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. EDITOR’S CORNER:
- Morris Brown will have its Commencement Exercises on Sunday May 15 at 6 p.m. at the John Henry Lewis Health Physical Education and Recreation Complex. The Honorable Cathy Cox, Secretary of State will be the Commencement speaker.
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Dr. Sydnor
Congratulations for being selected by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. as Outstanding “2004” Citizen of the Year for your journalistic skills and format presentation as Editor. I rejoice with you for the honor and for your success.
My Church pastor has also provided me with a subscription to The A.M.E. Church Review and I concur with you that the articles are educationally informing, scholarly, and relevant for our Zion and for living a life that can be abundantly fulfilled by God’s Grace.
I plan to write to Dr. Dickerson fort see if portions of my doctoral dissertation might be considered for inclusion in one of his issues. The subject is “Human Potential – Christian Perfection the internal Struggles to Growth.”
Again, warm and sincere congratulations.
The Reverend Dr. Mildred S. Keeys, Ph. D.
- More of the account of my visit to Johannesburg, South Africa and Harare, Zimbabwe to attend the Global Development Council – Day 1-2:
The opening session began with the devotional service being led by representatives of the 15th and 20th Episcopal Districts. At the conclusion of the morning session, which ended on a high note, we adjourned for lunch.
Bishop and Mother Messiah hosted an excellent lunch for the GDC participants. An array of salads, which I did not eat, but which looked like it came out of Gourmet Magazine was deliciously displayed. Baked chicken, beef, vegetables, soup, rice, potatoes and various desserts were served. The chicken and gravy over rice was prepared like it‘s prepared “back home.” The gravy was good for soppin’ it up with some biscuits. They didn’t have biscuits, but the breads were superb and much like the breads served in Europe. As a matter of fact the desserts were prepared like desserts are prepared in Europe; not very sweet as some American desserts. The lunch was wonderful and the service was excellent.
The afternoon session started with devotions by representatives from the 17th Episcopal District; and what a devotional. It was amazing to me to hear familiar tunes and hearing different languages being sung to the tunes that I have heard all of my live. The body movement of the Africans there at the Sheraton Hotel in Harare in 2005 took me back to St. George Methodist Episcopal Church in 1787 and I can imagine the white members of St. George being disturbed by the emotionalism and movements of the Africans in the sedate Methodist worship service. People of color are expressive people, even in worship. I felt my body swaying and moving to the music. Now, you have got to remember that I came out of Ebenezer AME Church in Rahway, NJ where the worship service was quiet and there were not many emotional outbursts. Occasionally someone would “catch the Spirit,” so my body is not naturally used to a whole lot of movin’ and goovin’ in worship. But I felt my body naturally movin’ and groovin’.
The afternoon agenda called for each Episcopal District to share a five minute prepared statement of concern. There was a concern about the general Church’s use of the term, “AME in Africa” because there is a church by that name in Africa, which started in 1980. Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry opined that “”We were here first, and that group needs to find another name.” Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry also wanted to insure that everyone knew that the GDC includes “the Caribbean, South America, the British Isles, and Europe.” She was concerned that some people think only of Africa when the GDC or “overseas” is mentioned. She encouraged to the group to think and speak globally.
Bishop Samuel Green chaired some of the afternoon session and he knows how to move a “meetin’ along.” The “Bishop” does not like to waste time and he was anxious for us to stay on task; and he kept the meeting on task.
Bishop Messiah shared with the group about the expenses and gave a financial report to the members of the GDC. Bishop James Davis expressed the view that a full accounting for all disbursement of funds should be the protocol of the GDC. The afternoon session business was completed and the various committee slots were willed.
Dinner was each attendee’s option. I chose to go to the Japanese restaurant in the hotel. That was not a good decision. I chose shrimp; and that was not a good decision. I should have stuck with the beef or chicken.
The evening session began with the devotionals led by the 14th Episcopal District. The devotional, as were the others, was a moving spiritual event. The attendees reviewed what had been accomplished and the quadrennial agenda was discussed and will be finalized. Other business was transacted upon. Proposed meeting dates were discussed and a “roadmap” for the work of the GDC provoked a spirited discussion.
We adjourned for the evening and returned for the closing session on Thursday morning. The devotion was led by the 14th Episcopal District as we prepared to hear the Word preached by the Right Reverend Sarah Davis. She preached a Spirit-filled message entitled, “You Can’t Stay Here; It’s Time to Move on!” She took her text from Deuteronomy 1:1-18. She preached about how Moses spoke to the whole people of Israel and how God’s message is the same message today. Bishop Davis spoke about being prepared. She went on to say, “If you move on; you have got to be prepared. “ She shared that God is an intentional God and God wants an intentional people. The preacher went on to say that, “Intentional people, intentionally ‘live for God, walk with God and work for God.’” She also spoke about the “wilderness” and asked the congregation to think l about where God spoke – in the wilderness. She pointed out that God speaks to folks in the wilderness today- a place with no boundaries such as the wilderness of disappointment and the wilderness of not making progress, the wilderness of seeing AME schools looking worse that the schools of the Seventh-Day Adventists and the Roman Catholics and the wilderness of seeming to not having enough resources. The sermonic good news is that we do not have to stay in the wilderness (and I don’t need to tell you anymore because you can probably use your imagination and you would know that the rest of the sermon preached itself!). God told the people that they had to leave the wilderness and go and possess the Promised Land. Some of us want to stay on the mountain or in the wilderness. God enjoins us, today, to go and possess the Promised Land, the blessings that God has prepared for us. The sermon was awesome. We prayed and sang and the preacher gave us the benediction.
But we were not finished. We had lunch and the food was good, they must have saved the best for last. The hotel prepared a feast. They must have had some South Carolinians in the kitchen. We had a great meal, but more than the, the overseas Bishops and the Editor of The Christian Recorder had a conversation about the overseas work… (To be continued)
In the next edition of The Christian Recorder Online I will share the great conversation I had with the Bishops and the Episcopal Supervisors during lunch.
2. GLOBAL WITNESS AND MINISTRY NEWS:
Dr. George F. Flowers, Executive Director of the Department of Global Witness and Ministry and Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor of The Christian Recorder are flying, as I am writing this message to you, on a very long flight to Johannesburg, South Africa from Atlanta, Georgia.
Following a “full day” in South Africa; we will board another flight for Harare, Zimbabwe to attend the Global Development Council (GDC) convening at the Sheraton Hotel Harare. The Council Meeting will have representatives from every overseas district (14-20). Bishop James L Davis will convene the meeting and Bishop Wilfred Messiah will serve as host. We are expecting at least 100 in attendance to include: executives, some council members, 7 active overseas bishops, 1 retired bishop living on the continent and 2 stateside bishops. This will be the first meeting of the quadrennial.
Dr. George F. flowers and the Department of Global Witness and Ministry have received for the Tsunami for East Africa through the following donors:
- $10,000 from Bishop Adam J. Richardson and the Second Episcopal
District
- $ 2,000 from (WMS) Eighth Episcopal District; Bishop C. Garnett
Henning and Supervisor Yvonne H. Parks
- $8,181.85 from SADA and Mr. Robert Nicholas (donors from across the church
- $500.00 Baker Chapel AMEC (Souper Bowl) Tenth Episcopal District
- $500.00 Greater St. Peter AME (Jonesburg, GA) Sixth Episcopal District
- $250.00 Jerusalem AME (Wadmalaw, SC) Seventh Episcopal District
- $500.00 Campbell Chapel (Bluffton, SC) Seventh Episcopal District
- $531.14 Greater Trinity (Charleston, SC) Seventh Episcopal District
- $150.00 Nazareth AME (Georgetown, SC) Seventh District
(According to Executive Director Flowers, the entire amount was channeled as (Pass-through funds) to Church World Service primarily for East Africa).
Received for Haiti Relief Efforts:
- $1,000.00 Macedonia AME (New York) First District
- $6,581.13 Lay Organization Seventh Episcopal District (South Carolina)
- $500.00 Bethel AME (New Orleans, LA) Eighth District
- $200.00 Mother Beverly Thomas
(These funds were (Pass-Through) to Presiding Prelate of the 16th Episcopal District; Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry).
The Reverend Dr. George F. Flowers
gwmame@bellsouth.net
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
