Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
From Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram, Publisher Johnny Barbour, Editor Calvin H. Sydnor III, and the Staff of The Christian Recorder –
A HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU!
1. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Choose your words, for they become actions
Understand your actions, for they become habits.
Study your habits, for they will become your character.
Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.
(Author unknown)
Extracted from Bethel’s Voice, the newsletter of Bethel AME Church, Huntington, NY.
2. CLERGY FAMILY INFORMATION CENTER MESSAGE FROM EPISCOPAL SUPERVISOR, DR. JESSICA INGRAM:
Prayers Solicited for Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram's Surgery
On tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m., Bishop Gregory Ingram will undergo surgery on his foot and ankle. This intricate detailed surgery is designed to repair the damage done to this area when Bishop Ingram was in the car accident in South Africa. As a result of his injury, he is in severe pain everyday and unable to walk without limping. After viewing his x-ray, the doctor is now saying that he can perform the necessary surgery to correct this problem. We solicit your prayers. He will be in Pontiac General Hospital, Pontiac, Michigan. We know that the prayers of the righteous availeth much.
The Reverend Dr. Jessica Ingram
Email: JourneyministrySubmitted by Mrs. Ora L. Easley – Administrator
Editor’s Note: We are praying for Bishop Ingram’s healing and full recovery. I believe, “Prayer Changes Things!”
3. THIRTEENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT EPISCOPAL SUPERVISOR STAN MCKENZIE TO SPEAK FOR MISSIONARY DAY AT METROPOLITAN AMEC, NEW YORK CITY:
Brother Stan McKenzie will speak for Missionary Day 2005 at Metropolitan AME Church on Sunday, December 11, 2005. The church is located at 58 West 135th Street, New York, NY 10037. The pastor of Metropolitan AME Church is the Reverend Darnell L. Montgomery. The Church Telephone number is 212.690-1834.
4. PRESIDING ELDER LAWRENCE HENRYHAND EXHIBITS HIGH LEVEL OF SUPERVISORY EFFICIENCY & PROFESSIONALISM AT THE HARRISBURG DISTRICT CONFERENCE 2005:
The Harrisburg District Conference led by Presiding Elder Lawrence Henryhand and Consultant Mrs. Marie Henryhand convened at the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Chambersburg, Pa., on Friday evening October 28, 2005 at 7.30 p.m.
This was the opening worship service and the beautifully appointed sanctuary was filled to capacity with worshippers. Host pastor, the Rev. Rondo Na'el served as the worship leader.
The worship participants took their places as the choirs processed during the singing of one of the great hymn of the Church, "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing."
The Call to Worship was followed the Doxology. The Rev. Dr. Melvin D. Wayns Jr., led in the hymn of praise, "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name."
The choirs of St. James AMEC, and the Bethel Village AMEC provided great inspirational music.
The Rev. Edward Bailey, pastor of Bethel AMEC, Lancaster, Pa., presented our Presiding Elder, the Reverend Lawrence Henryhand. Presiding Elder Henryhand officiated at his first District Conference, demonstrated his skills as a no-nonsense leader and exhibited a high level of supervisory efficiency and professionalism. Elder Henryhand is a skilled and consummate churchman who was elevated to middle-management in the Church by Bishop Richard F. Norris, Presiding Prelate of the First Episcopal District during the May 2005 Session of the Philadelphia Annual Conference.
Presiding Elder Henryhand then presented the evening worship service preacher in the person of the Rev. Martin Odom, the newly assigned pastor of the Bethel Village AMEC, Harrisburg, Pa.
Elder Henryhand was the pastor of Bethel Village AME Church before being elevated to the Presiding Eldership.
Rev. Odom's choir sang to the glory of God, and the Spirit of the Lord “took control.” There were shouts of praises, "Amens and "Hallelujahs." The
Spirit was high and what a blessing! What a mighty 'Word' from the man of God!
Following the message, the offering was received, and congregation continued worship in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. The chief celebrant was Presiding Elder Henryhand, assisted by the pastors of the Harrisburg District.
On Saturday October 29, 2005, the District conference re-assembled and engaged in a meaningful “Hour of Power” led by the Rev. Jahkimmo Smith. We enjoyed worshipful music provided by the Harrisburg District Choir under the leadership of the Rev. Linwood Smith. Interestingly and noteworthy, several youth including younger children were a part of the choir. They projected their voices and their singing skills were admired and appreciated. The congregation stood to its feet in applause during and after their performance.
The Rev. Paula Dredden, pastor of Bethel AMEC, Marietta, Pa., gave a powerful and timely message. Her subject was, “In Between the Vision." Her Scripture was taken from Genesis 29:1-9. Rev. Dredden said, "Vision comes from the Lord. The Lord is infinite. Vision from the Lord can be delayed, but it cannot be stopped."
One of the highlights of this District Conference was the period of teaching and training that Presiding Elder Henryhand had designed as a major thrust of our gathering. Our progressive presiding elder invited the Rev. Alexander Stephans, the former presiding elder of the Harrisburg District, now retired, to be our workshop presenter.
Rev. Stephans in his inimitable style presented an informative and stimulating session dealing with Sexual Harassment, Duties and Responsibilities of Stewards, and Duties and Responsibilities of Trustees. During the discussion and question period, the workshop participants shared and discussed many sensitive issues.
This writer commends the Rev. Alexander Stephans for a job well done.
Presiding Elder Henryhand took special care allowing time for all reports to be given. The reports gave everyone an idea of the positive direction the Harrisburg District will be going under the positive leadership of the Henryhand team.
Submitted by the Reverend Wilfred Lewis
5. HARVARD OFFERS COURSE VIA iPOD:
Podcasts offer Harvard Extension School course to public
Published On 11/21/2005 1:36:04 AM
By LULU ZHOU
Crimson Staff Writer
In addition to tuning into National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasts and episodes of FOX’s television show “The OC,” iPod users all over the world can now listen and watch a Harvard Extension School class. This year, lectures of Computer Science E-1: “Understanding Computers and the Internet” are available in audio and video Podcasts on iTunes, free of charge—the first time a Harvard course has been offered through this medium. Podcasting consists of distributing audio and video feeds online through Podcast clients, allowing “subscribers” to watch music videos, listen to audiobooks, and review lectures.
Sarka Dluhosova said she attends lectures and listens to lecture Podcasts when doing homework or reviewing before an exam. “I can do it anywhere—I can listen to it when I’m on a bus or when I walk, when I run, when I drive,” Dluhosova said. For Dluhosova, Podcasting has become essential to her learning experience.
Note: Portions of the article above are extracted from The Harvard Crimson Online Edition: http://www.thecrimson.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ref=510065
6. EDITOR’S NOTE:
Church services can use the same technology as Harvard. Churches can iPod a religious service and put it online for folks to download into their iPods.
And, carrying the notion of doing things using new paradigms a step further, why do pastors and presidents of local church organizations make their members drive, walk or take public transportation to church meetings that could be accomplished via a teleconference. Most people in churches have telephones. In this day of high gas prices, even though the price of gasoline has decreased in the last couple of week, do we require people to come to the church for meetings that could be done through teleconference. Teleconferences are easy to set up – just call the telephone company, or a company that specializes in teleconferences. Teleconferences can be taped and transcribed.
Bible studies and even Sunday School classes could be done via distance learning. Churches could continue to have face-to-face Sunday School Classes, but how about some innovation such as adding an online Sunday School class. The same for Bible Study. Add an online Bible Study class. Some folks are homebound and would love to participate in Bible study. Young people are comfortable with technology and churches should embrace technology as a tool for evangelism.
7. IMPROVING CANCER SURVIVAL BY UNDERSTANDING RACIAL/ETHNIC DISPARITIES:
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Science Writers’ Seminar Series with the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at Columbia University Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia
The Issues:
---Each day, 3,400 Americans are diagnosed with cancer and another 1,500 die from the disease. The burden of cancer is often greater for the poor, for ethnic minorities and for the uninsured.
---Many ethnic minorities experience lower cancer survival rates than whites. For example, despite a lower breast cancer incidence, African American women have significantly worse survival rates from breast cancer than Caucasian women.
---Differences in biological tumor types, timeliness of treatment, or lack of compliance with treatment regimens appear to influence outcomes.
---Please join us for discussions about how NCI and the HICCC are working to reduce cancer health disparities through innovative programs that address prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Discussion Leaders/ Presenters:
- I. Bernard Weinstein, M.D. (HICCC) – HICCC Director Emeritus. Welcome
- Alfred I. Neugut, M.D., Ph.D. (HICCC) – Racial/ethnic disparities in cancer outcomes
- Dawn L. Hershman, M.D. (HICCC) – Cancer treatment disparities
- Regina M. Santella, Ph.D. (HICCC) – Disparities and differences in tumor biology
- Victor R. Grann, M.D., MPH (HICCC) – Community outreach programs; clinical trials
- Harold Freeman, M.D. (NCI) – NCI’s Patient Navigator program
When:
Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Join us for a light breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Talks will begin at 9 a.m. A Q&A session will conclude the morning by 11:30 a.m.
*Tours will be offered of the Irving Cancer Research Center, a new 300,000 sq. ft. facility at Columbia University Medical Center, dedicated entirely to investigators conducting disease-specific research of many cancers – breast, colon, lung, prostate, gastric, pancreatic, brain, lymphoma and tumor immunology.
Where:
Irving Cancer Research Center at the Columbia University Medical Center campus.
1130 St. Nicholas Avenue (at West 166th St., just east of Broadway), New York, NY 10032
Subway: 1, 9, A or C train to 168th St. From midtown Manhattan, the A train provides express service (20 minutes from Times Square). Buses: M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5 or M-100.
To register for the press briefing, please contact Dorie Hightower or Ann Benner in the NCI Media Relations Branch at (301) 496-6641 or at ncipressofficers@mail.nih.gov.
8. A TRIED AND TRUE EXPRESSION OF PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION, THE JOINT WORKING GROUP BETWEEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE WCC SET TO TACKLE NEW CHALLENGES:
Becoming a "trusted partner" for one another "has been perhaps the most enduring achievement of the past four decades" of collaboration between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC), and this continued cooperation "must be considered one of the significant achievements of the modern ecumenical movement."
This assessment was offered in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day consultation on the mandate and role of the Joint Working Group (JWG) between the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC. The 17-19 November 2005 consultation was held on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary.
Stating that the Group "may not be the only possible alternative to membership of the Roman Catholic Church in the World Council of Churches," the communiqué affirms that "it has proved to be an effective expression of the desire of both parties for an ongoing collaboration and partnership".
Founded in 1965 following the Second Vatican Council, the JWG is a consultative body entrusted with initiating, evaluating and sustaining the many forms of collaboration between its two parent bodies.
Among the areas of concern noted at the consultation, the communiqué highlights "the communication of the results of its studies, deliberations, and declarations to the parent bodies, the reception of its reports, and the implementation of its recommendations".
"More attention must be given to exploring effective ways of fostering reception of ecumenical agreements within the Roman Catholic Church and among the member churches of the WCC," the communiqué affirms.Spiritual ecumenism, ecumenical formation, moral issues and new challenges.
The consultation, which took place at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland, the site of the first JWG meeting in 1965, affirmed the JWG's Eighth Report, covering the period 1999-2005, and its recommendations.
First place among the recommendations is given to "the need to promote a return to the spiritual roots of ecumenism".
What is needed, the report says, is "a renewed ecumenical spirituality based on the riches of our respective traditions," which should allow "enriching one another spiritually, through common prayer and other forms of spiritual sharing".
The second recommendation stresses, "Greater effort is needed in the field of ecumenical formation". The report emphasizes the "importance of offering young people opportunities to be exposed to traditions other than their own, especially in shared programmes of formation, mission and service".
In the third place, and as an area of concern, the report stressed the need to follow closely the topic of "possibly church-dividing difficulties encountered in giving common witness in the field of personal and social moral issues".
A list of those issues includes "bio-ethics, human, civil and religious rights, issues of peace, social justice, healing of memories, human sexuality and reproduction".
Finally, the report lists a number of "new challenges" that are demanding a response from Christians and "can be fruitfully examined by the next JWG".
These are "inter-religious dialogue," "religious pluralism and, in some places, the increasing absence of God in cultural life," "the spread of modern technology and the power of the media," "the prevalence of injustice, different forms of violence and the fear induced by international terrorism".
The co-moderators of the Joint Working Group are Bishop Dr Jonas Jonson (Lutheran), and Archbishop Mario Conti (Roman Catholic). JWG members serve for seven years, between WCC assemblies; new members will be appointed after the 9th Assembly scheduled to take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006.
9. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
This communication comes to inform you of the passing of Mrs. Daisy Nell Clayton. Mrs. Clayborn is the mother of Mrs. Lyndajo Jones, 12th Episcopal District DMC Commissioner, and she is the widow of the late David T. Clayborn, son of the late Bishop John Clayborn.
Mrs. Clayborn passed on Saturday night, November 19, 2005 at her home, surrounded by her family.
Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Saturday, November 26, 2005
12:00 noon
Union A.M.E. Church
1825 South Pulaski Street,
Little Rock, AR
The family hour is:
Friday, November 25, 2005,
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Ruffin and Jarrett Funeral Home
1200 South Chester Street
Little Rock, AR (501) 372-1305
Her daughter and family members may be contacted at:
1800 Marshall Street
Little Rock, AR 72202
(501) 374-2016
Please keep the family in prayer.
Submitted by Anita Brannon12th Episcopal District Administrative OfficeBishop Richard Allen Chappelle, Sr. Presiding Bishop
10. 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.
11. 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
