Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
“A nation cannot be an empire and a democracy at the same time.” - Statement made by Congressman John Conyers at the Rosa Parks funeral in Detroit.
Service members’ lives lost in Iraq (11/4/05): 2037, and rising daily!
1. THE 2005 SCHOLARSHIP LINK:
http://www.blackexcel.org/200-Scholarships.html
Editor’s note: Please get the word out to our young people and parents. “Better to try and fail than to not try at all.” The dollars for education are out there, but you have to find the dollars and apply. God provides food on trees, in the ground and in the waters, but someone has to pick the fruit from the trees, cultivate and harvest the crop, or throw out the nets or the fishing pole.
2. THE ROSA PARKS FUNERAL (PART 2):
I am sorry to say that I never did see and hear Bishop Cousin’s eulogy and for that, I was saddened. I really wanted to hear it, but with a seven and one-half-hour funeral one has to be a TV or Internet video aficionado to hang in there that long. To the seven hour and one-half-hour funeral add two and one-half-hors for the interment.
Bishop Vinton R. Anderson shared with me that he had seen and heard Bishop Cousin on C-SPAN and that the eulogy was well-delivered and to the point and that Deaconess Rosa Parks deserved all of the laudatory comments. I was so proud of all of the positive comments and commendations given to a fellow AME.
As much as I liked the service and enjoyed the four hours I watched, there were some things that were troubling to me and that might just be my problem and perhaps no one else was even bothered by it. I just felt that our leadership was slighted and that protocol and good manners were not held to the highest standards. I have nothing against Reverend Charles H. Ellis III and am certainly appreciative of his generosity for offering his church as the site for the Rosa Parks’ funeral. But, I was offended and cringed on the inside when speaker after speaker acknowledged Bishop Ellis and Greater Grace Temple Church and did not acknowledge our Senior Bishop, the Right Reverend Philip Cousin and the other AME Bishops who attended the funeral. I understand that there were about five or six AME Bishops who attended the funeral in Detroit and they should have been afforded introductory courtesy such as, “…Bishop Cousin, Senior Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and to the bishops of the AME Church…” I suspect that Bishop Cousin is too much of a gentleman, as are the other bishops who attended the funeral to mention this issue, and maybe they were not bothered by it. I was, and so, it is my problem.
I am wondering how those protocol oversights could happen. Reverend Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, T. D. Jakes, and even Louis Farrakhan received prominent recognition and a generous panning of their images on the screen and our Senior Bishop shown when the camera is panning someone else. Rosa Parks was a life-long AME. She was a deaconess and had been a Sunday School teacher and served as a stewardess. AME ministers and laypersons spiritually nurtured her, so how could the leadership of Rosa Parks’ Church not be prominently recognized?
I believe that it happened for several reasons. The people who were the coordinators and planners of the funeral failed to pay attention to details, the leadership of Grace Temple was not apprised of the AME protocol, or “the moment” got away from them. Most of us get nervous in a large crown and big events. I do not believe, and I hope that the protocol oversight was not intentional. Having said that, I would hope that if we have a similar experience in the future that planners and leaders will do what is necessary to “cover all of the protocol bases.” I have made protocol blunders and it is easy to “blow it.” And, that is a reason we should all practice before “the final event,” even as it relates to worship. In the Army prior planning is called, “pre-execution checks.”
The appreciation of practice or pre-execution checks should be the standard for from the top to the bottom of an organization and should be the standard in our Church. Have you ever been to a worship service or a program, even on the Connectional level, when participants are stopped at the altar or stage because someone failed to count the number of participants and the number of chairs on the pulpit of the dais? That happens because someone failed to make pre-execution checks.
I suspect that may have happened at the Rosa Parks funeral and I, would not want that to happen again. I want our bishops and leaders to be treated in a first-class manner; they are real bishops and worthy of the honor that should be given to them.
As I said, I have blown protocol and when I have, it was because I was nervous, or I failed to write the order of protocol where I could refer to it.
So, I have decided to list a generic protocol list that can be cut out and placed in a safe place, or placed on the lectern and on the pulpit. This list is prepared for a Connectional setting. We will do one done for the annual conference setting. If someone has already done the work, please feel free to share.
Order of Protocol
Primary –
Senior Bishop
President of the Council of Bishops
President of the General Board
Bishops (Active and Retired)
Episcopal Supervisors
General Officers (and their spouses)
Retired General Officers (and their spouses)
Connectional Officers
Secondary (if going down the list)
President, Connectional Lay Organization
President, Connectional Women’s Missionary Society
Presidents and Deans of Seminaries, Colleges and Schools
Members of the Judicial Council
Chaplains
Editor’s comment: There may be some adjustments or rearrangements needed as there are folks who know more about protocol, but this is a start. After I receive all of the corrections, I will post a final list one of next week’s editions of The Christian Recorder.
3. A SOBERING VETERAN’S DAY
By Bernice Powell Jackson
Last week a young man whom I met in a church in Florida several years ago came to mind. He had his own small business (I cannot remember if it was a lawn care or computer service business) and he had joined the reserves to earn extra cash to support his family as his business grew. He had just been called up for active duty when I talked with him. He was prepared to fulfill his obligations. But he knew that his fledgling business could not survive his long period of absence and his family would be forced to survive on his military earnings and those of his wife.
That soldier’s story has been replicated thousands of times in thousands of communities across the nation over the past three years. When the nation passed the milestone of 2,000 American soldiers killed in Iraq, it was a sobering reminder of the ultimate sacrifices made by young men and women at the behest of their commander-in-chief and for us all. That number is small compared to the losses of Viet Nam, Korea or either of the World Wars. Yet, it is huge to each and every family and each and every community from which these service men and women come.
In this war, reservists and National Guard members who have been called into active duty are paying a high price, with a quarter of the deaths coming from these two categories. Many of them were well-known and valued in their communities, including police officers and fire fighters, teachers and farmers. Many of these soldiers and reservists are now on their second tour of duty in Iraq. The New York Times recently ran an article telling the story of a young father who returned home for the birth of his child only to return to Iraq for his third tour of duty where he was killed. At least one estimate predicted that all troops will have completed three tours of duty by next spring. Will we then require them to return to Iraq for a fourth tour of duty? If not, where will we get more troops? What happens to those National Guard and reservists who have been kept in active duty under the stop loss provision even though they have fulfilled their contracts and more? What happens to those businesses, those farms, those communities which have done without those called up to active duty for three years now? With no indication of when American troops might be coming home, we must assume that many more soldiers will die during the months ahead of us.
This Veterans Day will be a sobering one, not only for the families that have lost loved ones, but also for those 15,000 families of soldiers injured in the war. Soldiers struggling with lost limbs, with burns, those who have been blinded or left paralyzed by the war. Then there are those struggling with mental illness caused by the trauma of war. Some of them will need months of help to overcome these physical and mental impairments; some will never be the same.
Americans continue to support our troops in many ways. But more and more Americans are coming to the conclusion that we are paying too high a price for a war for which the American people have been given no truthful, legitimate reason. More and more Americans are disturbed about un-bid or unsupervised contracts going to politically connected corporations for work in the re-building of Iraq. More and more Americans are disturbed that there is no exit strategy even being discussed, let alone shared. More and more Americans are coming to the conclusion that the war in Iraq has only nurtured a new breed of terrorists who are killing Iraqi civilians and American soldiers every day.
We owe it to our troops to support them and their families. We owe it to our nation to ask difficult questions about this war and to demand truthful answers. This is a sobering Veterans Day for us all.
4. THE WAYS OF GOD'S GRACE:
By Naamah Kelman
Reflections on the theme of the WCC 9th Assembly: God, in your grace, transform the world
More articles and free photos at www.wcc-assembly.info
"God, in your grace, transform the world" is a prayer that, in principle, could express the yearning of people from different religions. In the following article, Rabbi Naamah Kelman from Jerusalem reflects on the theme of the upcoming World Council of Churches 9th Assembly from the point of view of the Jewish tradition.We look to God for the strength, wisdom, and courage to change the world. We pray to God to renew our hope and nourish our spirits so that we might be able to be partners in transforming the world. We reach to God to feel love and comfort, so that when we have failed to change our world, we might be able to try again.We, of the three monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - share a God of compassion and justice. And these two must go together. Compassion without justice may heal us, but will not mend nor move us toward where we need to go. Justice without compassion might fix the wrong, but will not give us the ability to hold on to each other. We serve a God who can move us, heal us, inspire us, and compel us.In the Jewish tradition, we cling to two key pillars that hold us up. They are creation and redemption. Creation is both the original act of the creation of the world, and the ongoing idea of renewal; renewal of the soul and renewal of the world. Redemption is the original act of exodus from slavery, and the ongoing hope for a redeemed world.While God is the source for these transformative powers, we must become partners with God to ensure the ongoing forces of renewal and redemption in the world.On the weekly Sabbath, these two forces are brought together. We are commanded to rest, not to relax, in order to find the energies to return to a new week and the world with the force of creation and redemption. Maybe this week, we can heal our family, community, and neighbourhood. Even better, maybe we can reach out beyond our familiar frameworks and seek the other.Has there ever been a time in human history that we did not yearn for God's grace? Do we need it as much as ever? Yes!Today the scale of events is terrifying. Global connections have turned us into a world village. But technology has unleashed healing powers and powers of destruction as never before. We cannot keep up with the amount of terrible catastrophes facing humanity. It makes us numb with fear. Yet we also feel helpless in the face of poverty, disease, violence, and corruption. God's grace fights despair!> The audacity of acting like GodThe theme of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches next February reminds me of that wonderful Jewish parable about how we must act like God. Of course, as soon as the rabbis say this, they gasp at their audacity. How can we humans be like God?So, they answer: just as God visits the sick, we too must visit the sick. We learn this because God "appears before Abraham" in Genesis 18, shortly after he underwent circumcision. So, the rabbis deduce that Abraham is recuperating and God has come to "call".The rabbis seek scriptural proof-texts that God feeds the hungry, clothes the naked (Adam and Eve in the garden), consoles the mourners, etcetera, and therefore, we must walk in God's ways. These are the ways of God's grace.Of course, the most powerful proof-text comes from Genesis 1:27. The text makes it very clear that we were created in God's image, all of us. I must treat you as if you represent God's image on earth. But, no one has a monopoly on suffering, just like no one has a monopoly on holiness. We join hands as God's representatives on this glorious earth.So, indeed, we start with those near us in pain and suffering, and we spread our work. Justice according to our prophets is also our mission. Care for the orphan, the widow, those most helpless in our societies. Build an equitable world.We turn to God in prayer and in action to fill the world with God's grace. Let us renew creation every day; let us bring redemption closer in every way.[719 words](*) Naamah Kelman, the first woman rabbi to be ordained in Israel, is director of educational initiatives at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and board member of Rabbis for Human Rights. She is also active in the areas of religious pluralism, Jewish feminism, peace and inter-faith work.
5. CHURCH WORLD SERVICE PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE VILLAGE NOW HAS MOSQUE AND WATER SUPPLY:
NEW YORK / ISLAMABAD - Nov 3 - The Church World Service tent village in earthquake-stricken Pakistan now has a functioning mosque; its own dependable supply of clean drinking water; latrines; and an out-patient medical facility. New relief parcels, including health kits, kitchen sets, and utensils are being distributed in the camp, located in the village of Bisyan in North West Frontier Province.
These operations continue even as CWS and other agencies wait and hope for desperately needed funding to continue assisting survivors of the devastating October 8 earthquake.
Church World Service, the humanitarian relief agency supported by 36 denominations and communions, also is preparing to open a separate cooking area for the growing number of families-averaging eight children and adults--housed in the camp.
Scores of patients already have been treated at the CWS camp clinic, which is supported by a larger hospital run by the Diocese of Peshawar. With eight latrines already in service at the tent village, CWS plans to open 42 more over the next few days.
The CWS psychosocial team is using Eid al-Fitr, the celebration that ends the month of Ramadan, to help bring a sense of normality and festivity to still vulnerable families. Gifts and sweets are being distributed as part of the holiday celebrations. The team also has produced a series of radio spots scheduled to air for two weeks, beginning this week. The informative spots are aimed at reassuring people who may be feeling vulnerable as a result of the disaster about their own inner resilience and their ability to cope.
So far, CWS has distributed shelter kits to serve 27,167 individuals. The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum reports that many people have asked for tin sheets so that they can construct family shelters based on their individual needs. Some people still are reluctant to come down from the hills to tent villages for fear of having their livestock or the remains of their homes looted in their absence.
More than 20,685 individuals in the areas of Battagram, Shangla and Balakot have been fed with CWS-provided food packages. Another 100 tents were airdropped into a village in Balakot on October 30, but the combined total of tents expected to be delivered by the end of November still may fall some 100,00 to 200,00 tents short of the number needed. CWS staffers also are concerned that government helicopters might be grounded because of lack of funds.
Contributions to support earthquake survivors may be sent to:
Church World Service
Southern Asia Earthquake--#6979
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
Contributions may also be made online, or by calling 800.297.1516, ext. 222.
Media Contacts:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin (24/7), 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net
6. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENT:
Dr. Dorothy Adams Peck, Immediate Past Connectional W.M.S. President, lost her Brother, Carlton Z. Adams, M.D. Sr. (Surgeon) on Sunday, October 30, 2005. Dr. Adams did three Overseas Sojourners Mission Trips for The Women's Missionary Society, two in West Africa and one in Haiti. He was instrumental in setting up the First Class of WMS "Cross Cultural Training Programs." Dr. Adams the pioneering South Georgia Native became Sacramento's first black surgeon.
Arrangements for:
Dr. Carlton Z. Adams
DATE:
Saturday, November 5, 2005
Time: 11:00 A.M.
Place: Our Lady of the Assumption Church
5057 Cottage Way
Carmichael, CA
Funeral Home:
Morgan Jones Funeral Home
4200 Broadway
Sacramento, California 95817-3498
Phone: (916) 452-4444
FAX: (916) 452-4449
In lieu of flowers, the family recommends contributions to one or more of the following education charities:
· Carlton Adams Scholarship Fund at Fisk University of Nashville
· Morris Brown College of Atlanta
· Continuing Academic and Cultural Enrichment Program (CACEP) of Waycross, which may be sent in care of the family, or Waycross Mayor John Fluker, or Mr. Clarence Billups of Concerned Services, Inc.
Condolences may be sent to:
Mrs. Inez G. Adams and Family
1712 Woodacre Court
Carmichael, California 75608
(916) 483-8364
Or:
Dr. Dorothy Adams Peck
4001 Haden Avenue
West Palm Beach, Florida 33407
(561) 845-1941
Email: dadamspeck@aol.com
Please keep this family in your prayers.
Humbly Submitted
Mrs. Marva Campbell, M.S.A. Conference President
South Florida Conference
11th Episcopal District
7. BEREAVEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action Clergy Family Information Center
Mrs. Ora L. Easley - Administrator Email: Amespouses1@aol.com
(Nashville, Tennessee Contact) Phone: (615) 837-9736 Fax: (615) 833-3781
(Memphis, Tennessee Contact) (901) 578-4554 (Phone & Fax)
Please remember these families in your prayers.
8. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Gregory G. M. Ingram; 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
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
