applegate, The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher (New York: Doubleday Broadway, 2006), 202.  
______________________________________ 
This article is adapted and excerpted from Imagining the Small Church: Celebrating a Simpler Path by Steve Willis, copyright © 2012 by the Alban Institute. All rights reserved. 


19. FEBRUARY IS “GO RED” MONTH!

February 7, 2013 National Black AIDS/HIV Awareness Day

AME Go Red Sunday & Red Dress Sunday

Feb. 17, 2013

Celebrate Love with BP screenings, Praise Dancing & information on how to prevent heart attacks, stroke, HIV & AIDS.

Visit www.AMEChealth.org for free info.

Bishop Wilfred Messiah, Health Commission Chairperson; the Rev. Miriam Burnett, MD M.Div., MPH, Medical Director; and the Rev. Natalie Mitchem, M.Div., Registered Dietitian, Executive Director

20. TEN TIPS TO HELP YOU CHOOSE A TAX PREPARER:

Many people look for help from professionals when it’s time to file their tax return. If you use a paid tax preparer to file your federal income tax return this year, the IRS urges you to choose that preparer carefully. Even if someone else prepares your return, you are legally responsible for what is on it.

Here are ten tips to keep in mind when choosing a tax return preparer:

1. Check the preparer’s qualifications.  All paid tax return preparers are required to have a Preparer Tax Identification Number. In addition to making sure they have a PTIN, ask if the preparer belongs to a professional organization and attends continuing education classes.

2. Check on the preparer’s history.  Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if the preparer has a questionable history. Also check for any disciplinary actions and for the status of their licenses. For certified public accountants, check with the state boards of accountancy. For attorneys, check with the state bar associations. For enrolled agents, check with the IRS Office of Enrollment.

3. Ask about service fees.  Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of your refund or those who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers can. Also, always make sure any refund due is sent to you or deposited into an account in your name. Taxpayers should not deposit their refund into a preparer’s bank account.

4. Ask to e-file your return.  Make sure your preparer offers IRS e-file. Any paid preparer who prepares and files more than 10 returns for clients must file the returns electronically, unless the client opts to file a paper return. IRS has safely and securely processed more than one billion individual tax returns since the debut of electronic filing in 1990.

5. Make sure the preparer is accessible.  Make sure you will be able to contact the tax preparer after you file your return, even after the April 15 due date. This may be helpful in the event questions arise about your tax return.

6. Provide records and receipts.  Reputable preparers will request to see your records and receipts. They will ask you questions to determine your total income and your qualifications for deductions, credits and other items. Do not use a preparer who is willing to e-file your return by using your last pay stub before you receive your Form W-2. This is against IRS e-file rules.

7. Never sign a blank return.  Avoid tax preparers that ask you to sign a blank tax form.

8. Review the entire return before signing.  Before you sign your tax return, review it and ask questions. Make sure you understand everything and are comfortable with the accuracy of the return before you sign it.

9. Make sure the preparer signs and includes their PTIN.  A paid preparer must sign the return and include their PTIN as required by law. The preparer must also give you a copy of the return.

10. Report abusive tax preparers to the IRS. You can report abusive tax preparers and suspected tax fraud to the IRS on Form 14157, Complaint: Tax Return Preparer. If you suspect a return preparer filed or altered a return without your consent, you should also file Form 14157-A, Return Preparer Fraud or Misconduct Affidavit. Download the forms on the IRS.gov website or order them by mail at 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

21. THE 1st EPISCOPAL DISTRICT 2013 SCHEDULE OF ANNUAL CONFERENCES:

Bishop Gregory G.M. Ingram, Presiding Prelate
The Rev. Dr. Jessica Ingram, Episcopal supervisor

The 127th  Session of the Bermuda Annual Conference
March 7-10, 2013

Pre-Conference Activities
March 5 – Evangelist Day
March 6 – WMS Day

Fairmont Southampton Resort & Spa
South Shore
Southampton, Bermuda
The Bermuda Conference AME Ministerial Alliance, Host

The 90th Session of the Delaware Annual Conference
March 21-23, 2013

Pre-Conference Activities
March 16, 2013 – YPD
March 19 – Evangelist Day
March 20 – WMS Day

Mt Zion AME Church
101 North Queen Street
Dover, DE 19904
Phone: 302-678-9478
Fax:  302-678-9192
The Rev. Ellis B. Louden, Host Pastor

The 141st Session of the New Jersey Annual Conference
April 3-7, 2013

Pre-Conference Activities
April 1 – Evangelist Day
April 2 – WMS Day

Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church
39 Morris Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Telephone: 732-249-8476
Fax:  732-246-0112
The Rev. Eric & the Rev. Myra Bilips, Host Pastors

The 162nd Session of the New England Annual Conference
April 18-21, 2013

Pre-Conference Activities
April 16 – Evangelist Day
April 17 – WMS Day

Bethel A.M.E. Church
255 Goffe Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Telephone: 203-348-3879
Fax:  203-961-0460
The Rev. Joseph Hooper, Host Pastor

The 191st Session of the New York Annual Conference
April 24- 29, 2013

Pre-Conference Activities
April 22 – Evangelist Day
April 23 – WMS Day

Greater Allen Cathedral AME Church
110-31 Merrick Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 11433
Phone:       718-206-4600
Fax:  718-526-1311
The Rev. Floyd H. Flake, Host Pastor

The 17th Session of the Western New York Annual Conference
May 9-11, 2013

Pre-Conference Activities
May 7 – Evangelist Day
May 8 – WMS Day

Bethel A.M.E. Church
1525 Michigan Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14209
Phone:       716-886-1650
Fax:  716-886-2311
The Rev. Richard A. Stenhouse, Host Pastor

The 197th Session of the Philadelphia Annual Conference
May 22-26, 2013

Pre-Conference Activities
May 20 – Evangelist Day
May 21 – WMS Day

Held at City Line Hilton Hotel, Philadelphia
Hosted by Morris Brown AME Church
1756 N. 25th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19121
Telephone: 215-763-4707
Fax: 215-763-1465
The Rev. James P. Baker, Host Pastor

22. THE 14TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT 2013 SCHEDULE OF ANNUAL CONFERENCES:

Bishop Clement W. Fugh, Presiding Prelate
Mrs. Alexis Fugh, Episcopal supervisor

Sierra Leone
March 7, 2013            
WMS and YPD Convention
March 8-10, 2013                
Annual Conference in Session
Host Church                       
Emmanuel AME Church, Free Town
Host Pastor                       
The Rev. Matthew Quartey
Host Presiding Elder   
The Rev. Isaac Showers

Nigeria
March 14, 2013          
WMS and YPD Convention
March 15-17, 2013              
Annual Conference in Session
Host Church                       
Bethel AME Church, Ishaga, Lagos
Host Pastor                       
The Rev. Boniface Essien
Host Presiding Elder   
The Rev. Boniface Essien

Cote D’ Ivoire
March 21, 2013          
WMS and YPD Convention
March 22-24, 2013              
Annual Conference in Session
Host Church                       
St. Augustine AME Church, Abidjan
Host Pastor                       
The Rev. Tra-Bi Voly Jean R
Host Presiding Elder   
The Rev. Tra-Bi Voly Jean R

Central Liberia
April 10, 2013            
WMS and YPD Convention

April 11-14, 2013                 
Annual Conference in Session
Host Church                       
Carey Abraham Gibbs AME Church, Timbo District
Host Pastor                       
The Rev. Zarway Gaye
Host Presiding Elder   
The Rev. J. Othaniel Vah

Liberia
April 17, 2013            
WMS and YPD Convention
April 18-21, 2013                 
Annual Conference in Session
Host Church                       
Mason Memorial AME Church, Monrovia
Host Pastor                       
The Rev. Jerome Graffin
Host Presiding Elder   
The Rev. David A. B. Parker

Ghana and Togo-Benin
May 1, 2013                      
WMS and YPD Convention
May 2-5, 2013            
Annual Conference in Session
Host Church                       
Episcopal Worship Center, Kumasi
Host Pastor                       
The Rev. Dr. Yaw Fokuo
Host Presiding Elder   
The Rev. Dr. Yaw Fokuo

23. GETTING TO ZERO: AN UP CLOSE VIEW - PART 2:

Dr. Oveta Fuller

We continue thoughts started at arrival in Lusaka, Zambia to begin Fulbright residency here.

It was a special welcome by the two airport officials-- my Zambian brothers, at the Lusaka immigration booth and to briefly hear their thoughts about HIV/AIDS.  Most families are affected by HIV in some way. The custom officials and families identify with the need to get to zero. The question is how to do this. People are frustrated because they hear the same info over and over. How does any of this bring about change?

Informed, committed and mobilized clergy can help bring about change.

It’s global, a pandemic. It affects individuals and families in profound ways.

In June 2012, our University of Michigan team shadowed a home care group during their weekly visit. The home care team of volunteers (some missionary society members) was brought together by their pastor who had been part of the 2006 two day Trusted Messenger Intervention (TMI) workshop in Lusaka. About eight people from the congregation subsequently completed a government based program that trains community health workers (CHWs).

CHWs are a key interface between persons in the community who live with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and medical clinics or social programs of government or non-government organizations (NGOs). Community clinics provide free testing, free anti-retroviral medicines, monitoring of CD4 and viral load, treatment or referral for treatment of opportunistic infections and linkage to social services that assist with housing, food and transport. When PLWHAs are too sick to care for themselves or others, the home care team is a lifeline. When PLWHA cannot shop or prepare food or travel to church or to the medical clinic, the home care person is there.

Shadowing the CHW team in part was to document what pastors and clergy do after they complete TMI workshops. Now they understand more in depth about how HIV, as a relatively fragile and limited virus, has caused a worldwide epidemic. How then do clergypersons make use of this in leadership? “Now that you know, what can you do?”

At one neighborhood location, we visited with an HIV+ grandmother who had progressed to AIDS.  She was in treatment with anti-viral meds provided by the Zambia government and UNAID. She told us that each of her 7 adult children was “lost to HIV/AIDS.”  She and her mother, who is blessed with longevity and good health, now care for each other and for their grand and great grandchildren. While the CHW and some of our UM team members talked inside the home with this grandmother, the great grandmother held close in her lap an 18 month old girl, one of the youngest great grands. The other CHW person (they work in twos), communicated in Bembe between the great grandmother and us.

The small neat home with its clay floor was surrounded by a cinder block fence on two sides to make a closed in courtyard of sorts. We were told that this enclosure was built by a government program to make the home of the great grandmother more secure and private.

She was outside in the enclosed courtyard that separated her home from others in the bustling twisting neighborhood. This great grandmother sat on a pile of gravel she had made over many weeks by breaking a large 5 x 5 x 3 ft rock into smaller and smaller pieces. Someone had graciously hauled the large rock into the courtyard for her. These large rocks are found naturally in certain parts of Lusaka. Over weeks, one day at a time, with a hand-held pick, the great grandmother had broken the large boulder into small gravel size stones. The large mound of broken rock would eventually be sold as gravel to a construction company to provide a family income.

Since becoming sick with AIDS (aka Slim’s disease) over a year ago, the woman with whom the CHW visits spends most days here at her mother’s home. The gravel is the only self-generated income of sorts for the family of two women and their young grand and great grandchildren.

The granny had responded well to the anti-viral drug regimen. She sat against the far wall on a reed matt inside the home. She told us that she “feels very blessed to be getting better”. Some days she “now feels well enough to go to the market to shop for vegetables and to go to the clinic to pick up or her life-giving meds and to do the finger sticks to test HIV and CD4 levels.” The younger grandchildren are watched by the great grandmother and older siblings as she continues to recover.

These women are but two of the many grannies in Zambia and other communities in countries throughout the developing world. In these cultures, it is an honor to grow older and wiser. A widespread expectation and form of social stability is that elders are cared for by their children and grandchildren. HIV/AIDS changes this natural order. When members of the middle generation die or are too sick to care for anyone, the grannies do what they must for family and their own survival. 

The home care visit in this peri-urban Lusaka community provides a close up view of the impacts of HIV/AIDS. Caring for children left vulnerable and breaking of large boulders into gravel for sell are daily realities of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic. 

HIV is a virus that must make more of itself in order to survive. Humans are its natural and only host. It’s not personal. HIV is just a microbe doing what it must.  The ways and adaptations of nature are profound.

24. MEDITATION BASED ON PSALM 46:

*The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Darby

I took a trip down “memory lane” a few weeks ago, when I did one of my sons a favor and picked up his most recent order from the local comic book store.  Comic book storylines and artwork are darker and more complex today, but picking up my son’s comics took me back to the days of my youth when I was a serious comic collector who used to hang out at the newsstand to pick up each month’s newest issues.

“Superman” was one of my favorites, and two things about him amazed me.  The first was that he managed to conceal his real identity and become “Clark Kent” the reporter simply by putting on glasses and a suit - even those closest to him seemed not to notice the resemblance!  The second was that when he needed to change into his super hero suit, he often did so in a phone booth on a busy street - and no one seemed to see what was happening.

My general impression was that Superman was fortunate to live in the city of Metropolis, where the citizens were - to put it kindly - a little bit “slow” and far less than astute or observant. Looking back, though, makes me realize that all of us can sometimes be like those who lived in the fictional Metropolis of Superman’s day.

God blesses and provides for us each day, but we sometimes fail to see our blessings.  The rigors of a fast paced world that bombards us with routine and urgent daily demands and often takes us from crisis to crisis makes all of us focus on just meeting life’s demands and handling life’s crises sooner or later.  It’s easy for all of us to become consumed with handling what lies before us and end up stressed, frustrated, burnt out and caught up in keeping up.

When we take the time, however, to slow down and count our blessings, we’ll discover new peace of mind and new meaning in life.  We’ll realize that even in our most trying and challenging times, God stands with us, steadies us, comforts and sustains us in great and small ways that we often fail to recognize and celebrate in the midst of life’s pressures and demands.

Take the time each day - and more than once a day - to pause and count your blessings in spite of life’s pressures and demands.  You’ll see reasons to rejoice, find new strength for life’s journey, know that you never walk alone, find new hope for tomorrow and realize why one writer said, “Come what may from day to day, my heavenly Father watches over me.”

If you are in the Charleston, South Carolina area, join us on the Second Sunday in February for Church School at 8:45 a.m. and for AME Founder's Day Worship 10 a.m.  The Mass Choir, Mime and Praise Dance Ministries and Children’s Choir will offer praise.

Our Founder’s Day Preacher is the Right Reverend Richard Franklin Norris, Presiding Prelate of the Seventh Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Sunday’s Scripture Lessons are:

Psalm 24
Philippians 2:1-11
Matthew 16:13-20

*The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Darby is the pastor of Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina

25. CLERGY FAMILY CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENT:

- Ken Strickland, Son of the Rev. and Mrs. Lishers Mahone Named to Annual "TheGrio's 100" List

Ken is the son of the Rev. Lishers Mahone, Pastor of Brown Chapel AME Church in Joliet, Illinois and Mrs. Betty Mahone, retired High School teacher. In honor of Black History Month, NBC's theGrio.com has announced its annual "theGrio 100" list of African-American history makers and industry leaders who are making a difference in the lives of all Americans. Ken has been a stalwart member of the NBC News family since 1995. After starting off as an associate producer at Dateline, he worked his way up the ranks, and became deputy chief of the network's hallowed Washington D.C. bureau. This past October he was promoted once again, this time to become the head of the bureau. He has won two Emmys and a Peabody Award during his acclaimed career in broadcast journalism.

For a video interview with Ken, go to:


Congratulatory responses can be emailed to: The Rev. Lishers and Betty Mahone, firstladymahone@hotmail.com.

26. GENERAL OFFICER FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

It is with deep regrets that we share the passing of Ms. Mary Alice Jackson, R.N. who is the sister of Ms. Gloria S. Bruce, widow of the late Rev. Dr. Y. B. Bruce, former General Officer and Presiding Elder.

Celebration of her legacy and life will be at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the St. Nicholas Missionary Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida.

St. Nicholas Missionary Baptist Church
2606 San Diego Road
Jacksonville, FL 32207

The family can be reached at bruceg@south.net or telephone 407.352.1431.

27. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICES:

We regret to inform you of the passing of Mrs. Tessie P. Hill, the widow of the late Rev. H. Solomon Hill. Mrs. Hill was a member of Washington Chapel AME Church, Tuskegee, Alabama and a life member of the Women's Missionary Society, as well as a Diamond ember of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was the mother of the Rev. Solomon P. Hill, Dr. Walter A. Hill, Dr. Augustus Hill and the Rev. Dr. John D. Hill, pastor of Grant Chapel AME Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Funeral Services for Mrs. Tessie P. Hill:

Saturday, February 16, 2013, 2:00 p.m.:

Washington Chapel A.M.E. Church
2508 Old Montgomery Road
Tuskegee Institute, Alabama 36088

Telephone: 334-727-4821
The Rev. Nathaniel Copeland, Pastor

Services Provided by:

People's Funeral Home
500 Fonville Street
Tuskegee, Alabama 36083
Phone: 334-727-0140

Burial will take place on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at the Oakland Fraternal Cemetery, 2101 Barber Street, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family of Mrs. Tessie P. Hill in care of People's Funeral Home or Washington Chapel AME Church, addresses above.

Expressions of sympathy may also be sent to:

The Rev. Dr. John D. Hill and Family
4505 La Barranca Ave NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111

Telephone: 505-293-1300

28. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICES:

We regret to inform you of the passing of Mrs. Betsy Parks, the widow of the late Reverend H. L. Parks, Sr. (former pastor of St. Paul AMEC, Greater St. James AMEC and St. John AMEC); a native of Richmond, Kentucky, and a member of the Women's Missionary Society.

Sister Parks went home on Tuesday, January 29, 2013; and her Homegoing Services will be held Saturday, February 9, 2013, at 11 a.m. at Trinity AME Church, 1036 Euclid Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky. The interment will be in Cave Hill Cemetery. The Reverend Geoffrey Ellis, pastor of Greater St. James AME Church will be the eulogist.

The Visitation will be 10 a.m. -11 a.m. on Saturday, February 9th at the Church.

G.C. Williams Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
1935 W. Broadway
Louisville, KY 40203

Telephone: (502-772-3123)

29. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

We regret to inform you of the passing of Mrs. Helen L. Turner, widow of the late Rev. Thomas A. Turner, II, retired AME Pastor, St. Spruce Street AME Church, Fourth Episcopal District, Terre Haute, Indiana. Mrs. Helen Turner, also the mother of Mr. Joe Turner, Payne Theological Seminary Board Member and member of Greater Bethel AME Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Services for Mrs. Helen L. Turner, the mother of Brother Joe Turner

Body Entrusted to:

Guy & Allen Funeral Directors
2959 W. 11th Ave.
Gary, Indiana 46404
Phone: 219.949.6325

Visitation:

Friday, Feb. 8, 2013
12 noon- 8 p.m. (At First AME)

Funeral:

Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013
11 a.m.

First AME Church
2045 Massachusetts St.
Gary, Indiana 46407
Phone: 219.886.7561

30. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

We regret to inform you that Mother Wilhelmenia Pearl Conyers (97 years of age) was called to claim her eternal reward. She is the great-grandmother of the Rev. Rodrecus Johnson, Jr., the pastor of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The following information has been provided regarding the arrangements:

Viewing: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at
Fielding Homes for Funerals
122 Logan Street
Charleston, SC 29402
843-722-3348

The Homegoing Celebration will be held on Friday, February 8, 2013 at 12 Noon:

Morris Brown African Methodist Episcopal Church
13 Morris Street
Charleston, SC 29403

The Rev. Dr. Joseph Darby, Pastor and Eulogist

Condolences can be sent to the church or funeral home or mailed to:

The Rev. Rodrecus Johnson, Jr.
5085 Rosecrest Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

31. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

We are saddened to share the passing of Mr. George L. Hobson of Jackson, Tennessee, the father of the Rev. Everett Hobson, Sr., pastor of Quinn Chapel AME Church in Lexington Kentucky, and the father-in-law of the Rev. Barbara Hobson.

The funeral service was held on Sunday February 3, 2013 at Greater St. Luke Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.

Family contact:

The Rev. Everett & the Rev. Barbara Hobson
1808 Dalna Drive
Lexington, Kentucky 40505


32. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

It is with much sadness that we share the passing of Mother Rachel Berends, beloved mother of the Rev. Lauan C. Berends, pastor of Allen Temple AME Church, who passed away suddenly, aged 60.

The Rev. Lauan C Berends is a pastor in the Cape Eden District, Cape Annual Conference, 15th Episcopal District, Bishop David R. Daniels, presiding prelate.

There is but one step between life and death, a step which every Christian ought to eagerly await to take, to be with Him in that city four-square. May He undertake and keep the family under His care during this, their time of trouble.

Contact Information:

The Rev. Lauan Berends
Mobile Telephone: 081336897

33. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICES AND CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:

Ora L. Easley, Administrator
AMEC Clergy Family Information Center
Phone: (615) 837-9736 (H)
Phone: (615) 833-6936 (O)
Cell: (615) 403-7751




34.  CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:

The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend T. Larry Kirkland; 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.


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