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. THE EDITOR’S CORNER:
- I will be departing for Harare, Zimbabwe on Monday, April 25, 2005 with Dr. George Flowers to attend the Global Development Council. I am taking my laptop and will attempt to post The Christian Recorder Online from Harare.
- I am going to post some hard questions that I would like answered by the readership of The Christian Recorder Online.
- More snippets about what our bishops are doing that the Editor has picked up. - The Right Reverend Vashti McKenzie, Presiding Prelate of the Thirteenth Episcopal District visited 18 churches in the West Kentucky Conference last weekend. The previous week she visited all of the Churches in the Kentucky Annual Conference.
2. MINISTRIES IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MEETING:
The Ministries in Christian Education is being held in at the Marriott Airport Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Bishop Robert V. Webster is the Chair for the Christian Education Commission. The Reverend Dr. Daryl Ingram is the Executive Director. It began on Wednesday, April 20th and will conclude on Saturday, April 23rd. The opening worship service was held on Thursday evening with singing provided by the Greater Bethel AME Church, Nashville choir. The Greater Bethel choir is a testimony that Nashville is Music city USA.
Bishop Robert V. Webster, Chair, Christian Education Commission; Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, host bishop; and Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle, President of the General Board and most recently named by Ebony Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Black leaders in the United States attended the opening worship service. Six of the Church’s General Officers also were attendance; General Officers Dennis Dickerson, Clement Fugh, Richard Lewis, George Flowers, Calvin H. Sydnor III, and Daryl Ingram, along with retired General Officer , Dr. Kenneth Hill, now a presiding elder in the East Tennessee Conference. Thirteenth Episcopal Supervisor, Stan McKenzie was also in attendance along with the officers of the Christian Education Commission. The General Officers, present and absent each contributed $100 in the offering. No one asked for that amount, the General Officers just wanted to model stewardship and giving as a demonstration of ministry.
The preacher of the hour for the opening worship service was the Reverend Marvin Zanders, pastor of St. Paul AME Church, Jacksonville, Florida. What a sermon! His text was taken from St. Mark 9:14 ff and his text was, “Why the Church Couldn’t Help.” The preacher defined the church as a ”gathered crowd around Jesus.” He pointed out that people attend church for the same reasons that people gathered around Jesus. As Jesus, and sometimes the disciples, responded to the needs of the crowd, so we must respond to the needs of those who attend our worship services. The text tells of the account when the disciples could not assist those who came to them, even though an earlier text commends them for their ministry on another occasion. The preacher lifted up reasons whey the disciples couldn’t help. One of the reason might have been that they thought their anointing was permanent and if they could bring about healing one time then they could do the same ministry all of the time. The preacher told us that we have to stay connected to Jesus and stay connected to prayer. He further pointed out that we have to have an ongoing relationship with Jesus. The preacher was awesome.
I left that service thinking that we AMEs have some of the best preaching in the world!
Bishop Webster closed the service with comments about Christian Education and its importance and the importance of the Church to reach out to the men in our community and to support the Sons of Allen.
3. THE WESLEY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, WASHINGTON, DC AT THE SEVENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT RETREAT:
The Seventh Episcopal District under the dynamic leadership of the Rt. Rev. Preston W. Williams, II and Mother Wilma D. Williams brought the Wesley Theological Seminary to clergy and lay in South Carolina. Students had the opportunity to participate in three days of intense study and spiritual reflection. The theme for the Institute was “Partners in Mission and Ministry: The Seminary and the Church”. The session started Wednesday, April 13, 2005, Bishop Preston Williams opened the session with a message of purpose and direction. Bishop Williams emphasized the importance of clergy and lay coming together in the work of ministry. Bishop Zedekiah L. Grady brought a word of greeting and encouragement to the gathering of over 900 individuals. Dr. David McAllister-Wilson, the president of Wesley Theological Seminary delivered a powerful message describing the partnership between the church and the seminary.
The Dean of the Institute, Dr. William McClain, Mary Elizabeth Joyce Professor of Preaching and Worship, gave focus and clarity to an overflow of attendees. The distinguished faculty for the institute were Dr. Cynthia Belt, Adjunct Professor of Preaching and Worship; Senior Pastor, New Beginnings United Methodist Church, Severna Park, Maryland; The Reverend Herbert Sylvester Coleman, II, Director of Discernment and Enlistment for Ministry; National Chaplain/Trainer, Disciple Bible Study, Nashville, Tennessee; Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, Professor of Hebrew Bible Leader; Author of Journey Through the Psalms, Wesley Ministry Network; Dr. Reginald Lee, Professor of Preaching and Worship and Wesley Studies Anderson Theological Seminary, Anderson, Indiana; Senior Pastor, New Hope United Methodist Church, Anderson, Indiana; Dr. James Cecil Logan, Professor of Evangelism and Systematic Theology, Emeritus; and Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Church Leadership, Executive Director; The G. Douglass Lewis Center for Church Leadership, Washington, D.C.
Students participated in break-out session in the following course offerings:
- Dr. Lovett Weems, Jr.:” Leadership and Community Relations”
- The Rev. Herbert Coleman, II: “Transformative Bible Study”
- Dr. Cynthia Belt: “Keeping It Real With Youth and Young Adults”
- Dr. James C. Logan: “Methodist Evangelism, Then and Now”
- Dr. Reginald Lee: “Growing Established Congregations”
- Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins: “The Old Testament for the 21st Century Church”
Bishop Williams arrived armed with vitality and a new bold agenda for Christian Education, Theological Training and Church Growth. The Annual conference series was the introduction to in-service training for clergy and lay together. Dr. McClain and Dr. Leah G. Fitchue, President, Payne Theological Seminary, traveled to the six Annual Conferences and electrified the attendees, resulting in a cry for additional training.
The partnership continues during the 2005 Leadership Conference, the Annual Conference Series and the Payne Theological Institute.
4. GLOBAL WITNESS AND MINISTRY NEWS:
Dr. George Flowers took a mission trip to the 19th Episcopal District to attend the Mid-Year Convocation. The convocation was held on the campus of R. R. Wright Seminary April 4-9, 2005. Dr. George L. Champion served as one of the preachers and resource teacher. Mother Arelis B. Davis traveled with the Executive Director of Missions to South Africa. The Mid=Year theme was: “Equipping the Saints for Ministry.” Bishop James L. Davis had a marvelous beginning for his first mid-year convocation!
Dr. George Flowers and Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III will attend the first meeting of the Global Development Council (GDC) that will be held in Harare, Zimbabwe. They will leave Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, April 25, 2005. The council will convene at the Sheraton Hotel of Harare on April 27-28. Bishop James L. Davis is the convener and Bishop Wilfred Messiah is the host. All of the overseas bishops will be in attendance.
5. CONNECTIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP:
Health Directors all levels, Parish Health Directors and Health Coordinators are invited to attend the Connectional Health Commission Leadership Workshop. There is no registration fee.
The workshop is being held at the site of General Board/ Bishop's Council at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel, Dallas TX. June 26, 2005 at 4:00 p.m. Contact: Gwendolyn Butler Williams, telephone (504) 482-6053 / (504) 482-3051; email gwen8614@bellsouth.net; or mail - 8200 Palm
6. THE 133RD SESSION OF THE NEW JERSEY ANNUAL CONFERENCE: “WALKING WORTHY OF THE CALLING WITH WHICH WE ARE CALLED”
The 133rd Session of the New Jersey Annual Conference was held at Mount Zion AME Church, New Brunswick, NJ. A beautiful edifice, Mt. Zion is central to many hotels and restaurants as well as most of the churches in the New Jersey Conference which allowed it to accommodate the thousands who were in attendance from March 28 – April 3, 2005. Unanimously, participants felt that Bishop Richard F. Norris did a phenomenal job with all administrative and organizational aspects of the conference this year. “The conference was run with expertise and love. Our Bishop carried the business of the conference with such poise, that we were amazed at his ability to handle all of the business of the conference in a timely matter,” said Host Pastor, Rev. Joseph A. Hooper of Mount Zion.
The kick-off to the New Jersey Annual Conference began with the exciting annual Good Friday service entitled, “The Seven Last Words.” The sermons presented focused on the moments leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, his death upon the cross, and his resurrection. “When life gets unbearable, when the bottom seems to fall out, and when there’s no hope for tomorrow He’ll keep you in the palm of his hands,” stated Bishop Richard F. Norris during his sermon. The service was a powerfully spiritual transition to the conference and helped worshipers and participants to focus on God and accomplish the business of the church.
The pre-conference activities began with Evangelists Day which was held on Monday, March 28 followed by the Women’s Missionary Society Annual Day on March 29, which were well attended events. The conference was held March 30
– April 2. There were devotions, worship services, and business sessions conducted by various departments in the conference during the day, afternoon, and evening.
At the closing service held Sunday, April 3, pastors throughout the New Jersey Conference were appointed to their charges for the 2005-2006 Conference Year. The next conference year is slated to be even more productive and exciting as this past year. Pastors are certain to be re-energized and ready to embark upon this new conference year with a fresh anointing to undertake the job that God has called them to do!
Written by: Toni Johnson
Photos by: G. Lawrence Farmer
Mount Zion A.M.E. Church
39 Morris Street/Hildebrand Way
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 249-8476
7. HUNDREDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE GET A TASTE OF THE REAL WORLD AT AN ANNUAL CONFERENCEIN THE FIRST EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
Young people by the hundreds converged upon the steps of Mount Zion AME Church in New Brunswick for fellowship and celebration at The New Jersey Conference YPD (Young People’s Division) Annual Day held on Saturday, April 9, 2005. They conducted themselves in a manner which was nothing short of outstanding. The meeting was well organized and included business sessions for the young people as well as workshops tailored for their various age groups. “For me to witness the sea of Forest Green and White uniforms is truly a testament of how the YPD leadership is setting a direction of unity and strength guiding our youth to Grow, Glow and Go for Christ!,” stated Yvonne Johnson, Host Local YPD Director.
“Abstain from gangs and anything associated with gangs,” was the message given by Mr. Allen Mitchell, a New Jersey Gang Prevention Specialist from the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. Mr. Mitchell has a wealth of information pertaining to gangs and the Juvenile Detention system in New Jersey. In essence, the compelling workshop he presented was about children making the right choices because rebellion can end up in a loss of freedom.
They need to be very careful about the style of dress that they choose as well as with whom they spend their time. The workshop was a real world look into the harsh reality of what it is like to live in a maximum security detention center for teens. Many adults that were in attendance were alarmed by not only the amount of boys that become anesthetized with this type of lifestyle, but the girls too. Children and adults alike were informed that it is very important to keep the lines of communication open for the safety of the children and to keep God above all things in their lives.
Other scheduled workshops were presented by Rev. Tammy Mitchell, “Did you do your Christian Homework?” Gloria Jenkins, “Poetry in Motion,” Valerie Hendon, “Peer Pressure,” and Mt. Zion’s own Eloise Jacobs, “Beautiful Butterflies.” The workshops were tailored for the ages 2-11.
Blessings from Heaven came from a phenomenal sermon delivered by Lic. Carolyn Cavaness, New Jersey Conference YPD President and member of the Israel Memorial A.M.E. Church, Newark, NJ. The sermon, “Facing Your Giants,” touched on many key points pertaining to children facing big situations and not having fear in facing those situations. Ms. Cavaness referred to the story of David and Goliath and how each one of us has something big to face in our lifetime. Essentially, the children were informed that they should not let fear hinder them from accomplishing what they need to in their lives.
The New Jersey Conference YPD Choir, under the direction of Rev. Malcolm Guyton, once again did a wonderful job singing the songs of Zion. They will be making their concert debut at Mt. Zion AME, New Brunswick soon. In addition, talent shone through in the step team from North Stelton AME as well as Mt. Zion’s own up and coming talent Master Aaron Williams an accomplished Trumpet player at the tender age of 11!
The YPD has made many accomplishments throughout the conference year. Some of those include: donations of food to food banks and clothing to homeless shelters, visitation to nursing homes and children’s hospitals, promotion of literacy programs, toys for tots, donation of personal items to women’s shelters, various volunteer efforts, 98.7 KISS FM coat drive, a border babies project, fundraiser for HIV/AIDS, and the list goes on and on!
There will be many more projects that the YPD will become involved with over the 2005-2006 Conference Year. Stay tuned for more of those exciting events as the year progresses!
The YPD is a division of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Women’s Missionary Society.
Written by: Toni Johnson
Mount Zion A.M.E. Church
39 Morris Street/Hildebrand Way
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 249-8476
8. BROTHER MALCOLM E. GLOVER SELECTED TO ATTEND CLINTON SCHOOL INAUGURAL CLASS:
Malcolm E. Glover, the son of Mrs. Brenda L. and the Reverend Arthur B. Glover, pastor of Falls Road A.M.E. Church Baltimore, Maryland, Washington Annual Conference has been selected to attend the inaugural class of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, William Jefferson Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Malcolm Glover will graduate from Florida A & M University on April 30, 2005, Magna Cum Laude.
Malcolm is also the Nephew of Presiding Elder James R. Glover, Seventh Episcopal District, Lancaster District, Columbia Annual Conference
Former President Bill Clinton and Dean David Pryor released the names of the inaugural class members of the new University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock on Monday. The class includes 16 men and women with diverse academic and service backgrounds from around the nation and the world. Students will begin coursework in August.
The students were chosen after more than 75 interviews with selected applicants to the presidential school following an extensive candidate review process.
“The students in the first class of the Clinton School of Public Service are exceptional people who have already demonstrated a commitment to improving the lives of people in their communities and the world," President Clinton said. "The diversity of their backgrounds and experiences will contribute to what I believe will be an outstanding educational environment."
UACS Dean David Pryor who formerly served as an Arkansas lawmaker, governor, U.S. congressman, and U.S. senator said, “We could not be more pleased that this outstanding, talented class includes five students with Arkansas ties. Some of these Arkansans, among the state’s best and brightest, have left the state for opportunities elsewhere, but they’ll be reconnecting with their state while earning their master of public service degrees. We expect great things from all the students in the class.”
Among the Inaugural class members is Malcolm E. Glover, 22, of Tallahassee, Fla., a director of public relations in the University Honors Program at Florida A&M University, a historically black institution. He is interested in studying urban revitalization and affordable healthcare in Arkansas. Glover initiated fundraising efforts that sent a student delegation and monetary aid to poverty-stricken areas in São Paulo, Brazil, and is developing a service project that will allow Florida A&M students to send humanitarian aid to the working poor in São Paulo. A broadcast journalism major originally from Bowie, Maryland., Glover formerly served as an intern and production assistant on the MSNBC program “Hardball” and as a computer technician and administrative aide at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Crystal City, Virginia.
The class size is consistent with inaugural class sizes at other presidential schools such as the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Clinton School Associate Dean Tom Bruce said.
“The LBJ School began with fewer than 15 students and the Kennedy School began with 24. The LBJ School now enrolls approximately 300 students, and the Kennedy School has about 900 students in its many courses and programs,” Bruce said.
The Clinton School of Public Service offers a 36-credit hour Master of Public Service (MPS) degree, with courses being offered at historic Sturgis Hall, formerly the Choctaw Railway Station, adjacent to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. The Roy and Christine Sturgis Trust in Dallas gave $4.5 million to renovate the 1899 train station.
The students will arrive early in August for an intensive week-long introduction to the program. Classes will begin Aug. 22 and will be held at Sturgis Hall through the fall. Students will carry out a group public service project in Arkansas the following spring. A subsequent summer internship will give them an introduction to national or international public service, and they will conclude their master’s degree program by carrying out individual public service or capstone projects that are designed to begin the next phase of their leadership careers.
During their studies, students also will take courses at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, which are all parent campuses for the School. Likewise, the Clinton School will offer educational enhancement to the three campuses through speakers who appear at the School and other programs. Faculty from all three campuses has cooperated extensively in planning the School’s curriculum and activities.
Beginning in 2006, the School plans to offer a 13-hour Certificate in Public Service, and it also will offer a series of conferences, workshops and seminars for targeted audiences and for the general public throughout the year.
9. SISTER SIOUX NICHOLS TAYLOR WRITES, CONCERNING PRO-CHOICE
To be Pro-Choice is simply to agree that a woman has a fundamental right to exercise control over her own body. She has the right to make decisions about the formation of her family and to have full reproductive and health options. A woman’s right to choose is a personal decision, involving the woman, her family, and her doctor. Legislators, other governmental officials, nor any other “outsider” should have the right to intrude. Family planning and birth control are both intrinsic components with respect to a woman’s right to choose. The greater the availability of family planning services, the fewer unintended, unwanted pregnancies and the fewer abortions.
Abortion is clearly not a method of contraception. Rather, it is a medical procedure which may be necessary due to the physical and/or mental health of the mother, rape, or some other traumatic malady.
In a master stroke of manipulation, powerful policy-making officials have prepared legislation which referred to the fetus as a “child”, thus pitting it against the pregnant woman. In my judgment, if the fetus were to become the “primary patient”, the pregnant woman would be reduced to the position of incubator!
The now infamous photo of President Bush signing the so-called “Partial-Birth Amendment”, surrounded by applauding white men and not a single woman or minority in the picture, speaks to the fact that women are caught in a web where men in position seek to control their bodies and limit their rights. It is interesting to note that the “Partial-Birth Amendment” was found to be unconstitutional, even by the existing conservative Supreme Court in view of the failures to promise any exceptions which would preserve the health of the mother. While some people believe that life begins with conception, others believe, as I do, that living tissue within the womb is a part of the woman’s body until it reaches the stage when it becomes able to live independently. A fetus is a fetus is a fetus!
Without a doubt, a woman’s right to choose is in peril. Currently, the Supreme Court narrowly supports Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision which made abortions legal. Nevertheless, limitations on access to reproductive health care have been significantly increased by the Bush administration. For all the progress women have made over the years, true equality remains an unrealized goal. If we safeguard every woman’s right to manage her own fertility, then we empower her to take control of her future and invite her to be an integral part of the social, economic, religious, and political life of the community. We must say “NO!” to the decimation of women’s rights. Nothing less will do.
In my judgment, the A.M.E. church has a real opportunity to support women in their fight for justice, freedom, and equality. The challenge is clear. In the words of Susan B. Anthony, “Failure is impossible”.
Editor’ note: Sioux Nichols Taylor is a Licensed Master Social Worker who has been a practicing professional for more than 40 years. She serves in leadership roles on a myriad of Boards and Councils of relevant Human Service agencies and organizations, including the Board of New York State Chapter, National Organization for Women and the New York Chapter’s Political Action Committee, National Association of Social Workers. She is President of her local Lay Organization at Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, Mt. Vernon, Rev. Anthony Mitchell, Pastor, and a member of its Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the New York Annual Conference of the A.M.E. Church. Through the years, she has been quite visible at A.M.E. conferences and gatherings as the faithful traveling companion of her father, Bishop Decatur Ward Nichols, who died recently at the age of 104.
Sioux Nichols Taylor was the recipient of the 2005 “Women Who Changed America Award” from Westchester Community College.
She presents this message for your thoughtful consideration.
10. THE THIRTEENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT - WE BELIEVE!
April 15-17, 2005 Presiding Elder Linda Faye Thomas-Martin and the Louisville-Paducah District hosted our Episcopates Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Supervisor Stan McKenzie. Our BELIEVE Tour of Churches ignited as far south as Greater Taylor Chapel AMEC, Franklin, KY (Reverend Donzella Lee, Pastor) and concluded at Embry Chapel, Elizabethtown, KY (Reverend Jeff Ellis, Pastor). We are so grateful to our visionary leadership team for their guidance and inspiration during our district visitation. Witnessing history in the making as the first female Presiding Elder of the 13th Episcopal District and the first female Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church set the churches on fire. Every congregation was so excited and honored to have Bishop McKenzie and Supervisor Stan visit their churches. Members of St. Paul, Louisville, KY, (Reverend Gene Gallon, Pastor) and St. Paul, Woodburn, KY, (Sister Valeria Smith, Pastor) stated that this was the first time in their church history that a Bishop thought enough of their churches to come and visit them. Bishop McKenzie said to us that “The BELIEVE Tour of Churches goal is to visit every church to pray and fellowship so that we become familiar with where our members worship, work, and witness. “
As the McKenzie’s, arrived they greeted everyone with a holy kiss and hug as they always do. They reemphasized to each church that if we BELIVE, He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and announcing the “Set the House on Fire” Revival in the 13th Episcopal District May 13-14, 2005. The “Set The House on Fire” Revival will start Friday, May 13, 2005 @ 7:30 PM at Quinn Chapel AMEC, 744 Charles Avenue, Lexington, KY 40508, (Reverend E. Holmes Matthews, Pastor). On Saturday, May 14, 2005 AT 12 Noon services will be held at KAIROS Community AMEC, 4506 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37211, (Reverend Roderick Dwayne Belin, Pastor). The Reverend Dr. Walter Malone, Jr., Pastor of Canaan Christian Church, Louisville, KY, is the revivalist.
In the midst of digging new wells she encouraged everyone to join them at Kairos Community African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, (Reverend Roderick Dwayne Belin, Pastor, M.Div.), the first AME Church to be planted in Nashville since 1911. On Sunday, May 15, 2005 at 6:30 P.M. We will be celebrating the official opening of Kairos Community Church and Pentecost Sunday. This will be a day to celebrate hope, a hope evoked by the knowledge that God through His Holy Spirit is at work among His people. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie will deliver the message.
Addressing the Board of Examiners, Bishop McKenzie challenged the students to complete seminary, and prepare themselves with the knowledge and skills needed to have a successful ministry. She stated that, “A Doctor goes to medical school, a Lawyer must goes to law school, and the Board of Examiners are there to prepare us for what to come.” She shared her wisdom with the class, and how she had to prioritize in order to become an effective minister.
Bishop McKenzie and Supervisor Stan also recruited young adults to participate in the Gospel Hip-Hop Ministry led by Sister Vashti Jasmine McKenzie, and the Afternoon at the Apollo (Talent Search) at the Christian Education Congress, Galt House Hotel, Louisville, KY, July 19-22, 2005. Our erudite, Supervisor Stan McKenzie, presented each church with a historical book on the Women’s Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The members were so honored just to be in their presence.
WE BELIEVE that under the dynamic leadership of Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Supervisor Stan McKenzie the 13th Episcopal District will begin the process of rebuilding and restoring itself. All praises to God for shining upon our district and blessing us with Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie. While traveling the district she visited sixteen churches in one weekend, Quinn Chapel AMEC, Louisville, KY (Reverend Dr. Pedro Basden, Pastor), Young’s Chapel AMEC, Louisville, KY (Rev. Jermaine Wilson, Pastor), Asbury Chapel AMEC, Louisville, KY (Reverend Kenneth Love, Pastor), Bethel AMEC, Shelbyville, KY (Rev. Wallace Gunn, Pastor), Taylor Chapel AMEC, Bowling Green, KY (Rev. A.J. Holman, Pastor), Ward’ s Chapel AMEC, Scottsville, KY (Rev. Tobias Pace, Pastor), St. Paul, Owensboro, KY (Rev. Etta Garth, Pastor), Trinity AMEC, Louisville, KY (Rev. David Chavous, Pastor), Gtr. St, James AMEC, Louisville, KY (Rev. Jr. R. Williams, Pastor), New Covenant Community AMEC, Louisville, KY (Rev. Alvin Herring, Pastor), and St. John AMEC, Louisville, KY (Reverend Frank Price, Pastor). “What A Mighty God We Serve”! The district visitation left the people inspired and more motivated than ever before to rebuild the walls of the 13th Episcopal District.
Thanks be to God for the vision, vitality, and vigilance of our Episcopates Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Supervisor Stan McKenzie. “Eyes have not seen nor ears heard all that the Lord has in store for the 13th Episcopal District”. FOR WE BELIEVE !
Submitted by Sister Lula Martin
11. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
Please pray for God's comforting touch for the pastor of St. Mark AME, Topeka, Kansas. The Rev. Andrew Rollins' Father went from labor to reward.
The Homegoing Celebration arrangements for Pastor Rollins' father are as follows:
MR. ANDREW ROLLINS, of Kansas City, Kansas
Homegoing April 17, 2005
VISITATION: Wednesday, April 27, 2005
3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Thatcher's Funeral Home
1520 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas
FUNERAL:
Thursday, April 28, 2005
10 o'clock a.m. S
t. Mary-St. Anthony's Catholic Church
615 N. 7th Street
Kansas City, Kansas
Contact person: Mr. LaVert A. Murray, Kansas City, Ks.
(913) 573-5730
Loretta W. Moore,Steward,
St. Mark's AMEC
Topeka, KS God
Bless!Ora L. Easley
Email: Amespouses1@aol.com (
Nashville, TN Contact) Phone: (615) 837-9736Fax: (615) 833-3781
(Memphis, TN Contact) (901) 578-4554 (Phone & Fax)
12. SUBSCRIBE TO AME CHURCH PERIODICALS:
Subscribe to The Voice of Mission, $20.00 annually:
Dr. George F. Flowers
Charleston Executive Park
1587 Savannah Hwy, Suite A
Charleston, SC 29407
Telephone: (843) 852-2645 or (843) 852-2646
Subscribe To THE A.M.E. Church Review, $22.00 annually:
Dr. Dennis Dickerson
P.O. Box 22031
Nashville, TN 37202
Telephone: (615) 248-0905
Subscribe to the Christian Recorder, $26.00 annually:
The Christian Recorder512 8th Avenue SouthNashville, Tennessee 37203-4181
Telephone: 800-648-8724
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
4/22/2005
4/19/2005
THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER ONLINE (4/18/05)
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. SUBSCRIBE TO AME CHURCH PERIODICALS:
Subscribe to The Voice of Mission, $20.00 annually:
Dr. George F. Flowers
Charleston Executive Park
1587 Savannah Hwy, Suite A
Charleston, SC 29407
Telephone: (843) 852-2645 or (843) 852-2646
Subscribe To THE A.M.E. Church Review, $22.00 annually:
Dr. Dennis Dickerson
P.O. Box 22031
Nashville, TN 37202
Telephone: (615) 248-0905
Subscribe to The Christian Recorder, $26 annually
The Christian Recorder
512 8th Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4181
Telephone: 800-648-8724
2. THE EDITOR’S CORNER:
AME Bishops are doing the work of ministry and are touching every corner of their districts. Here are a few of the great things I have picked up on that several of our bishops are doing.
3. BISHOP SARAH DAVIS VISITING EVERY CHURCH IN THE EIGHTEENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
The Right Reverend Sarah Davis, Presiding Bishop of the Eighteenth Episcopal District plans to visit all of her presiding elder districts and visit each church, congregation, school and school staffs. Bishop Davis reports that she has visited seven of her fifteen presiding elder districts and is planning to complete the other eight districts before the next annual conference series that begin in late August.
4. BISHOP CAROLYN TYLER-GUIDRY SENDS MONEY TO HELP THE PEOPLE IN SOUTH ASIA AND EAST AFRICA WHO WERE DEVASTATED BY THE TSUNAMI:
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Secretary, AMEC Publishing House recently in a conversation with some of the General Officers commended Bishop Carolyn Tyler-Guidry for giving aid to tsunami victims so soon after her district had been devastated by a natural disaster.
Editor’s comment: There is a blessing in giving, and I believe that “God loves a cheerful giver.”
5. BISHOP W. J. MESSIAH IS ATTEMPTING TO PROVIDE THEOLOGICAL TRAINING AND DENOMINATIONAL RESOURCES TO HIS PASTORS IN THE 20TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
Bishop Messiah invites pastors and academicians to help
Bishop Messiah extends an invitation for pastors and academicians to come to the 20th Episcopal District to provide training. He said, “If you have knowledge of persons wanting to come to the 20th, specifically Zimbabwe on sabbatical, who can teach (Pastoral Counseling, Missiology, Old and New Testament, Ethics, Systematic Theology, Church Administration, Church Growth & Development to our Pastors, in an informal setting, we would welcome them.”
Bishop Messiah asks that persons interested in lending their pedagogic and theological expertise contact him via email: wjmessiah2004@yahoo.com
Bishop Messiah teaches two courses, AME Discipline and Polity, at one of the schools in his district. He is soliciting assistance in the courses that he is teaching.
The 20th Episcopal district is in need of teaching staff, AME periodicals, Bibles (NRSV and RSV); copies of AME Polity by Bishop Henry McNeil Turner; copies of the 2000 AME Discipline, copies of The A.M.E. Church Review and other historical publications of the AME Church that can be used for AME History and other study resources would greatly assist this District. Bishop Messiah also went on to say, “I am also asking for assistance in receiving hardcopies of the Christian Recorder so that I can give these to our seminary students and for use in the Library. We are in need of several publications in this District since none of our pastors have formal theological training.”
Bishop Messiah says, “The work is all divine!”
Editor’s comment:
We can do a lot of great things on the grass-roots level, especially when providing help. Denominational legislation is not needed when we make up our minds to help those in need.
Any preachers or academicians want to travel? Bishop Messiah is asking for help. I know that we have people in our Zion who can do this. Airline tickets purchased sooner rather than later, are cheaper. There are some reasonable airfares to Africa; you just have to look for them. You will need a passport. You may go to: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html and apply for a new passport or to renew your passport.
I am committed to assisting Bishop Messiah and our other overseas bishops who need copies of The Christian Recorder. It’s not in my budget so the funds for this effort will come from our personal funds and from friends and folks who would like to assist. I will give an accounting of funds received for this endeavor. This is not a public monetary appeal for assistance. Reverend Charlotte and I will contact family and friends directly.
I agree with Bishop Messiah, “The work is all divine!”
6. BISHOP SARAH DAVIS SHARES HER FIRST- HAND EXPERIENCES OF “LOOKING POVERTY IN THE FACE”:
”I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today” is taken from my journal of my visit to Beira, Mozambique, February 13-25, 2005.
Since February 13th, I have been visiting all the churches and schools of the 18th District. Beira is located northeast of Maputo on the Indian Ocean. It is approximately 1100 Km from Maputo. The Beira District, under the leadership of Presiding Elder Vasco Tui, was the fastest growing District in the Mozambique 2004 Annual Conference. In November of 2004, the Beira District received the 18th District's "High Steppers" honors for church growth. They had 247 conversions, 333 accessions, and 267 baptisms for the conference year.
During my 13-day visit to Beira and the surrounding provinces, I taught, preached and traveled to distant and very rural places. Many of the district's members had never seen a Bishop. I visited 19 churches or church locations. I met members and officers from 25 churches or new works. Some of our churches services were held under trees and many could only be reached by foot after traveling by van.
Traveling with me to Beira, Muda, Chimoio, Caia, Marromeu, Luabo and the zones included in these areas were Pastors Jose Bussane, Andre Massumane, Manuel Emiliano and Louisa Rosario; Reverend Antonio Muti (interpreter); Mothers Bussane and Massumane; and Brothers Adriano Bomba, Jeremia Massola, Hilario Fernando and Bernardo Jose.
"I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today" may call you to action or it may just open your eyes to a greater understanding of how truly real poverty is in Africa.
Hopefully, "I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today” will cause you to share the story with others so that the need for everyone to take on the challenges of POVERTY in Africa becomes clear.
"I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today," for I believe it is impossible to affect what we cannot see.
Bishop Sarah Frances Taylor Davis
7. I LOOKED POVERTY IN THE FACE TODAY:
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a 9-year-old village boy who, when given a peppermint candy, bit it into five pieces and passed a piece of the candy to each of his sisters and brothers with him without being told to do so.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were children who looked with curiosity at a lady who was called Bishop; but who gathered around when asked to take a photo; who smiled big when smiled at; who wanted to hang on when I embraced THEM.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were pastors and CHURCH MEMBERS gathering in a crowded, hot, mud-STRUCTURE church building WITH MEN sitting on home made benches and WOMEN AND CHILDREN ON mats on the ground, but praising God and dancing and praying as if they were in a cathedral somewhere else.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was praying through the lips of the young and the old; prayers of the men and the women. Prayers like those on the Day of Pentecost… all praying, and I not understanding any of it, BUT was able to feel the Spirit of the Lord in the place!!!! Hallelujah, Jesus!!!!
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were fourteen in total: 7 men and 4 women and 3 young men; no jobs to go to; dressed in shirts and ties and some even with coat jackets; sitting on a rented non-air conditioned van THAT I rented; going with the ME to the villages where some AME members have no churches, but meet under trees to worship.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were fourteen strong in a rented van for seven hours, still smiling and singing as they shared their first meal of the day together: three half-filled bags of mixed nuts I brought from Maseru (to eat in the hotel room if I got hungry, but decided to bring for the trip today).
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...THEY WERE children of all ages running around dirty, but with smiles on their faces as they were at recess at their over crowded, windowless, NO-ELECTRICAL POWER schools.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was a little black toddler who had flies all over his/her (couldn’t tell the gender) face because of an infected open sore on the back of THE ear. The infection caused the ear lobe to be three times the size of the other ear lobe; yet the little toddle had that special smile of "I love you, and I know you love me" which completely swallowed my heart.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were the young people and the older people running up to our van so that we could buy some of their vegetables as they shoved them through the windows of the van.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was the lady from the side of the road who was now smiling and seemingly saying "Thank you Lord, someone bought my pumpkin!" as she walked back to the side of the road slipping her 10 meticais ($0.50) in her pocket and starting her sales yells all over again.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was at Muda and was pressing his claim for me to please buy 3 goats and 5 chickens so that their church project could be started which would bring in money for their families and the church.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was the administrator for Ndeja, a new work. He wanted ME to know that they are now having church under a tree because the wind had blown down the first church they had tried to build. He pleaded that they needed to build another church soon so that members would not leave and go where they could worship in a church building and not under a tree. [Ndeja is a new work off the main road and in the bushes and through the cornfields for about a 20 minutes drive.]
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was an elderly woman who had brought a bushel of corn on the cob for ME since I had come to visit them in the bushes.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was on a home made crutch, hopping on one leg, but singing about heaven and Jesus! He was waving his hands and praising his God as THE VISITORS AND I approached the pulpit under their tree.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were men and women walking down a long road from Beira to places on the road to Mau (2 hours in a van)...feet in tongs and some barefooted, but walking briskly toward the nearest village or city.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was bent down from the waist in stagnant dirty water with a hoe in her hand working the rice fields.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were with hoes or sickles in their hands, men and women, working the sugar cane, the barley, and the fruit plants on the sides of the road, in the fields and in the marshlands.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They had uncovered butts, dirty torn t-shirts, torn skirts, no shirts, towel diapers with plastic coverings, but they were playing in the dirt, with each other or playing alone.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was sitting on the side of his hut in the bushes with his children making baskets with his hands from straw.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was some 25 children leading the way for US to their church (Zinga-Zinga, Pastor Louisa Rosario), up the mountainside, off the main road and about a 25-30 minutes walk; they were singing and smiling and WERE excited.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were seventy five children and about 87 adults who were sitting and listening to ME tell them about Jesus and His love.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were seventy-five children who have no schooling because they are too far from the nearest school and the main roads, but who when I promised that Zinga-Zinga would have a church and a school in the very near future...clapped and sang and shouted on their feet!
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a 2 year and 2 months old baby girl whose eyes just rolled around, never focusing on anyone or anything, as I held her in my arms and prayed for her. Her name is Baby Betinho Albert Olieveira.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was lines of people, some with babies on their backs in the hospital waiting on their turn to see a nurse or doctor while I was escorted immediately to a room with a doctor and examined.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was three little boys (8-9 years of age) dressed in blue shirts with an HIV/AIDS logo on it and the name of the home from which they had come. They came to me and said: "We are orphans of parents who have died of HIV/AIDS and we would like it if you could give us a donation to support our care." After I gave my gift one looked me in the eyes and said: "Thank you madam, and may God bless you."
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was a blind lady with her baby on her back and with 2 little girls (I assume her daughters) leading her by the hand begging for whatever was in my hand.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was a pregnant blind woman with two girls (9-10 years of age) by her side.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was ME WITH MY traveling preachers and THEIR spouses and others leaving for Caia and Marromeu with 6 (20 liter) containers of diesel on top of the 15 passenger van where the luggage was also stored and exposed to the sun. When asked about the danger, the reply was "it will be alright; petro is to scarce further north and where it can be found it is too expensive."
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was our van being stopped and harassed by the black Mozambique policemen, even with our hand-made church sign on the dash board, while a white driver was not even waved down, but given a smile by the police and allowed to continue his travel.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was 316 children, women and men all together in a mud church too small, but all were praising God and listening intently as the Bishop preached through the interpreter; sometimes smiling, sometimes clapping hands and sometimes roaring with laughter.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was Pastor Manuel Emiliano calling ME forward to give ME gifts from the people of 7 de Abril African Methodist Episcopal Church: two live doves, a branch off a banana tree full of bananas and a straw hat.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a young man packed and ready to travel with us back to Beira to look for a university to enroll in, but told he had to stay back because we did not have room for him on the already packed 15 passenger van. “I" promised him he would get into school and that "I" would not forget him.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was Aida, an 11 year old girl (a twin) who was cooking meal for herself and her five other siblings who live with her in a hut alone as they are orphans of HIV/AIDS parents.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a mother of twins (one twin 3 times the size of the other) with each sucking on each breast at the same time.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was a two year old girl whose buttock was bare as she played in the dirt.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a little boy with his finger in his baby sister’s mouth as the baby was sucking on her mother’s nipple.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...Babies WERE everywhere, on every other woman’s back or in her womb; toddlers running around dirty, with colds, sores in their heads, open wounds on their legs or ankles, behind their ears and/or on the sides of their eyes or mouths; little boys and girls with runny noses; swollen navels, and red eyes.
Interesting, ”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...but nowhere was POVERTY lamenting its plight or looking like it felt sorry for itself.
POVERTY was moving forward making the best of the situation it was in.
POVERTY did not see itself for it did not know it was POOR, or MAYBE it did not let its "lack" keep it from trying to get more.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...Lord, help me never to forget what POVERTY looks like. Let me remember so that I will always be found trying to help my sisters and brothers wherever they are. Amen.
Submitted by Bishop Sarah Davis
Editor's comment: Powerful!
8. THANKS TO THE REVERENDS JOHN AND JANIE DANDRIDGE FOR FREE, NON-DEGREE ONLINE COURSES OFFERED BY JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH:
The Dandridges wrote, “We may have some people in our congregation(s) interested in Public Health. Now keep in mind this program is not for credit but it is for the enthusiast and motivated self-learner.
The Reverends John and Janie Dandridge
9. JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH OFFERS FREE COURSES ONLINE:
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched the initial phase of its OpenCourseWare project, which provides free and open access to some of the School’s most popular courses. The courses are available through the Internet to students, self-learners and educators anywhere in the world.
“OpenCourseWare is really a departure, because it provides everyone with access to a wealth of knowledge and information,” said James D. Yager, PhD, head of the OpenCourseWare project at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and senior associate dean for Academic Affairs. “The main beneficiaries of OpenCourseWare may be in the developing world, where students cannot afford textbooks, or at universities that are looking for help when setting up courses. This service will be a tremendous resource for them.”
OpenCourseWare differs from the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s distance-learning initiatives because it does not involve an active exchange of information between faculty and students and because courses are not offered for credit, degrees or certificates.
OpenCourseWare provides encouragement for self-learners to seek formal education; complementary materials for students at the Bloomberg School or other institutions; information with which faculty can plan course curricula; and continuing education for public health practitioners.
The OpenCourseWare concept was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2001. In February 2005, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard University Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Tufts University and Utah State University met informally with MIT to develop their own OpenCourseWare plans.
The OpenCourseWare project at the Bloomberg School of Public Health is supported by a $200,000 pilot grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
OpenCourseWare classes are available online at http://ocw.jhsph.edu. Currently, five courses are available: “Understanding Cost Effectiveness Analysis in Health Care,” “Statistical Reasoning in Public Health,” “Family Planning Policies and Programs,” “Problem Solving for Immunization Programs” and “History of Public Health.” Five additional courses are expected to be online by the end of April 2005. The School hopes to add 75 to 100 courses in the next five years.
Public Affairs media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Tim Parsons or Kenna Lowe at 410-955-6878 or paffairs@jhsph.edu.
Editor’s comment: Here is a great opportunity to learn. Our thanks to the Dandriges for sharing this important information.
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
1. SUBSCRIBE TO AME CHURCH PERIODICALS:
Subscribe to The Voice of Mission, $20.00 annually:
Dr. George F. Flowers
Charleston Executive Park
1587 Savannah Hwy, Suite A
Charleston, SC 29407
Telephone: (843) 852-2645 or (843) 852-2646
Subscribe To THE A.M.E. Church Review, $22.00 annually:
Dr. Dennis Dickerson
P.O. Box 22031
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Telephone: (615) 248-0905
Subscribe to The Christian Recorder, $26 annually
The Christian Recorder
512 8th Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4181
Telephone: 800-648-8724
2. THE EDITOR’S CORNER:
AME Bishops are doing the work of ministry and are touching every corner of their districts. Here are a few of the great things I have picked up on that several of our bishops are doing.
3. BISHOP SARAH DAVIS VISITING EVERY CHURCH IN THE EIGHTEENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
The Right Reverend Sarah Davis, Presiding Bishop of the Eighteenth Episcopal District plans to visit all of her presiding elder districts and visit each church, congregation, school and school staffs. Bishop Davis reports that she has visited seven of her fifteen presiding elder districts and is planning to complete the other eight districts before the next annual conference series that begin in late August.
4. BISHOP CAROLYN TYLER-GUIDRY SENDS MONEY TO HELP THE PEOPLE IN SOUTH ASIA AND EAST AFRICA WHO WERE DEVASTATED BY THE TSUNAMI:
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Secretary, AMEC Publishing House recently in a conversation with some of the General Officers commended Bishop Carolyn Tyler-Guidry for giving aid to tsunami victims so soon after her district had been devastated by a natural disaster.
Editor’s comment: There is a blessing in giving, and I believe that “God loves a cheerful giver.”
5. BISHOP W. J. MESSIAH IS ATTEMPTING TO PROVIDE THEOLOGICAL TRAINING AND DENOMINATIONAL RESOURCES TO HIS PASTORS IN THE 20TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
Bishop Messiah invites pastors and academicians to help
Bishop Messiah extends an invitation for pastors and academicians to come to the 20th Episcopal District to provide training. He said, “If you have knowledge of persons wanting to come to the 20th, specifically Zimbabwe on sabbatical, who can teach (Pastoral Counseling, Missiology, Old and New Testament, Ethics, Systematic Theology, Church Administration, Church Growth & Development to our Pastors, in an informal setting, we would welcome them.”
Bishop Messiah asks that persons interested in lending their pedagogic and theological expertise contact him via email: wjmessiah2004@yahoo.com
Bishop Messiah teaches two courses, AME Discipline and Polity, at one of the schools in his district. He is soliciting assistance in the courses that he is teaching.
The 20th Episcopal district is in need of teaching staff, AME periodicals, Bibles (NRSV and RSV); copies of AME Polity by Bishop Henry McNeil Turner; copies of the 2000 AME Discipline, copies of The A.M.E. Church Review and other historical publications of the AME Church that can be used for AME History and other study resources would greatly assist this District. Bishop Messiah also went on to say, “I am also asking for assistance in receiving hardcopies of the Christian Recorder so that I can give these to our seminary students and for use in the Library. We are in need of several publications in this District since none of our pastors have formal theological training.”
Bishop Messiah says, “The work is all divine!”
Editor’s comment:
We can do a lot of great things on the grass-roots level, especially when providing help. Denominational legislation is not needed when we make up our minds to help those in need.
Any preachers or academicians want to travel? Bishop Messiah is asking for help. I know that we have people in our Zion who can do this. Airline tickets purchased sooner rather than later, are cheaper. There are some reasonable airfares to Africa; you just have to look for them. You will need a passport. You may go to: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html and apply for a new passport or to renew your passport.
I am committed to assisting Bishop Messiah and our other overseas bishops who need copies of The Christian Recorder. It’s not in my budget so the funds for this effort will come from our personal funds and from friends and folks who would like to assist. I will give an accounting of funds received for this endeavor. This is not a public monetary appeal for assistance. Reverend Charlotte and I will contact family and friends directly.
I agree with Bishop Messiah, “The work is all divine!”
6. BISHOP SARAH DAVIS SHARES HER FIRST- HAND EXPERIENCES OF “LOOKING POVERTY IN THE FACE”:
”I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today” is taken from my journal of my visit to Beira, Mozambique, February 13-25, 2005.
Since February 13th, I have been visiting all the churches and schools of the 18th District. Beira is located northeast of Maputo on the Indian Ocean. It is approximately 1100 Km from Maputo. The Beira District, under the leadership of Presiding Elder Vasco Tui, was the fastest growing District in the Mozambique 2004 Annual Conference. In November of 2004, the Beira District received the 18th District's "High Steppers" honors for church growth. They had 247 conversions, 333 accessions, and 267 baptisms for the conference year.
During my 13-day visit to Beira and the surrounding provinces, I taught, preached and traveled to distant and very rural places. Many of the district's members had never seen a Bishop. I visited 19 churches or church locations. I met members and officers from 25 churches or new works. Some of our churches services were held under trees and many could only be reached by foot after traveling by van.
Traveling with me to Beira, Muda, Chimoio, Caia, Marromeu, Luabo and the zones included in these areas were Pastors Jose Bussane, Andre Massumane, Manuel Emiliano and Louisa Rosario; Reverend Antonio Muti (interpreter); Mothers Bussane and Massumane; and Brothers Adriano Bomba, Jeremia Massola, Hilario Fernando and Bernardo Jose.
"I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today" may call you to action or it may just open your eyes to a greater understanding of how truly real poverty is in Africa.
Hopefully, "I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today” will cause you to share the story with others so that the need for everyone to take on the challenges of POVERTY in Africa becomes clear.
"I Looked POVERTY in the Face Today," for I believe it is impossible to affect what we cannot see.
Bishop Sarah Frances Taylor Davis
7. I LOOKED POVERTY IN THE FACE TODAY:
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a 9-year-old village boy who, when given a peppermint candy, bit it into five pieces and passed a piece of the candy to each of his sisters and brothers with him without being told to do so.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were children who looked with curiosity at a lady who was called Bishop; but who gathered around when asked to take a photo; who smiled big when smiled at; who wanted to hang on when I embraced THEM.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were pastors and CHURCH MEMBERS gathering in a crowded, hot, mud-STRUCTURE church building WITH MEN sitting on home made benches and WOMEN AND CHILDREN ON mats on the ground, but praising God and dancing and praying as if they were in a cathedral somewhere else.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was praying through the lips of the young and the old; prayers of the men and the women. Prayers like those on the Day of Pentecost… all praying, and I not understanding any of it, BUT was able to feel the Spirit of the Lord in the place!!!! Hallelujah, Jesus!!!!
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were fourteen in total: 7 men and 4 women and 3 young men; no jobs to go to; dressed in shirts and ties and some even with coat jackets; sitting on a rented non-air conditioned van THAT I rented; going with the ME to the villages where some AME members have no churches, but meet under trees to worship.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were fourteen strong in a rented van for seven hours, still smiling and singing as they shared their first meal of the day together: three half-filled bags of mixed nuts I brought from Maseru (to eat in the hotel room if I got hungry, but decided to bring for the trip today).
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...THEY WERE children of all ages running around dirty, but with smiles on their faces as they were at recess at their over crowded, windowless, NO-ELECTRICAL POWER schools.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was a little black toddler who had flies all over his/her (couldn’t tell the gender) face because of an infected open sore on the back of THE ear. The infection caused the ear lobe to be three times the size of the other ear lobe; yet the little toddle had that special smile of "I love you, and I know you love me" which completely swallowed my heart.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were the young people and the older people running up to our van so that we could buy some of their vegetables as they shoved them through the windows of the van.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was the lady from the side of the road who was now smiling and seemingly saying "Thank you Lord, someone bought my pumpkin!" as she walked back to the side of the road slipping her 10 meticais ($0.50) in her pocket and starting her sales yells all over again.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was at Muda and was pressing his claim for me to please buy 3 goats and 5 chickens so that their church project could be started which would bring in money for their families and the church.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was the administrator for Ndeja, a new work. He wanted ME to know that they are now having church under a tree because the wind had blown down the first church they had tried to build. He pleaded that they needed to build another church soon so that members would not leave and go where they could worship in a church building and not under a tree. [Ndeja is a new work off the main road and in the bushes and through the cornfields for about a 20 minutes drive.]
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was an elderly woman who had brought a bushel of corn on the cob for ME since I had come to visit them in the bushes.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was on a home made crutch, hopping on one leg, but singing about heaven and Jesus! He was waving his hands and praising his God as THE VISITORS AND I approached the pulpit under their tree.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were men and women walking down a long road from Beira to places on the road to Mau (2 hours in a van)...feet in tongs and some barefooted, but walking briskly toward the nearest village or city.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was bent down from the waist in stagnant dirty water with a hoe in her hand working the rice fields.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were with hoes or sickles in their hands, men and women, working the sugar cane, the barley, and the fruit plants on the sides of the road, in the fields and in the marshlands.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They had uncovered butts, dirty torn t-shirts, torn skirts, no shirts, towel diapers with plastic coverings, but they were playing in the dirt, with each other or playing alone.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...He was sitting on the side of his hut in the bushes with his children making baskets with his hands from straw.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was some 25 children leading the way for US to their church (Zinga-Zinga, Pastor Louisa Rosario), up the mountainside, off the main road and about a 25-30 minutes walk; they were singing and smiling and WERE excited.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were seventy five children and about 87 adults who were sitting and listening to ME tell them about Jesus and His love.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...They were seventy-five children who have no schooling because they are too far from the nearest school and the main roads, but who when I promised that Zinga-Zinga would have a church and a school in the very near future...clapped and sang and shouted on their feet!
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a 2 year and 2 months old baby girl whose eyes just rolled around, never focusing on anyone or anything, as I held her in my arms and prayed for her. Her name is Baby Betinho Albert Olieveira.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was lines of people, some with babies on their backs in the hospital waiting on their turn to see a nurse or doctor while I was escorted immediately to a room with a doctor and examined.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was three little boys (8-9 years of age) dressed in blue shirts with an HIV/AIDS logo on it and the name of the home from which they had come. They came to me and said: "We are orphans of parents who have died of HIV/AIDS and we would like it if you could give us a donation to support our care." After I gave my gift one looked me in the eyes and said: "Thank you madam, and may God bless you."
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was a blind lady with her baby on her back and with 2 little girls (I assume her daughters) leading her by the hand begging for whatever was in my hand.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was a pregnant blind woman with two girls (9-10 years of age) by her side.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was ME WITH MY traveling preachers and THEIR spouses and others leaving for Caia and Marromeu with 6 (20 liter) containers of diesel on top of the 15 passenger van where the luggage was also stored and exposed to the sun. When asked about the danger, the reply was "it will be alright; petro is to scarce further north and where it can be found it is too expensive."
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was our van being stopped and harassed by the black Mozambique policemen, even with our hand-made church sign on the dash board, while a white driver was not even waved down, but given a smile by the police and allowed to continue his travel.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was 316 children, women and men all together in a mud church too small, but all were praising God and listening intently as the Bishop preached through the interpreter; sometimes smiling, sometimes clapping hands and sometimes roaring with laughter.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was Pastor Manuel Emiliano calling ME forward to give ME gifts from the people of 7 de Abril African Methodist Episcopal Church: two live doves, a branch off a banana tree full of bananas and a straw hat.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a young man packed and ready to travel with us back to Beira to look for a university to enroll in, but told he had to stay back because we did not have room for him on the already packed 15 passenger van. “I" promised him he would get into school and that "I" would not forget him.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was Aida, an 11 year old girl (a twin) who was cooking meal for herself and her five other siblings who live with her in a hut alone as they are orphans of HIV/AIDS parents.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a mother of twins (one twin 3 times the size of the other) with each sucking on each breast at the same time.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...She was a two year old girl whose buttock was bare as she played in the dirt.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...It was a little boy with his finger in his baby sister’s mouth as the baby was sucking on her mother’s nipple.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...Babies WERE everywhere, on every other woman’s back or in her womb; toddlers running around dirty, with colds, sores in their heads, open wounds on their legs or ankles, behind their ears and/or on the sides of their eyes or mouths; little boys and girls with runny noses; swollen navels, and red eyes.
Interesting, ”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...but nowhere was POVERTY lamenting its plight or looking like it felt sorry for itself.
POVERTY was moving forward making the best of the situation it was in.
POVERTY did not see itself for it did not know it was POOR, or MAYBE it did not let its "lack" keep it from trying to get more.
”I looked POVERTY in the face today”...Lord, help me never to forget what POVERTY looks like. Let me remember so that I will always be found trying to help my sisters and brothers wherever they are. Amen.
Submitted by Bishop Sarah Davis
Editor's comment: Powerful!
8. THANKS TO THE REVERENDS JOHN AND JANIE DANDRIDGE FOR FREE, NON-DEGREE ONLINE COURSES OFFERED BY JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH:
The Dandridges wrote, “We may have some people in our congregation(s) interested in Public Health. Now keep in mind this program is not for credit but it is for the enthusiast and motivated self-learner.
The Reverends John and Janie Dandridge
9. JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH OFFERS FREE COURSES ONLINE:
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched the initial phase of its OpenCourseWare project, which provides free and open access to some of the School’s most popular courses. The courses are available through the Internet to students, self-learners and educators anywhere in the world.
“OpenCourseWare is really a departure, because it provides everyone with access to a wealth of knowledge and information,” said James D. Yager, PhD, head of the OpenCourseWare project at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and senior associate dean for Academic Affairs. “The main beneficiaries of OpenCourseWare may be in the developing world, where students cannot afford textbooks, or at universities that are looking for help when setting up courses. This service will be a tremendous resource for them.”
OpenCourseWare differs from the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s distance-learning initiatives because it does not involve an active exchange of information between faculty and students and because courses are not offered for credit, degrees or certificates.
OpenCourseWare provides encouragement for self-learners to seek formal education; complementary materials for students at the Bloomberg School or other institutions; information with which faculty can plan course curricula; and continuing education for public health practitioners.
The OpenCourseWare concept was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2001. In February 2005, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard University Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Tufts University and Utah State University met informally with MIT to develop their own OpenCourseWare plans.
The OpenCourseWare project at the Bloomberg School of Public Health is supported by a $200,000 pilot grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
OpenCourseWare classes are available online at http://ocw.jhsph.edu. Currently, five courses are available: “Understanding Cost Effectiveness Analysis in Health Care,” “Statistical Reasoning in Public Health,” “Family Planning Policies and Programs,” “Problem Solving for Immunization Programs” and “History of Public Health.” Five additional courses are expected to be online by the end of April 2005. The School hopes to add 75 to 100 courses in the next five years.
Public Affairs media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Tim Parsons or Kenna Lowe at 410-955-6878 or paffairs@jhsph.edu.
Editor’s comment: Here is a great opportunity to learn. Our thanks to the Dandriges for sharing this important information.
4/18/2005
THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER ONLINE (4/18/05)
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. THE EDITOR’S CORNER:
Letters to the Editor:
- Dear Dr. Sydnor III,
Greetings in the Joy of the Lord Jesus, the Christ.
The article in the Christian Recorder Online by John Thomas III, which is entitled, “The Challenge: Conquering Babel; Language Translation in the AME Church,” is my point of reference. I am excited by what John Thomas III articulates in the article with only four pregnant paragraphs and thank you for allowing this medium to be of such a value.
Indeed, this is a challenge that the AME Church has to face and deal with. Perhaps, it is not so much the challenge we face in the great meetings of the Church as it is a challenge that we face at the local church, up to the Annual Conference. Very little documentation is accessible to the ordinary member of the Church because all documents of the Church, except in some cases the books of worship, are only available in English.
Be it the constitution of the Missionary Society or the Book of Discipline, only a few is privy to them. They are not a widely available to be accessed by the ordinary members of the Church not just because they have to be transported to the USA and the price to have them is exorbitant but also because of the language problem. In some cases, even those who do have these documents do not read them with clarity and understanding. The consequence of this being, only people a few are familiar with the issues and many ignorant. That may indicate that power rests with the few who can manipulate situations to their favour because they alone are aware.
I will find ways to raise this issue at the next Global Development Council meeting taking place on April 26 – 28, 2005, in Harare. In fact, this afternoon, our Episcopal Committee of the Annual Conferences’ Representatives is seating and I will bring the information to the attention of the colleagues for a discussion.
I trust that the Chief Information Officer of the Church will take the challenge presented by John, “a study would need to be done to determine to determine which languages would serve the most people.” In fact, this is what he could collective do with the GDC.
I thank you God for you and your ministry of information dispensation. Express my gratitude to John Thomas III.
Kind regards.
Rev. Teboho G. Klaas
Acting Director: HIV/AIDS Programme
(Executive Assistant to General Secretary)
South African Council of Churches
9th Floor, Khotso House
62 Marshall House, Johannesburg 2001
Tel: +27 11 241 7811/2/6
Fax: +27 11 838 4818 or +27 11 492 4818
Mobile: +27 82 412 2960
Email: tgk@sacc.org.za
- Editor Sydnor,
I am the Rev. Latisha Stewart Smith.
I am the person who translated the "Spanish Leaflet" printed by the AMEC Publishing house three years ago for distribution in the Dominican Republic at the request of Bishop DeVeaux. It was one of the most rewarding ventures I have undertaken, and I understand it was quite helpful for the AME's in that country.
Like you, I hope that we AMEs begin to research the issues, seek the resources, and apply wisdom toward strengthening the connection with our brothers and sisters who speak foreign languages. I pray that we will see this vision, soon.
In His service,
Rev. Latisha Stewart SmithFounding PastorCastaic ChurchA New Ministry in the AME Church
- Editor Sydnor
I had never realized the seriousness of the "Babel-problem." Now I'm wondering how the A.M.E. Church has survived for so many years in so many foreign countries. There must be some strong attraction to our brothers and sisters there that keeps them in the number. It's quite alarming that they don't have the most important of church materials at their disposal in a language that they can understand. Thanks for providing this food for thought. I hope this matter won't get "thought to death", but acted on quickly in order to solve a problem of great import.
Jeanette T. Johns
2. THE THEOLOGY OF “MAKING ENDS MEET”:
By George R. La Sure, D.Min.
From the inception of the African Methodist Episcopal Church there has always been the necessity to struggle and scrape up enough to pay the expenses associated with the operation of the church and, paying the AMEC budgetary assessment. The love of GOD and the recognized need to have a church has driven families and individuals in the rural and small membership church to do their level best to keep up with expenses and, to always pay their AMEC budgetary assessment on time.
From the beginning the rural and small membership church has mastered the art of “making ends meet.” Always operating from a position of not having nearly enough to fund necessary ministries and needed building improvements, it has consistently and purposefully struggled to support the denomination, first, by paying its budget and then, if anything be left over, to address needed repairs, salaries and ministries. For the rural and small membership church there is the never-ending struggle just to “make ends meet.”
Down through the years the rural and small membership church has responded, in numerous situations, to a series of emergencies caused by consistently inadequate planning on the part of the local church to envision and provide for the necessary on-going needs of the church. There has been far too often the case that the rural and small membership church has had to react to the pressing need to address a particular problem that has been known for a very long time. When an immediate financial need or emergency arises, the rural and small membership church must react and make some provision to meet the problem at hand.
In the midst of reacting to emergency financial needs, the rural and small membership church is always under a great deal of pressure and stress just to make ends meet. In most instances the rural and small membership church does not experience much growth in the number of members or in the total amount of giving. In too many instances, the national economic condition and the continuing out-sourcing of jobs have negatively impacted the financial condition of the church. Many members of the rural and small membership church are not at the highest end of the financial ladder and, many do not have the financial wherewithal to give much more than they presently contribute.
The rural and small membership church has been particularly innovative down through the years in fostering programs and ministries that have allowed it to remain financially solvent. But, there is an identifiable end to its financial solvency. There is an identifiable limit as to how much it can continue to pay out while being able to carry out necessary ministries, salaries, bills, services, etc. The AMEC budgetary requirement continues to increase, even in the face of a diminishing financial base.
Folk in the rural and small membership church are crying out for an opportunity to establish …
(Read the complete article in The Christian Recorder. You may call 800-648 8724 and make your payment using your credit card. Or, you may send $26.00 check or money order for a one-year subscription to: The Christian Recorder, 512 8th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4181)
3. AFRICA UNIVERSITY APPOINTS FOUR NEW DEANS:
Apr. 15, 2005
NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.
By Andra Stevens*
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) -The board of directors of United Methodist-related Africa University has made school history by appointing women as two of its four new academic deans.
All four appointees came from within the university, and naming female deans is a first for the 13-year-old institution. The directors, meeting April 5-7, appointed deans for the faculties of agriculture and natural resources; humanities and social sciences; management and administration; and theology.
"These appointments have come at an important juncture in the life of this institution," said Rukudzo Murapa, the university's vice chancellor. "Africa University is an acknowledged leader in higher education on the continent. We want to stay in the forefront with relevant programs and a cutting-edge approach to service delivery.
"The board has expressed its confidence in these individuals as key actors in ensuring the success of strategic new initiatives to enhance Africa University's effectiveness and the sustainability of its operations."
Thokozile Chitepo and the Rev. Beauty Maenzanise have been appointed deans of the faculty of humanities and social sciences and the faculty of theology, respectively. Both women are Zimbabweans. Also named as deans were Fanuel Tagwira, agriculture and natural resources, and Jean-Gilbert Ilunga, management and administration.
Chitepo is interested in using research to drive solutions and knowledge of social issues in Africa. She joined the staff in 2004 as acting dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences and was confirmed by the board of directors, effective April 7. She has more than 15 years of experience in the development sector, working with local, regional and international organizations. Before joining the university, she was program director responsible for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's southern Africa Program. She holds a bachelor's degree in education (science) from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, and earned both her master's degree and a doctorate in educational psychology from McGill University in Montreal.
Maenzanise returned to Zimbabwe last July to join the faculty of theology at Africa University. She is the first African woman to hold a doctorate in liturgical studies, earned at the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies at United Methodist-related Drew University in Madison, N.J. In 1998, she was identified as a promising scholar/leader and supported by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry with a United Methodist Women of Color Scholarship. She holds advanced degrees from Drew University.
"Speaking as a businesswoman and as an African, I think this is absolutely great," said Grace Muradzikwa, chief executive officer of Nicoz Diamond Insurance Zimbabwe and member of the university's board of directors.
"Increasingly, we are seeing African women challenging for positions of leadership and performing extremely well in these positions. The appointment of two female deans puts Africa University in the vanguard of institutions of higher learning and confirms it as a very progressive institution."
Tagwira had served as acting dean of the faculty of agriculture and natural resources since 2004. A soil scientist, he joined Africa University as a senior lecturer in 1992. He holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from the National University of Lesotho, a master's degree in soil chemistry from the University of Reading in England, and a doctorate in soil chemistry and fertility from the University of Zimbabwe, in collaboration with Michigan State University.
In addition to his academic responsibilities, Tagwira has served Africa University in numerous capacities, including leading financial aid and computer services committees. His work on new crops, aimed at improving the incomes and nutrition of smallholder farmers, is groundbreaking. The university named him "Researcher of the Year" in 2002. He is widely published and sought after internationally as a speaker and facilitator. He succeeds founding dean Athanasius Mphuru, promoted to deputy vice chancellor.
Ilunga, a Congolese-American, served as acting dean of faculty of management and administration for eight months before being named to his post. An economist, he took over leadership of the business faculty in July. He joined the university's faculty in 1996 and has been a contributor to program and outreach activities. He aims to position the business school better to help African nations struggling with issues of privatization, productivity and efficiency.
"My faculty is set for very big things," Ilunga said. "The priorities outlined in its strategic plan include more action research and the creation of an African center for productivity and efficiency management."
Ilunga, who holds both a master's of arts degree and a doctorate degree in economics from Southern Illinois University, hopes to focus faculty research on the economic performance of African parastatals - state corporations.
United Methodist-related Africa University is in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The university opened in March 1992 and offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and diplomas in a range of disciplines, including agriculture and natural resources, education, health sciences, humanities and social sciences, management and administration, peace, leadership and governance and theology. It has more than 1,200 students from 20 African countries.
*Stevens is director of information and public affairs at Africa University.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org .
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org
Editor’s comment: The Christian Recorder has a partnership with the United Methodist Communications in which we will share news with each other.
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
1. THE EDITOR’S CORNER:
Letters to the Editor:
- Dear Dr. Sydnor III,
Greetings in the Joy of the Lord Jesus, the Christ.
The article in the Christian Recorder Online by John Thomas III, which is entitled, “The Challenge: Conquering Babel; Language Translation in the AME Church,” is my point of reference. I am excited by what John Thomas III articulates in the article with only four pregnant paragraphs and thank you for allowing this medium to be of such a value.
Indeed, this is a challenge that the AME Church has to face and deal with. Perhaps, it is not so much the challenge we face in the great meetings of the Church as it is a challenge that we face at the local church, up to the Annual Conference. Very little documentation is accessible to the ordinary member of the Church because all documents of the Church, except in some cases the books of worship, are only available in English.
Be it the constitution of the Missionary Society or the Book of Discipline, only a few is privy to them. They are not a widely available to be accessed by the ordinary members of the Church not just because they have to be transported to the USA and the price to have them is exorbitant but also because of the language problem. In some cases, even those who do have these documents do not read them with clarity and understanding. The consequence of this being, only people a few are familiar with the issues and many ignorant. That may indicate that power rests with the few who can manipulate situations to their favour because they alone are aware.
I will find ways to raise this issue at the next Global Development Council meeting taking place on April 26 – 28, 2005, in Harare. In fact, this afternoon, our Episcopal Committee of the Annual Conferences’ Representatives is seating and I will bring the information to the attention of the colleagues for a discussion.
I trust that the Chief Information Officer of the Church will take the challenge presented by John, “a study would need to be done to determine to determine which languages would serve the most people.” In fact, this is what he could collective do with the GDC.
I thank you God for you and your ministry of information dispensation. Express my gratitude to John Thomas III.
Kind regards.
Rev. Teboho G. Klaas
Acting Director: HIV/AIDS Programme
(Executive Assistant to General Secretary)
South African Council of Churches
9th Floor, Khotso House
62 Marshall House, Johannesburg 2001
Tel: +27 11 241 7811/2/6
Fax: +27 11 838 4818 or +27 11 492 4818
Mobile: +27 82 412 2960
Email: tgk@sacc.org.za
- Editor Sydnor,
I am the Rev. Latisha Stewart Smith.
I am the person who translated the "Spanish Leaflet" printed by the AMEC Publishing house three years ago for distribution in the Dominican Republic at the request of Bishop DeVeaux. It was one of the most rewarding ventures I have undertaken, and I understand it was quite helpful for the AME's in that country.
Like you, I hope that we AMEs begin to research the issues, seek the resources, and apply wisdom toward strengthening the connection with our brothers and sisters who speak foreign languages. I pray that we will see this vision, soon.
In His service,
Rev. Latisha Stewart SmithFounding PastorCastaic ChurchA New Ministry in the AME Church
- Editor Sydnor
I had never realized the seriousness of the "Babel-problem." Now I'm wondering how the A.M.E. Church has survived for so many years in so many foreign countries. There must be some strong attraction to our brothers and sisters there that keeps them in the number. It's quite alarming that they don't have the most important of church materials at their disposal in a language that they can understand. Thanks for providing this food for thought. I hope this matter won't get "thought to death", but acted on quickly in order to solve a problem of great import.
Jeanette T. Johns
2. THE THEOLOGY OF “MAKING ENDS MEET”:
By George R. La Sure, D.Min.
From the inception of the African Methodist Episcopal Church there has always been the necessity to struggle and scrape up enough to pay the expenses associated with the operation of the church and, paying the AMEC budgetary assessment. The love of GOD and the recognized need to have a church has driven families and individuals in the rural and small membership church to do their level best to keep up with expenses and, to always pay their AMEC budgetary assessment on time.
From the beginning the rural and small membership church has mastered the art of “making ends meet.” Always operating from a position of not having nearly enough to fund necessary ministries and needed building improvements, it has consistently and purposefully struggled to support the denomination, first, by paying its budget and then, if anything be left over, to address needed repairs, salaries and ministries. For the rural and small membership church there is the never-ending struggle just to “make ends meet.”
Down through the years the rural and small membership church has responded, in numerous situations, to a series of emergencies caused by consistently inadequate planning on the part of the local church to envision and provide for the necessary on-going needs of the church. There has been far too often the case that the rural and small membership church has had to react to the pressing need to address a particular problem that has been known for a very long time. When an immediate financial need or emergency arises, the rural and small membership church must react and make some provision to meet the problem at hand.
In the midst of reacting to emergency financial needs, the rural and small membership church is always under a great deal of pressure and stress just to make ends meet. In most instances the rural and small membership church does not experience much growth in the number of members or in the total amount of giving. In too many instances, the national economic condition and the continuing out-sourcing of jobs have negatively impacted the financial condition of the church. Many members of the rural and small membership church are not at the highest end of the financial ladder and, many do not have the financial wherewithal to give much more than they presently contribute.
The rural and small membership church has been particularly innovative down through the years in fostering programs and ministries that have allowed it to remain financially solvent. But, there is an identifiable end to its financial solvency. There is an identifiable limit as to how much it can continue to pay out while being able to carry out necessary ministries, salaries, bills, services, etc. The AMEC budgetary requirement continues to increase, even in the face of a diminishing financial base.
Folk in the rural and small membership church are crying out for an opportunity to establish …
(Read the complete article in The Christian Recorder. You may call 800-648 8724 and make your payment using your credit card. Or, you may send $26.00 check or money order for a one-year subscription to: The Christian Recorder, 512 8th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4181)
3. AFRICA UNIVERSITY APPOINTS FOUR NEW DEANS:
Apr. 15, 2005
NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.
By Andra Stevens*
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) -The board of directors of United Methodist-related Africa University has made school history by appointing women as two of its four new academic deans.
All four appointees came from within the university, and naming female deans is a first for the 13-year-old institution. The directors, meeting April 5-7, appointed deans for the faculties of agriculture and natural resources; humanities and social sciences; management and administration; and theology.
"These appointments have come at an important juncture in the life of this institution," said Rukudzo Murapa, the university's vice chancellor. "Africa University is an acknowledged leader in higher education on the continent. We want to stay in the forefront with relevant programs and a cutting-edge approach to service delivery.
"The board has expressed its confidence in these individuals as key actors in ensuring the success of strategic new initiatives to enhance Africa University's effectiveness and the sustainability of its operations."
Thokozile Chitepo and the Rev. Beauty Maenzanise have been appointed deans of the faculty of humanities and social sciences and the faculty of theology, respectively. Both women are Zimbabweans. Also named as deans were Fanuel Tagwira, agriculture and natural resources, and Jean-Gilbert Ilunga, management and administration.
Chitepo is interested in using research to drive solutions and knowledge of social issues in Africa. She joined the staff in 2004 as acting dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences and was confirmed by the board of directors, effective April 7. She has more than 15 years of experience in the development sector, working with local, regional and international organizations. Before joining the university, she was program director responsible for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's southern Africa Program. She holds a bachelor's degree in education (science) from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, and earned both her master's degree and a doctorate in educational psychology from McGill University in Montreal.
Maenzanise returned to Zimbabwe last July to join the faculty of theology at Africa University. She is the first African woman to hold a doctorate in liturgical studies, earned at the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies at United Methodist-related Drew University in Madison, N.J. In 1998, she was identified as a promising scholar/leader and supported by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry with a United Methodist Women of Color Scholarship. She holds advanced degrees from Drew University.
"Speaking as a businesswoman and as an African, I think this is absolutely great," said Grace Muradzikwa, chief executive officer of Nicoz Diamond Insurance Zimbabwe and member of the university's board of directors.
"Increasingly, we are seeing African women challenging for positions of leadership and performing extremely well in these positions. The appointment of two female deans puts Africa University in the vanguard of institutions of higher learning and confirms it as a very progressive institution."
Tagwira had served as acting dean of the faculty of agriculture and natural resources since 2004. A soil scientist, he joined Africa University as a senior lecturer in 1992. He holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from the National University of Lesotho, a master's degree in soil chemistry from the University of Reading in England, and a doctorate in soil chemistry and fertility from the University of Zimbabwe, in collaboration with Michigan State University.
In addition to his academic responsibilities, Tagwira has served Africa University in numerous capacities, including leading financial aid and computer services committees. His work on new crops, aimed at improving the incomes and nutrition of smallholder farmers, is groundbreaking. The university named him "Researcher of the Year" in 2002. He is widely published and sought after internationally as a speaker and facilitator. He succeeds founding dean Athanasius Mphuru, promoted to deputy vice chancellor.
Ilunga, a Congolese-American, served as acting dean of faculty of management and administration for eight months before being named to his post. An economist, he took over leadership of the business faculty in July. He joined the university's faculty in 1996 and has been a contributor to program and outreach activities. He aims to position the business school better to help African nations struggling with issues of privatization, productivity and efficiency.
"My faculty is set for very big things," Ilunga said. "The priorities outlined in its strategic plan include more action research and the creation of an African center for productivity and efficiency management."
Ilunga, who holds both a master's of arts degree and a doctorate degree in economics from Southern Illinois University, hopes to focus faculty research on the economic performance of African parastatals - state corporations.
United Methodist-related Africa University is in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The university opened in March 1992 and offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and diplomas in a range of disciplines, including agriculture and natural resources, education, health sciences, humanities and social sciences, management and administration, peace, leadership and governance and theology. It has more than 1,200 students from 20 African countries.
*Stevens is director of information and public affairs at Africa University.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org .
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org
Editor’s comment: The Christian Recorder has a partnership with the United Methodist Communications in which we will share news with each other.