Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
1. AME LUNCHEON AT THE HAMPTON UNIVERSITY MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE:
The 2005 AME Luncheon at the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference will be held at the Radisson Hotel, 756 Settlers Landing Rd. • Hampton, VA, 23669, Telephone (757) 757-727-1271 on Thursday, June 9 at 1:30 p.m. The Radisson is adjacent to the Campus and as you leave the campus, proceed left on Settlers’ Landing and it is the tall building on the left after you cross the bridge. Let’s make the luncheon a memorable AME occasion as it has been in years past.
Editor’s note: I will be attending a funeral in Chicago and will be out of the office until Thursday.
2., DONATIONS FROM MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR ASSISTANCE FOR OVERSEAS DISTRICTS 14-20:
My family donations are arriving. We received from our son, Dr. Calvin Sydnor IV Kibwe, our daughter-in-law, Joanna Wells Kibwe, our God son, Dr. Ernest Mawusi. Two checks totaling $1000.00 received from their practices: Ambulatory Foot and Ankle Center, P.C. 1618 Hardy Cash Drive, Hampton, Virginia and Dominion DME, Inc. same address as Ambulatory Foot and Ankle Center. Total received so far Overseas Districts:
$260.00- Dr. Calvin and Reverend Charlotte Sydnor
$1248.00 -Sister Jeanette Johns and Friends in memory of the Reverend Clarence B Johns
$500.00 – Ambulatory Foot and Ankle Center, Hampton, Virginia
$500.00 – Dominion DME, Inc., Hampton, Virginia
Total Received to date: $2508.00
3. DOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS – THE FISH FRY AT OAK GROVE AME?
I just spoke to my daughter-in-law who lives in Oak Park, MI. She told me about an A.M.E. Church that has what is advertised as "The Biggest Fish Fry in Detroit". They bring in a refrigerated truck full of fish and have this Fish Fry for two days. She says it is absolutely the best fish! The rest of the menu is good, too, and the dessert is melt-in-your-mouth Pound Cake, made by a lady whose name no one will tell my daughter-in-law. Seems it's a big secret. I guess everyone would want her name and recipe. People come from downtown, uptown, everywhere. And it's the BEST fundraiser. They make $10-20,000 each year.
It's Oak Grove A.M.E. Church, located at Cherry Lawn and Pembrook. It's the church that Bishop Ingram pastored before his election.
3. MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR THE CONNECTIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION:
The Reverend Dr. Miriam Burnette is the medical director for the Connectional Health Commission.
4. EVALUATION USED AS A TOOL FOR CHURCH GROWTH:
Submitted By: Reverend Charles R. Watkins, Jr., B. S. M. Div.
Pastor, Friendship A.M.E. Church, Clinton, SC
Now that I have had more time to think about it, I am convinced that because the process by which evaluation is accomplished may be a bit difficult, many churches shy away from it. However, plans for the church and church growth are made and implemented as a result of evaluation. Clearly, it is effective evaluation that provides the barometer for what works and what doesn’t work. Evaluation when incorporated in a positive manner becomes integral to the overall planning process. Evaluation is such an important tool, that it is advantageous for the church to put a plan to work making it an obvious and intentional process.
Unfortunately, as soon as you mention the word survey people will be turned off. Many folk don’t participate in surveys anywhere. I don’t believe the average church member would consider evaluation to be a part of the church process. Never in a million years would you convince some of the church officers that evaluation is vital to the life of the church. Churches for the most part, as sad as it is to admit, have allowed themselves to become much more social than spiritual. It seems that there is a principal ingredient lacking, something that stunts the growth of a church. Evaluation would uncover the root of the problem.
I’m afraid that many folk don’t really understand, specifically in terms of Christianity, why they are what they are. Until I understood, a little more completely, my own spirituality I was a Methodist because my mother was Methodist. I am not so sure that many others aren’t Methodist or Baptist or even Christians at all for that matter, other than for the fact that their parents were. I am afraid that Christianity has merely become, in many instances, a perpetuation of ones family background or culture. As a result, many folk never reach a point of spiritual awareness beyond what Momma or Grandma believes. Thus, at least in my humble opinion, there is a great need for intense evaluation in the church prior to the planning of ministries in the church.
I must point out however, that to be effective, evaluation should be directed more towards growth than problem resolution or conflict management. In this approach one can clearly see that the underlying goal of evaluation will be centered on a method to improve rather than criteria to prove. In other words, there seems to be room for negativity when the evaluations of ministries in the church are directed in a manner solely to ascertain whether or not they are effective. It is never a good idea to engage in an evaluation process that involves accusation and finger pointing. This approach tends to uncover unexpected weaknesses in those who are pointing. This kind of evaluation results in "lines being drawn in the sand" and very little can be accomplished to enhance the overall ministry of the church. Work in the church should involve the entire membership, although admittedly, that situation seems to exist “in a land called 'Perfect'”. However, we must be careful to include the entire membership in the evaluation process. It seems that, unfortunately, most congregations left to their own devices, would select a few “prominent” church folk to spearhead the evaluation and never really dig deep enough to find out what the church, as a whole has to say. Try as we may to be inclusive, many of our church systems are flawed. There is a top down mentality that does more to stifle growth than anything else. As I learn more about the system I understand that the help needed must come from within the system. There are others, within the “body of faith”, that have the same feeling and I can see positive changes coming about everyday.
To be effective, evaluation is and must be an ongoing process. We are encouraged to continue to evaluate to ensure that we are equipped to provide the most effective ministry, reaching the lost and leading all of God’s children to Salvation.
I am thrilled to serve God in the 7th Episcopal District under the astute leadership of The Right Reverend Preston Warren Williams II. The blessing certainly continues as the Greenville District, of which I am a part, is superintended through godly direction provided by our Presiding Elder the Rev. Dr. Jonathan J. Baker.
Submitted by the Rev Charles R. Watkins, Jr.
5. EMPOWERMENT! CAN CHRISTIAN BANKING GROUP DRAW ECONOMIC REALITY FROM POLITICAL RHETORIC?
By Stephanie and Eric Stradford
FAS2 Coordinating Consultants
June 1, 2005, “Gorgeous Prince George’s,” MD -- “Empowerment” is by no means a new word. Contemporary use of it as a political buzzword dates back to the American civil rights movement, which sought empowerment for historically disadvantaged Americans.
This week (June 3-4), The Collective Banking Group, Inc. hosts its 10th Community Economic Empowerment Conference and perhaps a glimpse at reconciliation between faith-based empowerment and its impact on a post-war economy. The Collective Banking Group is uniquely empowered to leverage inherent values of a regionally replicable Christian model that connects people of means to people with needs.
At first glance, modern use of the word, “empowerment” appears to have evolved from a mid-17th century legalistic meaning, “to invest with authority,” or “authorize.” However, closer examination reveals the more infinitive and generally acceptable definition, “to enable or permit.” By either definition, the existence of “haves” and “have-nots” in “One Nation under God” suggests that some people believe they have empowerment while others are still waiting for it.
Poet James Weldon Johnson bridges the contemporary buzzword to a greater value. A passage from his poem, “The Creation” characterizes, in a nutshell, what many regard as empowerment through a faith-based initiative.
Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand;
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Johnson’s poetic perspective is perhaps appreciated most by beneficiaries of faith-based empowerment. During his lifetime in The Temporal Economy of Free Africans (1871-1938), a legendary stolen people rose on a promise of freedom from slavery to a higher level of economic expectation. The American Civil Rights movement responded to acts of terror on Free Africans in North America. The overwhelming Christ-centered response molded diverse beliefs into the politically correct social consciousness that today stands between war and peace.
The “empowered” learned that politics and money commonly stem from trust. The Wall Street perspective that turns from “The PriZe” falls short on faith almost every time. “The financial infrastructure in the African American community is likened to an upside down water barrel,” said one investment banking professional. “An upside down water barrel will not hold drinking water because it is upside down,” he said. “African American community leaders tend to stir up emotion among community members, and the community members tend to complain about their lack of access to capital.”
Somehow the reality of God’s promised empowerment fails to pierce hardened barrels of disbelief. But faith-based foes and friends alike are seeking value in today’s politically correct buzzwords. ”Access to capital, global markets, and leveling the playing field,” call for affirmative action by people in need as well as those of means.
Earlier this month, United States Treasury Secretary John W. Snow announced that 41 organizations have been selected to receive $2 billion in tax credit allocations in the third round of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program. Believe it or not, NMTC is chipping away at historic barrels of distrust and disbelief. The program attracts private-sector capital investment into the nation’s urban and rural low-income areas to help finance community development projects, stimulate economic growth and create jobs.
In Poet James Weldon Johnson’s temporal economy, such an allocation might have been perceived as reparation for the enslavement and genocide of Free Africans. In 2005, it is more likely to serve migrant needs in emerging rural census tracks that have yet to factor into the grand scheme. For people of faith, political perception more often than economic reality perpetuates the myth of a minority and majority. As the late Switzer scholar, Spencer Bartley often noted, “There has never been a shortage of resources…only resourcefulness!”
The NMTC program, established by Congress in December of 2000, permits individual and corporate taxpayers to receive a credit against federal income taxes for making qualified equity investments in investment vehicles known as Community Development Entities (CDEs). The credit provided to the investor totals 39 percent of the cost of the investment and is claimed over a seven-year period. Substantially all of the taxpayer’s investment must in turn be used by the CDE to make qualified investments in low-income communities. According to Snow, the 41 organizations were selected "through a competitive application and rigorous review process."
The NMTC program, administered by Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, “is doing what it is suppose to do – attracting sources of capital to our nation’s low income communities,” said CDFI Fund Director Art Garcia. “By partnering with the private sector and community organizations, previous recipients have already leveraged their credits into more than $2 billion in equity from investors.”
The CDFI Fund anticipates announcing the opening of the application period for the next round of the NMTC Program during the summer of 2005. A complete list of the 41 organizations selected and additional information on the NMTC Program can be found on the Internet.
6. THIRTEENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION YOUTH AND LEADERSHIP CONGRESS 2005 - “HOW TO REACH THE MASSES…”
GALT HOUSE
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
JULY 19 – 22, 2005
SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS
- ORIENTATION FOR CHAPERONES AND YOUTH
Tuesday, July 19, 2005 5 – 6 PM
- OPENING WORSHIP AND COMMUNION SERVICE
Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 7:30 PM
Bishop Sarah F. Davis, 18th Episcopal District, preaching
REVIVAL! WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY NIGHTS
Rev. Michael Bell, Bethel A.M.E. Church Dallas, Texas
NIGHTLY TEACHING
Dr. James Wade, General Officer: “How to Reach Un-churched Men”
And Thirteenth District preachers and presenters
- MORNING GLORY PRAYER MINISTRY
- LIVING WELL AND WALKING!
- WMS QUEEN’S CONTEST AND RECEPTION
- AFTERNOON AT THE APOLLO
- DMC PRAYER BREAKFAST AND GRADUATION
- HOLY GHOST HOLLA!
“It’s a Holy Ghost party and a Holy Ghost party don’t stop”!
WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY
BEGINNING FOR YOUTH AT 10 PM
Hip Hop Gospel Music – sing a new song!
Hip Hop Gospel Dance – demonstrate and learn!
Hip Hop Bible Rap – Get your rap on!
Fun and Fellowship
- WORKSHOPS FOR YOUTH, WMS AND MINISTERS
MINISTER’S TRACK
TWO COURSES PROVIDED BY PAYNE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2005 UNTIL WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2005
4 – 6:45 p.m. and 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Homiletics
The Rev. Dr. Frederick Wright, Adjunct Professor of Homiletics and pastor of Quinn Chapel AME. Church in the Third Episcopal District.
Strategic evangelism
The Rev Mark Tyler (Ph. D. Candidate) and pastor of Macedonia A.M.E. Church, New Jersey
- Continuing Education Credits and certificate from Payne Theological Seminary will be given to those who complete the course. All pastors must earn continuing education credits annually.
All preachers including pastors, ministers, licentiates, local preachers and evangelists are asked to register as soon as possible.
Your registration for the congress also includes registration for the two classes.
- Continuing Education Credits and certificate from Payne Theological Seminary will be given to those who complete the course. All pastors must earn continuing education credits annually.
All preachers including pastors, ministers, licentiates, local preachers and evangelists are asked to register as soon as possible.
Registration for the congress also includes registration for the two classes.
MINISTER’S TRACK REGISTRATION FORM
NAME:
ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
ANNUAL CONFERENCE:
CHURCH: PASTOR (If applicable):
COURSES: (CHECK CHOICES):
____ HOMILETICS
TUESDAY – WEDNESDAY July 19-20
_____ STRATEGIC EVANGELISM
WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY JULY 20 – 21
You must pay congress registration: $50 due July 1, 2005 and on-site registration fee $55.
Make own hotel registration by June 17, 2005
7. WOMAN’S GENERAL ASSEMBLY, FRIDAY, NOV. 18TH THRU SAT., NOVEMBER 19, 2005:
Special Delivery of Water Breaking Praise Shower!!! Powerful Pain Relieving Preaching!!! Life Changing Labor-Shops!!!
Breath Taking Topics include, “Push Until You Birth the Promise,” “Out of Your Belly & Into a Blessing,” “Happy Birth Day, Baby,” “After Birth, Then What” …and more
Opening Friday, Nov. 18th @ 7 p.m. -- Water Breaking PRAISE SHOWER *Daughters of Shabach Dance Ministry *New Covenant Praise Band
*The Voices of Africa Choral Ensemble *The Birth Day Choir
Closing Service--Saturday. Nov. 19th @4 p.m. -- “Happy Birth Day, Baby
(Registration is Friday, Nov. 18th at 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.)
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
