Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
Editor’s note: The Editor will be preaching at St. Luke AME Church in New York City on Sunday, October 21, 2007 for Men’s Day. An “Eat and Chat” dinner is being held so that area clergy can eat and meet the Editor and bring any inquiries, questions, comments or other issues involving the AME Church or the ministry. Dinner will be served at St. Luke A.M.E. Church, 1872 Amsterdam Avenue, corner of 153rd Street. There is no cost for the dinner, but those planning to attend will need to RSVP as soon as possible by calling (212) 870-1349 or by emailing Stlukeamec@aol.com. Non-Pastors, licentiates, Institute students are especially encouraged to attend. The Rev. Melvin E. Wilson is the pastor of St. Luke AME Church
1. EDITORIAL: THE SINS OF A CHURCH MEMBER:
Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III
1. A church member who does not attend worship services and who does not participate in the life of the church; he or she is an absent, non-participating member; his or her name is on the roll and that’s his or her only presence.
2. A church member who does not financially support the church and is financially absent.
3. A church member who is inconsistent with his or her presence and inconsistent with his or her financial support; the operative word is, “inconsistent.”
4. The cell phone church member who fails to turn off his or her cell phone, not to mention the church member who wears the Bluetooth earpiece throughout the entire service and cell phone member who answers the cell phone in worship or runs out to answer the cell phone during the worship service.
5. The complaining church member who complains about the pastor’s salary and the house the pastor lives in and who always thinks the pastor receives too much.
6. The church member who does not like pastors. Some do not like any pastor; others have a model of a pastor in their minds and they dislike any pastor that does not fit their image of what they think a minister should be.
7. The church member who balls up his or her offering; when a member balls up his or her money, you can be sure that it’s not much, usually a dollar.
8. A church member who only attends worship when he or she needs something, i.e., problems on the job, marital problems, financial difficulties, personal problems. When their problems are solved, they absent themselves from worship.
9. A telephonic church member; their only participation is on the telephone. They call people about what’s going on at the church and members call them to complain about what’s going on at the church.
10. A telephone-caller church member; they won’t say anything in a local church meeting, but will call every member to complain about everything that happened at a church meeting or in worship services.
11. The late-comer church member who never comes to church on time; they are always late for worship service; and they come in boldly and sometimes disruptively.
12. A church member who looks at the clock or his or her watch throughout the service, sometimes after having arriving late. He or she comes to church ready to leave.
13. The sleeper church member who apparently comes to church to take a nap. Worship puts them to sleep; and especially the sermon puts them to sleep!
14. The chewing-gum church member. They chew and chew and it looks as if he or she is trying to squeeze more sweetness out of, what has to be stale, chewing gum.
15. The candy-popping or cough-drop popping church member. Candy-popping or cough-drop popping church members pop candy or cough drops one piece after the other in what seems to be their desire to mask whatever is on their breath, whether it be halitosis or something they ate or drank before coming to church.
16. The disengaged church member. Disengaged church members have no interest in the sermon and even if they are engaged with the singing and some of the other parts of the worship service, they animatedly disengage when the pastor gets ready to preach his or her sermon.
17. The church member who brings snacks to church and serves all of the kids and adults around them.
18. The church member who leaves church before the benediction; some of them arrived late and leave before the end of the service.
2. DR. JOHNNY BARBOUR AND OTHERS WERE ARRESTED:
Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., the AME Publisher was active in the Civil Rights’ Movement in Mississippi and went to jail for the struggle. He stood up for equal and human rights for the people of Mississippi and for our nation and he was arrested for standing up for the principles of equality.
We often hear about the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young and others, but we fail to acknowledge our own AME clergy who were active leaders in the Civil Rights’ Movement, like Dr. Johnny Barbour, the late Rev. Charles D. Brice, who served in the 13th Episcopal District, Dr. Donald Tucker who served in the 1st Episcopal District, and a host of other AME ministers who served on the front lines of the Civil Rights’ Movement.
The Editor believes that the Church needs to identify the some of the AME pastors and lay members who were active participants in the Civil Rights’ Movement and lift up their participation. And, we should also acknowledge the support our bishops gave their pastors in a volatile environment.
Go the website below and type in the name of Johnny Barbour (or Charles Brice or any name of persons who were active in the Civil Rights’ Movement in Mississippi.
http://mdah.state.ms.us/arlib/contents/er/sovcom/imagelisting.php
3. MOVING DAY FOR A CHURCH IN WARWICK, NY:
Matt King, Staff Writer for the Times Herald-Record
House of prayer in Warwick to be resurrected as museum
The parade along McEwen Street on Friday morning moved at a funereal pace; but for members of the Union A.M.E. Church, the Rev. Vernon H. Peters, and the old-timers who gathered on their porches to watch a piece of their history pass by, it was a glorious and joyous day.
"I'm excited to be here today to witness history being made," church member Channabel Latham-Morris said. "We are blessed beyond measure. We thought we were going to tear the building down, but the good people of Warwick chipped in to help us have the funds we needed to do this."
The day was long. Church members came together just after sunrise to bless the church, and by the time workmen set the building on its new Forester Avenue home the sun had disappeared behind the old VFW building.
In between, the church was tugged on a flatbed trailer by a big-rig cab that stopped often and for long stretches as workmen chopped down branches and entire trees, pulled street signs from the ground and cut down utility lines strung too low to clear the church's 30-foot roof.
Throughout the day, people stopped to gawk at the Gothic-style prayer house as it plodded down the village's narrow, winding streets — and ended up staying for hours. Many people brought their children.
It took nearly three hours just to get the church from McEwen Street to Wheeler Avenue. After workers cleared a crisscross of power lines at the intersection, they were stymied briefly by a fire hydrant too high for the church to pass over. They solved the problem by placing a few wooden planks beneath the wheels of the trailer, raising the church an inch or two above the hydrant.
That maneuver — and a 38-point turn to get the house through the narrow passage at Main Street — brought relief and applause as people scurried alongside the church, only to stop a few feet later and start another hour's wait as workers cleared more obstacles.
When it was over, it didn't seem possible the trip was only a quarter-mile long.
"It truly felt like a journey of a 100 years," Peters said, "but every step was worth it."
The A.M.E. Church has been a pillar of Warwick's black community since 1906, when residents and civic leaders donated the materials and labor to build it.
This year, community members and local businesses donated about $65,000 so the church could be moved intact to Forester Avenue, where the Warwick Historical Society will turn it into a museum dedicated to black history in Warwick and the Hudson Valley.
Gregory Benton, who grew up across the street from the church, will help the Historical Society create the museum.
"It involves understanding the history of Warwick, understanding the history of minorities in the community, and understanding the church as a focal point for Warwick black history," he said.
Construction on a new church on McEwen Avenue began on Monday, October 8 and should be completed next spring.
Moving the Union A.M.E. Church - By the Numbers:
Distance traveled: About a quarter-mile
Time: 7 hours, 58 minutes
Trees chopped down: 7
Street signs pulled from the ground: 8
Warwick police on the scene: 14
Workmen: more than 50
Wires clipped or moved: too many to count
* This article reprinted with the permission of Matt King, Staff Writer for the Times Herald-Record, Warwick, NY
4. THE RURAL CHURCH - SAILING BEYOND THE POINT OF NO RETURN:
By George R. La Sure, D.Min
There comes a time in any person’s life when one must stop and assess and, re-assess, his or her own position on the AMEC sea of life. For 220 years, in the midst of offering salvation through our risen savior Jesus Christ, we have striven to become that light which illumines and under girds the hopes of those who are suffering in the murky depths of racism, poverty and despair. The record speaks boldly of valiant efforts that have been waged throughout the Connection on the part of the praying masses to envision and claim a better day. This was their identified priority. Through it all, the size of one’s church didn’t matter.
A substantial part of yesterday’s testimony would necessarily relate to the immeasurable material and spiritual sacrifices that have been freely offered by the “Connectional mass” for the denomination’s overall and common good. In days gone by, willing and prayerful sacrifice was the common denominator because the general perception was that the sacrificial budgetary effort was geared toward promoting the strength of the denomination and, the local church. But the swift currents of time and the treacherous undercurrent of a re-ordered denominational priority have driven us beyond the point of no return.
We have sailed so far out to sea that we are now totally dependent on the navigational skills of an ancient mariner. We have no access to GPS technology. The winds of change threaten to tear the fabric of common purpose from our sails. The course that was set so many years ago by our founding fathers and mothers which enabled us to safely navigate the swift currents of despair has been changed to one that exposes us to the dangerous and devastating reefs of self-promotion, arrogance and an indifference to the needs of others. The docking fees for identifiable ports have been raised beyond our ability to pay.
There was a time when the AMEC local church budget was proportionate to the size and the identifiable giving ability of the local church congregation. Focused efforts were made to keep assessments within reach of the rural and small membership church congregation’s ability to pay. Care and compassion toward the rural and small membership church was then somewhat evident, but, not now.
Time has ushered in a great budgetary change. Rural and small membership churches that put forth a mammoth effort to meet AMEC budgetary assessments two times a year are now required to make connectional budgetary payments four times a year. This re-arrangement has wrought havoc in the area of rural and small membership church budgetary planning. Whereas, in the past, the rural and small membership church traditionally held two well-organized fund-raisers during the year to raise the necessary AMEC budgetary assessments, they are now required to have funds on hand and available four times a year in order to meet their AMEC budgetary assessments.
In addition to these denominational outlays, the rural and small membership church must also make preparations and enact budgetary strategies to meet Episcopal District and Presiding Elder District assessments, as well. Last, but certainly not least, the rural and small membership church must wage a continuing struggle to meet its own local church expense.
All of this is not to say that the rural and small membership church cannot meet its AMEC budgetary assessments. But, it is to say that the rural and small membership church is having a very difficult time making the adjustment. Whereas, in the past, Pastors would routinely prepare the rural and small membership church to pay its Episcopal District and Denominational budgetary obligations twice a year, it is now necessary to put forth plans to raise money for budgetary obligations all the time. We have sailed into the Sea of Perpetual Budget which requires the rural and small membership church pastor to keep budget ever before the face of the congregation, which has engendered a general sense of dissatisfaction with the process.
Noticeably absent from this discussion is the continuing quest for the AMEC denomination to consider the need for overall budgetary re-alignment so that many rural and small membership churches might have a better opportunity to enhance their ability to provide needed and necessary ministries in their respective areas.
As we pick up speed and sail into the bottomless waters beyond the continental shelf, which marks the point of no return, it might be beneficial and cost-effective to consider a change in course, right now, and head swiftly back to familiar shores.
George R. La Sure, D.Min
www.greaterstjamesame.com
Greater St. James AME Church
Thompson, GA
6. AME HISTORIOGRAPHER INTERVIEWED BY BBC:
Dr. Dennis C. Dickerson, the Historiographer/Editor of The A.M.E. CHURCH REVIEW, was interviewed on October 12, 2007 by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) for its series on the History of Christianity. Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch of the University of Oxford interviewed Dr. Dickerson on the segment on African American Christianity in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Dr. Dickerson is a candidate for re-election as Historiographer and Editor of The A.M.E. Church Review.
7. 7TH DISTRICT’S 2007 NORTHEAST ANNUAL CONFERENCE:
Monday, August 27 to Friday, August 31, the 7th District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which encompasses the entire state of South Carolina, convened in Sumter for the second of its 2007 annual conferences entitled the Northeast Annual Conference. This week long event was held at Mount Pisgah A.M.E. Church located at 217 West Bartlette Street in Sumter, S.C., where Rev. M. Charmaine Ragin-Whittleton is pastor. The Northeast Conference is comprised of the Sumter, Marion, and Florence- Dillon Districts and with approximately 25,000 local members is the third largest of six annual conferences held in the 7th Episcopal District. This was the 116th session of the Northeast Annual Conference and the final series of conferences for this quadrennial before next summer’s 2008 General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.
The following article is derived from the resolution which was submitted by Rev. Timothy A. Johnson Sr., Pastor of Mt. Olive A.M.E Church in Woodrow, S.C., and the Northeast Annual Conference Resolution Committee.
Friday and Saturday, August 24th and 25th, over 965 young persons, chaperones, and volunteers gathered at Crestwood High School in Sumter for the Northeast Annual Conference Youth Summit, which took place under the direction of Sis. Kabrina Bass, Episcopal Administrator/Director of Christian Education, Rev. Dr. Jon Black, Northeast Conference Christian Education Director, Bro. W. M. Jefferson, Sumter Christian Education Director, Phyllis Reaves, Marion Christian Education Director, Sis. Omijean Timmons, Florence-Dillon Christian Education Director, the three presiding elders, and a host of others. The youth summits are designed to educate children ages six to fifteen about salvation, the scriptures, church etiquette, the parts of the church, A.M.E. history, manhood, womanhood, and the bishops and Episcopal districts of the church. The youth summits also glorify God through praise teams, mime ministries, and living history. Bishop Preston W. Williams II, presiding prelate of the 7th Episcopal District, made certain to meet and spend time with the youth, evidencing his commitment to developing the lives of our young people.
Sunday evening, the 116th session of the Northeast Annual Conference began with the pre-conference pomp and pageantry of the Debutantes and Master (DMC) Ceremony, which is a celebration of Christian manhood and womanhood where elegantly attired young people from across the conference are honored for their many volunteer hours of community, church, and school services. We take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Paula Outlaw, DMC Conference Commissioner and Rev. E. Robert Thomas, DMC Conference Associate Commissioner, and their dedicated committee members for a job well done. Thanks be to God for his wondrous love!
The Women’s Missionary Society, under the supervision of Dr. Wilma Delores Webb-Williams, Episcopal Supervisor, and Sis. Henrietta B. Temoney, Northeast Conference WMS President, with a multitude of ladies in attendance, carried out a detailed business session. They visited the Greenhouse Runaway Shelter, The Angelic Place, and The Boys and Girls Club, all in the Sumter area, and the annual WMS luncheon was held at the Sumter Exhibition Center. They were also blessed with many visiting missionary sisters.
Monday, the Sons of Allen gave us an evening of great spiritual entertainment, and Rev. J. R. Rouse of Centerville A.M.E. Church in Hartville, S.C., delivered a powerful sermon entitled, “Go Again!” Tuesday morning, the Mount Pisgah A.M.E. Church hosted an overwhelming crowd at the opening session of the 116th Northeast Annual Conference which convened with Rev. R. L. McCants Sr., Presiding Elder of the Sumter District, as Worship Leader. The processional consisted of Mt. Pisgah’s choir, licentiates, deacons, elders, General Officer George Flowers, Bishops F. C. James, Z. L. Grady and our presiding bishop, The Right Reverend Preston W. Williams II. Rev. Richard Crummy delivered an electrifying annual sermon entitled, “Who Is Your Choice,” and the opening ceremony was culminated by Holy Communion services, with Bishop Williams as Chief Celebrant.
A reorganization of the 116th Session of the Northeast Conference was held, Rev. R. R. Hooper was selected as Conference Secretary and Rev. Berletha Taylor as Assistant Secretary, and each presiding elder submitted names to serve as marshals. The presiding elders also presented their recommendations for various committees for the annual conference session along with the boundaries of the conference for all lay delegates and ministers.
Tuesday afternoon the Marion District began their ministerial/delegates and annual reports, and Tuesday evening the WMS Night in Mission convened under the theme, “Working to Eradicate Homelessness.” The awesome WMS choir set the tone for a powerful evening of worship, and the well composed message entitled, “A Legacy of Service,” was delivered by Rev. Marie Deas-Webb of St. Peter A.M.E. Church.
Wednesday morning, the Sumter and Florence–Dillon Districts presented ministerial/delegates and annual reports followed by the midday sermon which was entitled, “The Ability to See the Unseen,” and was delivered by Dr. Albert Turk of Emmanuel A.M.E. Church in the 1st District. Wednesday evening, the Young People and Children’s Division, under the leadership of Ms. Connie Ford and her cabinet, conducted its worship service under the theme, “P.H.A.T. – Praising Him All the Time: For Faithful Is Our God!” Bro. Jarrett B. Washington, 7th District YPD President, delivered a powerful and timely message for the youth entitled, “You Make Me Better!”
Thursday morning, the Christian Education Department, under the direction of Sister Kabrina Bass, provided an informative workshop entitled, “The Church Then, The Church Now.” Later that afternoon, Dr. Charles Young, President of Allen University, delivered an inspired midday sermon entitled, “The Testimony of a Blessed Person,” prior to which the dynamic Allen University Choir rendered several soul stirring selections. The Northeast Annual Conference collected over $74,000 for Allen University, and elected sixteen clergy and lay delegates and sixteen alternates to the 2008 General Conference.
Thursday evening’s Lay Organization worship service was filled with the Holy Spirit, praising God to the utmost as Mr. Dale Wilson spoke from the subject, “The Work Is All Divine!” The Board of Examiners recommended three itinerant deacons and two itinerant elders for ordination, all characters were passed – praise be to God, and all disciplinary questions were read and answered positively.
Friday afternoon, Rev. Earl Harris, pastor of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church in Dayton, Ohio, delivered the ordination message entitled, “Are You Out of Your Mind?” Rev.’s Henry Hemmingway and Nathan Gregg were memorialized by the conference, Rev.’s McKeever Hemmingway, F. K. Richardson, and Moses Brown retired, and Rev. Ron Taylor was placed on supernumerary status.
Prayers were offered throughout the conference for Dr. Wilma D. Webb-Williams, Episcopal Supervisor, who is recovering from surgery. Visitors from across the connection were presented at the conference from all levels of clergy, laity, WMS, YPD, and Sons of Allen. Ms. Paula Outlaw, Northeast Conference Superintendent, and the Church School Committee presented a workshop entitled, “God Created the Heavens and Earth!”
The closing convocation ceremony message was delivered by Rev. J. R. Glover, Presiding Elder of the Lancaster District in the Columbia Conference, and was entitled, “The Enduring Pastor/Preacher.” The conference was also blessed by the anointed musical talents of Howard and Phyllis Lawson and James Lies.
Rev. M. Charmaine Ragin-Whittleton and the Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church family hosted the 116th Session of the Northeast Annual Conference with dignity and style, and we take this opportunity to salute and applaud you all for a job well done! May God continue to shower his blessings upon us all! The members of the 116th Session of the Northeast Conference resolve to continue to strive for excellence under the dynamic leadership of Bishop Preston W. Williams II and Dr. Wilma D. Webb-Williams.
8. 129TH SESSION OF THE NORTH ALABAMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE WAS HELD AT ST. JOHN AME CHURCH, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA:
The members of the Exciting 129th Session of the North Alabama Annual Conference heeded the call of the Right Reverend Theodore Larry Kirkland and Episcopal Supervisor, Mrs. Mary Kirkland, to assemble in reverent, bold, yet humble fashion at the 129th session of North Alabama Annual Conference that convened during the first week in October at the St. John AME Church, located in the Magic City of Birmingham, Alabama, where the Rev. James Arthur Rumph is the pastor. Pastor Rumph and his beautiful wife, Sister Sandra Rumph, were gracious hosts and the Rev Albert Lee Hezekiah Hyche was the host presiding elder and the Rev. Dwight E. Dillard was the associate presiding elder.
AMEs from Florence to Scottsboro, from the Tennessee line to Huntsville and Guntersville, came to Birmingham, proudly singing, “And Are We Yet Alive,” setting the tone for a magnificent week in which the sessions of the Annual Conference have proven to be inspirational, informational, educational and rewarding, and,
Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, the 114th elected and consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, a down home preacher with an uptown message, filled with power and might of Almighty God, and has led us through an orderly and peaceful Annual Conference, as he presided in an efficient, gentle, refreshing, and a sometimes humorous manner, and,
The reports of the ministers of the Conference were given and reflected their dedication, sacrifice, and spirit of commitment, while Bishop Kirkland listened intently to the sincerity of the reports, and,
The opening session was on-fire with the Holy Ghost, as the Rev. Frederick J. McCullough, pastor of Payne Chapel AME Church, in Birmingham, Alabama set our hearts blazing and our voices shouting, with, “The Word is Out,” telling us the “Word is Overwhelming, Uncompromising, and Transforming, “’O yea!’”
The annual conference was continually fed by the Spirit, through a message given by the Rev. Theodis W. Parker, pastor of Greater St. Paul AME Church, Florence, Alabama, who stimulated the conference during the Sons of Allen worship service, by informing the conference of the “Man Behind the Tree, The Man up a Tree, and the Man on a Tree.”
The Friday Noon day “Hour of Power” sermon was powerfully delivered by Dr. George Champion, pastor of St. James AME Church in Sanford, Florida, who challenged the conference to avoid becoming lukewarm with an invitation “Lets Catch on Fire.”
The music was both traditional and contemporary as well as uplifting, delivered with enthusiasm, excitement and power, by choirs from the various AME Churches from the Birmingham area, and,
The Lay Organization, led by the debonair, and most capable President Rodney Davidson, made a significant contribution to the Conference on Lay Night when Mrs. Joyce Parrish O’Neal reflected on the theme, “Refocus Our Ministry to Serve the Present Age,” reminding the conference of the need to 1) Help a Child to Rule the World, by 2) Teaching our boys how to be men, and 3) Encouraging and Promoting Entrepreneurship, and,
The Conference was lifted to higher plains in the Ordination Service, when the Rev. Dr. Harold Mayberry, pastor of 1st AME Church, Oakland, California electrified the conference as he challenged the candidates when he proclaimed, “After All I’ve Been Through I Still Know That the Lord is Able.”
The Young People’s Department of the North Alabama Conference, under the leadership of Director Lolita Seltzer, with the cooperation of the four Area Directors, and numerous local directors, continued to keep the fire burning as the young people under the direction of Mr. Bryan Nalls and Mr. Jabari Hoyett were in concert declaring they were “Grateful” and that the LORD’s Name is Excellent. Souls were rededicated, and revived.
The North Alabama Conference added to its roll as Bishop Kirkland issued the charge to Itinerant Deacon, the Rev. Jessica Renee Durr, and Itinerant Elders, the Reverends Darryl Ervin, Willie Salter, Malik Jo Sales, Johnetta Toodle, and Arthur Turner, Local Elders Reverends Margo Coker, Meriam Garrett, and Francine McDaniel.
The North Alabama Conference added transfers; the Reverends Horace Fritchard, Michael Hinson, Herschel McGee, and Johnathan C. Richardson,
The Rev. Betty Robinson, pastor of St. Paul AME Church (Eastlake), Birmingham, Alabama called the WMS to total commitment as she asked the question, “Do you Love the Lord?” The Women’s Missionary Society, committed themselves to soar like doves and eagles as they accepted the challenge to encourage themselves in the LORD, and the Women’s Missionary Society, recognized that they were in a new season with a new president, in the person of Sister Susie Sanders Jones.
The Church School under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Susie Crenshaw, with the assistance of the Rev. Brenda J. Blackman, associate minister at Wayman Chapel AME Church, Decatur, Alabama advised the Conference to Choose, “What God has chosen for your life and Don’t sell your Birthright.”
The Ministers’ Spouses, Widows, and PK’s Council melodious Choir, serenaded and inspired the conference with worship and praise during the Ordination Service with “Total Praise.”
The ministerial and lay delegates were efficiently elected to represent the exciting North Alabama Conference at the 2008 General Conference to be held in St. Louis, Missouri.
The North Alabama Conference began each day with prayer and praise meetings as the Conference sought to become even more spiritual and less political.
The closing session of the Conference witnessed once again the awesome power of God, as we closed out in the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, as our own Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, exhorted the Conference to “shake off the snakes of discouragement, shake off the snakes of criticism, and shake of the snakes of low expectations, by just climbing higher and higher.
The Holy Ghost fire, which began on the opening day continued all the way through the closing worship service.
The Conference is proud to have been graced by the presence of many guests and luminaries who visited the 129th Session of the North Alabama Conference, including but not limited to, retired General Officer, Dr. Anderson Todd, Jr.; the presiding prelate of the 5th Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Lawrence Reddick, Dean of Turner Seminary, Dr. Daniel Wesley Jacobs, Dr. Thomas Best, the Rev. Larry Hutson, the Rev. Harold Mayberry and many candidates aspiring for the episcopacy from across the connection.
The hard working pastor, the Rev. James Arthur Rumph along with his lovely wife, the Stewards, Trustees, and members of St. John A. M. E. Church, entertained the bishop and his guests; left no stone unturned as they hosted this Conference and going to great lengths to treat their guests like royalty, with grace and patience, to ensure that everyone enjoyed all the comforts of home.
The members of the conference recommended, that the exciting North Alabama Conference follow the lead of the Women’s Missionary Society, to total commitment to the LORD in response to His love for us and our love for God.
It was also recommended that the ministers of the North Alabama Conference heed the exhortation of Bishop T. Larry Kirkland to commit themselves to be, “more than just a holler and a collar.”
The churches in the Conference were called upon to continue to support one another spiritually, physically, and financially, and, that all the Churches of the Conference continue put forth an effort to adopt the 7 goals set forth by Bishop T. Larry Kirkland in his Episcopal Message.
The 129th Session of the North Alabama Annual Conference wants the Ninth Episcopal ministerial and lay delegates to say loudly and clearly at the 48th Session of the General Conference that the North Alabama Conference requests that the Rt. Rev. T. Larry Kirkland be reassigned to the Ninth Episcopal District for another four years.
The members of the exciting North Alabama Annual Conference thanks the presiding elders and their spouses, the ministers of the Conference and their spouses, all delegates, missionary workers, lay persons, and members of the YPD, and the Church School, for their ceaseless effort to improve the growth of the anointed Ninth Episcopal District. The members of the Conference also thanks Bishop Kirkland for the considerate manner in which he presided over the 129th Session of the exciting North Alabama Annual Conference.
The Conference extends its prayers and as many “hands of assistance” as needed, to those who were ordained; both as deacons and elders.
The exciting North Alabama Annual Conference welcomes it transfers: the Reverends Horace Fritchard, Michael Hinson, Herschel McGee, and Johnathan C. Richardson.
The Conference bade a fond farewell to the outgoing North Alabama Conference WMS President, Sister Dorothy Jean Davis as it welcomed, with open arms, the new NAC WMS President, Sister Susie Sanders Jones.
The Conference continues to congratulate the Ministers’ Spouses, Widows, and PK’s Council Choir for their energetic, enthusiastic, and melodious sound, and, the Conference congratulates the new slate of officers in the WMS and YPD.
The Annual Conference gave a rousing stand of thanks to the Rev. James Rumph, Sandra Rumph, and the officers, choirs, musicians, and members and friends of the St. John A. M. E. Church, Birmingham, and the sister Churches for their hospitality, love, sacrifice, care, and concern that they have put forth in their hosting of this 129th Session of the North Alabama Annual Conference. , and,
The members of the Conference also committed themselves to strive to live up to the Ninth Episcopal District theme, “A community of believers committed to equipping the saints, and reaching the world for Jesus Christ through worship, instruction, fellowship and evangelism.”
The Annual Conference resolved re-affirm their commitment to having been called and compelled to serve this present age, as we follow the lead of our Bishop into the New Anointed Ninth, (A New Breed, A New Day, and A New Way).
*This report was prepared by the Reverends Raymond B. Swafford, T. W. Parker, Roosevelt Williams, James Cornelius Smith, Charles Marie Davis, Eric Benison, Shelia Williams, Tony Latham, Eloise Williams, Michael Stanford, Sisters Joyce Ray, Mattie Williams, Patricia Bishop, Marcia Lowe, Nedra McDaniels, Jacquline Dennis, Mary Harris, Brothers Larry Woods, Charles Robinson, and Alfonzo Mays.
9. 13TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT TO SPEARHEAD AIDS PREVENTION EVENT:
Dr. Phyllis Qualls-Brooks
Presiding Elders, Ministers, Lay officials and other church officials were part of a kick-off event to officially announce the 13th Episcopal District’s program focusing on AIDS prevention.
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie announced that Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform her one-woman show during Worlds AIDS Weekend. The show speaks to the loves, lives and losses of women living with HIV and AIDS. The event will take place Friday, Nov. 30 at Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Polk Theater. Tickets are $50.00 and available from Presiding Elders, the 13th Episcopal District office and Ticketmaster. The kick-off reception, with a standing-room-only auditorium audience was held Friday, October 5, at the world headquarters of Universal Electronics Inc., in Nashville.
Bishop McKenzie, in speaking to the leaders of the church said, “It is important that we openly discuss this issue within our community and make our people keenly aware of its dangers and the threat to human life.”
According to information from the Centers for Disease Control, more than a million Americans are living with HIV and, nearly half are Black. Furthermore approximately 54% of the new HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in the U. S. are Black. Finally among women, Blacks account for two-thirds of all new infections.
Believe, Inc. an outreach non-profit of the 13th Episcopal District, is sponsoring the event. Joe Turner, Chairman of the Board said “This event is a way to inform our community about the problems of HIV and AIDS among our people through a unique art form.
For ticket information, contact the 13th Episcopal District Office at 614.242.6814.
10. DONATION USED TO TEACH VALUABLE JOB SKILLS TO DJIBOUTI WOMEN:
by Petty Officer 1st Class John Osborne
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Public Affairs
Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Oledia Bell is a Navy Chaplain and is featured in the article appended below. She is a member of the 2nd Episcopal District.
9/13/2007 - DJIBOUTI (AFPN) -- The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Chaplain's Office participated in the Navy's Operation Hand Clasp and delivered a sewing machine, clothing material, pens and spiral notebooks to students Sept. 10 at the Union National of the Djibouti Women here.
The donation, which will be used to teach valuable job skills to women of Djibouti, marked the beginning of deliveries by the organization to Eastern Africa.
Also on hand to make the donation was W. Stuart Symington, U.S. ambassador to Djibouti.
Operation Hand Clasp provides the type of support organizations such as the Union National of the Djibouti Women need to help each other, the ambassador said
The Navy program is based in San Diego and began in 1959. The organization coordinates the transportation and delivery of humanitarian, educational and goodwill materials donated by corporations, charitable and public service organizations, and private citizens throughout the U.S. The donated materials are then passed onto the U.S. military, who in turn distributes them to needy citizens in foreign countries on behalf of American citizens.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Oledia Bell of CJTF-HOA's Chaplains Office said the military has no idea where the donations come from, but in this case the notebooks and pens were given by the congregation of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal in Hampton, Va., of which she is a member.
For years, CJTF-HOA has been committed to helping the Union National of the Djibouti Women in their mission to train Djiboutian women to learn a trade and help make them more viable members of the local work force.
Chaplain Bell said Operation Hand Clasp is a mutually beneficial endeavor for the Union National of the Djibouti Women and the CJTF-HOA.
"This work gives CJTF-HOA another positive image in the local community," Chaplain Bell said. "Our goal and UNFD's goal is to empower these young women and make them employable. We want to teach them life skills and not just give them a handout.”
11. NEWS AROUND THE AME CHURCH:
- A police officer in a cruiser swerved to avoid a motorist while responding to a call, crashed into St. Paul A.M.E. in Akron, Ohio. Firefighters at the scene said that the crash appeared to have caused significant structural damage to the brick, single-story church.
12. ANNUAL MEN'S DAY AT ZION AME CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA:
Men’s day will be held at Zion AME Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday, October 28, 2007. Actor and minister, the Rev. Clifton Davis will be the speaker for the 11 a.m. morning worship service and actor and film producer Will Smith will be special guest. The Reverend Dr. George Champion, former General Officer will be the speaker for the afternoon celebration. A Fellowship Dinner will be served at the church beginning at 1 p.m.
Zion AME Church is located at 21st & Tasker Streets in Philadelphia. The Rev. Dr. Simon P. Bouie is the pastor of Zion AME Church
Submitted by Brother Abdue L. Knox
13. THE PRODIGAL SON:
*Reverend Dr. James s. Cooper
The French scholar, Renan, described the gospel of Luke as “the most beautiful book in the world”. It is beautiful not only because of Luke’s literary style which is outstanding, but even more because of the story that it told. The gospel of Luke is essentially a love story. As we move into this love story, we discover we are the ones who are loved. And god, the Holy Spirit, is the great lover. Beginning with the nativity narratives, like is telling us that god is coming in this little child to reveal his love for us. Then as we move into the ministry of Jesus, the centerpiece is the story of the prodigal son which is all about how much the father loves us and is waiting for us to come home. If we are already home, he is waiting for us to appreciate our life with him.
It is very clear from the life and teaching of Jesus in the gospels that our relationship with god is the most important thing in our lives. Everything else; our health, our relationship, our work… literally finds its meaning in our relationship with god. I guess what I am trying to say is: all that we are and all that we hope to be are because of god. But sometimes it is difficult for us to know exactly what that means because we don’t know what god is like. Jesus said, “no one has seen god.” But Jesus used one image of god so often; it is obvious that he wanted us to be thinking in this way about god. The word “father” is used to refer to god over one hundred and forty times in the four gospels alone. Jesus spoke about god as father. In fact, he used a special word for father – Abba – which is particular forms of endearment and which expresses deep love and intimacy. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them a prayer that begins, “our father”.
The gospel of Luke put a special emphasis on the fatherhood of god. We see this in several ways, but the most striking occurs in the fifteenth chapter, which contains the best known of all Jesus’ parables. This parable appears only in Luke’s gospel. We often call it the parable of the prodigal son. It is the story of a father and two sons. The prodigal son is the younger of the two who took his share of his inheritance, left his father’s house, spent all his money on loose living, and betrayed his father’s confidence in him. He lost his human dignity and became miserable, repented, and turned toward home again. While he was still some distance from his father’s house, the father saw him and ran to embrace him and kiss him and welcome him home. It is a beautiful story of the father’s forgiving, healing love for his child.
The last part of the parable is about the older son. When he saw that the father had prepared as big party to celebrate his younger brother’s return, he became furious. He criticized his father for doing this. He tried to take the joy out of the festivities. In so doing, he comes off as a very unlovable person. But the wonder of the story is that the father loved this one also. He said to him after hearing his outburst of anger, “son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found”. (Luke 15:31-32)
For the father to love both of his sons in this way is the point of the story as Jesus tells it to us. Concentrating as he does, on the image of god as loving father, Jesus teaches us how to confront the vital presence of god in our lives. He wants us to experience this presence on every level of our being.
There is a great deal of talk these days about consciousness – rising. Ordinarily, consciousness – rising refers to getting in touch with feelings, becoming aware of our own inner – life and the world around us, and other people around us. These are good things and they can be very helpful but the most important kind of consciousness – rising is to heighten our awareness of the presence of god, as being like that of a loving father who is strong and supporting and caring and loving and healing? This is what Jesus wants us to do when he give us this figure of speech. If we can do this, then we can trust god; then we can abandon ourselves to god; then we can allow god to have his way with us.
It all comes down to a question of whether we trust him or not, even when we don’t have all of our questions answered, even when things seem to be going bad for us. Even when we are faced with a situation so bad we wouldn’t be able to tough it with an eleven – foot pale or a fifty – foot pale, the healing god, our father, is present to us, to support us, to forgive us, to guide us, to comfort us, to heal us, to tell us that he will never abandon us.
The New Testament is the story of what happen when we trust god, abandoning ourselves to him as to a loving father. This is the essence of our Christian experience.
Jesus helps us to deal with the mystery of life by getting right to the heart of the matter. We can philosophize and we can theologize and we can use words, words, words, without end. And then comes Jesus with a simple little story telling us what life is all about.
A man was driving down the road with his new “C. B.” radio turned on. He heard a message coming through: “this is breaker 19, this is breaker 19. And you’ve got a black cow on the road at about the 66 mile maker.” The man had studied most of the code words C. B. Radio operators use, but he had never heard the phase ‘black cow’. He looked in his c. B. Dictionary but he couldn’t find ‘black cow’. Consequently, he called back, “breaker 19, you’ve get a ‘green apple’ here (that is a ‘new operator’), what in the world is a ‘black cow’?” To which came the reply, “why man, you know, one of those things with four legs that gives milk.” That definition gets to the real heart of the matter.
“What in the world is the essence of human existence?” It is to trust god more and more as you experience his presence as being like a loving father”. The father’s love and mercy are greater than the things that separate us from him. In obedience to the father, our love and mercy must be greater than the sins that separate us from one another. “I tell you,” Jesus says in our scripture lesson today, “there will be marching in heaven over our repentant sinners than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent”. (Luke 15:7)
A father was trying to encourage his frustrated son. “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,” he said. The son replied, “But I can’t figure things out. I can’t get it all together. I’ve got too many problems.” The father told him, “remember, son, the people who are remembered are those who didn’t give up. George Washington didn’t give up; Thomas Edison didn’t give up; Martin Luther King didn’t give up, and look at Samuel Jesse!” The boy said, “Who is Samuel Jesse?” “You see, said the father, “you never heard of him, he gave up.”
When things seem to be going bad for you, when life knocks you to your knees, don’t give up. The father is waiting with open arms to heal you with his loving presence.
*The Reverend Dr. James S. Cooper is a retired U.S. Army Chaplain and is the pastor, High Hills AME Church in Dalzell, South Carolina
14. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT:
The Reverend Sudie White of the Kansas Nebraska Annual Conference, 5th Episcopal District was called home on Wednesday morning, October 11, 2007. She was a steadfast and powerful woman of God!
Service arrangements for The Reverend Sudie White:
Visitation:
Friday, October 19, 2007
8:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Funeral Services:
Saturday, October 20, 2007
11:00 AM
Both events will take place at the Carlson Geisendorf Funeral Home:
500 S. Ohio
Salina, KS 67401
Fax 785-823-0856
Phone 785-823-3456
Family Contact:
Mildred Gavin (daughter)
523 Inez Avenue
Salina, KS 67401
785-341-7709
In lieu of flowers, financial contributions may be made.
Submitted by:
Rev. Dorisalene Hughes
CO-Director of Fifth District Prayer
15. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT:
We are saddened by the passing of Mr. Kenneth Ross, brother of Mrs. Helen Ross Boykin, brother in law of Rev. Ronald Boykin, pastor of First A.M.E. Church of Manassas, VA and uncle of Rokisha Reynolds and Rev. Dr. DeLishia Boykin Wilson, pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church of Reading, PA. Mr. Ross passed on Saturday, October 13, 2007.
The Memorial Service for Mr. Kenneth L. Ross will be held on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 10 am.
Marshall's Funeral Home
4217 9th Street NW
Washington, DC 20011
202-723-1250
Rev. Dr. DeLishia Boykin Wilson, Eulogist
Condolences can be sent to:
Rev. and Mrs. Ronald Boykin
10313 S. Grant Avenue
Manassas, VA 20110
or
Rev. Dr. DeLishia Boykin Wilson
330 W. Windsor Street
Reading, PA 19601
16. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT:
We regret to inform you of the passing of Presiding Elder Ernestine M. Ward who was the first woman to be appointed a Presiding Elder in the First Episcopal District. She was appointed Presiding Elder of the Western New York Conference (Buffalo-Albany-Rochester District) in 1988 and served in that capacity until her retirement in 2004. The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Viewing and Funeral will be held at
Emanuel AME Church
37-41 West 119th Street
New York, NY 10026
Phone: 212-722-3969
Fax: 212-722-6887
Rev. D. Albert Turk, Pastor
Viewing - Tuesday, October 23, 2007 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Viewing - Wednesday, October 24, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Funeral - Wednesday, October, 24, 2007 at 10 a.m.
Bishop Richard Franklin Norris will deliver the eulogy.
Expressions of Sympathy may be sent to:
Mrs. Mary Williams
147-19 115th Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11436
Or
c/o Emanuel AME Church
37-41 West 119th Street
New York, NY 10026
17. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT:
We regret to inform you of the passing of Mrs. Beverly Robinson, the sister of Rev. Gerald H. Hesson, pastor of Bethlehem A.M.E. Church in Burlington, New Jersey (New Jersey Conference - Camden/Trenton District). The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Funeral - Friday, October, 19, 2007 at 11 a.m.
Trinity Baptist Church
2930 Bailey Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14215
716-835-5955
Rev. Bennie Jemison, Pastor
Expressions of Sympathy may be sent to:
Rev. Gerald H. Hesson and Family
193 Tenby Chase Drive, Apt. O-190
Delran, NJ 08075
or
Send e-mail to Church
Audial5149@aol.com
18. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT:
We regret to inform you of the passing of Rev. Leonard Palmer, Sr., the father of Sister Vanessa Bailey, former WMS Consultant for the Harrisburg District and father in law of Presiding Elder Robert O. Bailey, retired Presiding Elder of the Harrisburg District, Philadelphia Conference. The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Viewing - Thursday, October 18, 2007 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The Presbyterian Church of York in the Chapel
225 E. Market Street
York, PA
Rev. Dr. John Morgan, Pastor
Viewing - Friday, October 19, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. - 1100 a.m.
Bethel A.M.E. Church
350 W. Princess Street
York, PA 17401
Phone: 717-843-3461
Fax: 717-843-0095
Rev. Katherine Rose, Pastor
Funeral - Friday, October, 19, 2007 at 11a.m.
Bethel A.M.E. Church
350 W. Princess Street
York, PA 17401
Expressions of Sympathy may be sent to:
Mrs. Vanessa Bailey
508 S. President Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17603
or
Mrs. Josephine Palmer
679 Leas Street
York, PA 17404
Please remember each of these families in your prayers.
19. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICES AND CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
The Clergy Family Information Center
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action
Ora L. Easley, Administrator
AMEC Clergy Family Information Center
E-mail: Amespouses1@bellsouth.net
Phone: (615) 837-9736
Voice Mail: (615) 833-6936
Fax: (615) 833-3781
Cell: (615) 403-7751
20. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Gregory G. M. Ingram; the Publisher, the Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour and the Editor of The Christian Recorder, the Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III offer our condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the peace of Christ will be with you during this time of your bereavement.
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
