Bishop Richard Franklin Norris - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor, The Christian Recorder
1. EDITORIAL – THE MAGNANIMOUS HOMEGOING CELEBRATION FOR BISHOP VERNON RANDOLPH BYRD:
Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III
The 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
The Service of Thanksgiving in Celebration of the Life and Legacy of the Right Reverend Vernon Randolph Byrd, Sr. was a celebration of magnanimous proportions.
The celebration was held at the beautiful and spacious Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charlotte, North Carolina where the Reverend Morris Reddon is the pastor. The Right Reverend Adam J. Richardson is the presiding prelate of the Second Episcopal District.
The celebration was magnanimous because of number of reasons. The large sanctuary was filled to capacity.
The celebration was magnanimous because of the organ prelude that was played so beautifully by Mrs. Doris Jones and the choral selections rendered by the Greater Bethel AME Church choir. The celebration was magnanimous because of presence and the processional of the twenty-two active and retired bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the sincere words of tribute by General Officers, Dr. Clement Fugh and Dr. George F. Flowers; tributes by Connectional Officers, Mrs. Jamesina Evans and Dr. Jesse Burns; Mrs. Connie Richardson, representing the Supervisors’ Council; words of tribute from the pastor, the Reverend Morris Reddon, the Rev. Sidney Bryant representing the pastors and ministers; tribute by the Rev. Booker T. Guyton representing the Presiding Elders’ Council; the tribute by Bishop Limmie N. Forbes, of the Original Freewill Baptist Conference, who represented the ecumenical community; tribute from the Right Rev. James L. Davis who represented the Council of Bishops and the Right Rev. Adam J. Richardson who represented the General Board; and perhaps most impressive was the words of tribute by Mr. Leroy Blackwell of Greater Bethel AME Church, who was Bishop Byrd’s Class Leader. His comments were brief, but appropriate. It was a touching moment to have words of tribute from the Class Leader; that’s Methodism at it best.
The Homegoing for Bishop Byrd was magnanimous because of the tribute given by the Rev. Vernon R. Byrd, Jr., Esquire, the son of Bishop and Mrs. Byrd, which was followed by a solo sung by Ms. Diane Dixon, accompanied by the Rev, Vernon R. Byrd, Jr.
The service began with the Prayer of Comfort given by the Right Rev. John H. Adams, followed by the Lord’s Prayer (Caribbean) led by the Right Reverend Frederick H. Talbot. The scripture lessons were read by the Right Reverend Frederick C. James, the Right Reverend Richard F. Norris and the Right Reverend Vashti Murphy McKenzie.
The highlight of the Homegoing celebration was the superb eulogy delivered by the Right Rev. Richard A. Hildebrand, who took his text from II Timothy 4:6 and used as his subject, “We are Here to Celebrate,” and Bishop Hildebrand’s sermon was a celebration. Bishop Hildebrand said, “We are not here to cry, we are here to celebrate because we know where Bishop Vernon Randolph Byrd has gone. Now, if you are attending a funeral and you don’t know, or are not sure where the deceased has gone – to Heaven or Hell, you need to cry.” His sermon provided comfort to the Byrd family and challenged both laity and clergy. He ended his sermon with the poem that Bishop Byrd loved, “I Saw God Wash the World Last Night.”
We learned at the Service of Thanksgiving in Celebration of the Life and Legacy of the Right Reverend Vernon Randolph Byrd, that he was a South Carolinian by birth and began his ministry in the Seventh Episcopal District, but from his humble beginnings in Enoree, South Carolina, the world became his parish. He pastored churches in Delaware, Bermuda, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and presided over work of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in faraway places as, West Africa, the Caribbean Islands and England; Tennessee, Kentucky, and the fourteen states west of the Mississippi, including Alaska.
Bishop Vernon Randolph Byrd began his earthly sojourn in Enoree, South Carolina on July 1, 1931 and transitioned from this life on May 5, 2009 “where he exchanged his mortal vestments for a garment of everlasting praise.”
Early in life he was placed into the loving care of his uncle, Mr. James Little. His uncle taught him to love the Lord and introduced him to the African Methodist Episcopal Church by taking him to Sunday School at Mt. Zikon AME Church in Joanna, South Carolina. Bishop Byrd felt the presence of the Lord in his life at an early age and accepted the call to ministry when he was 17 years old. He preached his first sermon from the 23rd Psalm.
Upon graduating from Bell Street High School in Clinton, South Carolina he enrolled at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina. While a student at Allen, he pledged and was inducted into Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. While at Allen, he served as President of the Allen University Choir and as President of his graduating class. It was while he was a student at Allen that he met the love of his life, Theora Lindsey. He and Theora Lindsey were married on June 5, 1954 and were blessed with four children: Michelle, Vanessa, Vernon, Jr., and Christopher.
He was ordained as an Itinerant Elder at the age of 19 by the late Bishop Frank Madison Reid, Sr. Bishop Byrd began his ministry itinerant ministry when Bishop Reid assigned him as the student pastor to serve Scotts Chapel in Ermo, South Carolina and the Wateree Circuit in Newberry County, South Carolina.
Upon graduating from Allen University, Bishop Byrd enhanced his academic preparation for ministry at Boston University School of Theology.
Bishop Byrd served at various times on the Connectional stage as Chair of the Commission on Christian Education, Chair of the Commission on Missions, and Choirs of the Commission on Health. In 1996, he served as the Chair of the Election Commission while leading the 13th Episcopal District in hosting the General Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
Bishop Byrd was recognized for many accomplishments; among the most notable were the Medallion and Proclamation awarded him in 1966 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, giving him the distinction of being an honorary member of the British Empire. The honor was bestowed for his role in quelling a period of civil unrest on the island of Bermuda between the Electricians’ Union and the Bermuda Electric Company.
Bishop Byrd loved young people and in 1993, while serving as the President of the Council of Bishops, he was honored with an invitation to join Pope John Paul at the gathering of Catholic young people from around the world in Denver, Colorado.
Bishop Byrd received numerous honorary doctorates from institutions of higher learning, including Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio and the B. F. Lee Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, Florida. He held memberships in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Grand Lodge of Somerset (Masons).
Bishop Byrd was given numerous honors and awards and was privileged to be in the company of kings and queens, yet he never lost the common touch because he understood that he, and others, were children of the Most High King and he understood that prayer changed things. He understood the power and love of Christ.
Bishop Byrd’s homegoing was a testimony of the life that he lived, which was acknowledged by speaker after speaker. All of them acknowledged his commitment to ministry and dedication to evangelism. Almost all of those who paid tribute to Bishop Byrd recalled that he had said again and again, “Unless souls are saved, nothing will be saved.” He believed in the power of preaching and was often called upon to lead revivals.
Bishop Byrd was not only was he man of faith, but he was a man who had a sense of humor. Bishop John R. Bryant, related that Bishop Byrd’s version of the children’s prayer, was, “Now, I lay me down to sleep, if I should die before I wake; wake me up!” When Bishop Bryant was 14-years-old he recalls that Bishop Byrd preached a sermon entitled, “Say Goodbye to the Pigs,” and went on to say that would never forget that sermon
Twenty-two active and retired bishops were present at Bishop Byrd’s homegoing: Bishops John R. Bryant, C. Garnett Henning, Adam J. Richardson, Richard F. Norris, Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Gregory G.M. Ingram, Preston W. Williams II, James L. Davis, David R. Daniels, Jeffrey Leath, Julius McAllister, John White; retired Bishops: John Adams, Richard Allen Hildebrand, Frederick H. Talbot, Frederick C. James, Frank C. Cummings, Henry A. Belin, Jr., Richard Allen Chappelle, Sr., Robert V. Webster, and Z. L. Grady.
Eight of the nine active General Officers were present: Drs. Dennis C. Dickerson, Richard Lewis, Clement W. Fugh, Johnny Barbour, Jr., George F. Flowers, James C. Wade, Daryl B. Ingram, Calvin H. Sydnor III; and retired General Officer, Kenneth Hill.
Active and former Episcopal Supervisors present were Mrs. Connie Richardson, Mrs. Mary Norris, Mrs. Joan McAllister, Mrs. Lola Nixon Cheltenham, Dr. Dolly Adams, Mrs. Z. Hildebrand, Dr. Sylvia Talbot, Dr. Theresa James, Mrs. Carrie Grady, and Mrs. Yvonne Henning Parks.
The Rev. Dr. Charlotte B. Sydnor, the wife of General Officer Calvin H. Sydnor III and pastor of Shorter Chapel AME Church in Franklin, Tennessee also attended the celebration.
Among the Connectional Officers present were: Dr. Jamesina Evans, President of the WMS and Dr. Jessie Burns, President of the Connectional Lay Organization.
Presiding elders, pastors, laity, young and old assembled to celebrate the ministry of the Right Rev. Vernon R. Byrd, Sr.
Bishop Byrd’s last words were, “I am alright, thank you.”
Bishop Byrd's favorite poem:
I Saw God Wash the World
By William Stidgner
I saw God wash the world last night
With His sweet showers on high;
And then when morning came
I saw him hang it out to dry.
He washed each slender blade of grass
And every trembling tree;
He flung his showers against the hills
And swept the rolling sea.
The white rose is a deeper white;
The red, a richer red
Since Gold washed every fragrant face
And put them all to bed.
There's not a bird, there's not a bee
That wings along the way,
But is a cleaner bird and bee
Than it was yesterday.
I saw God wash the world last night;
Ah, would He had washed me
As clean of all my dust and dirt
As that old white birch tree!
Editor’s Note: The information in this article was gleaned from the worship bulletin of the Service of Thanksgiving of the Life and Legacy of Bishop Vernon Randolph Byrd, Sr.
2. READER RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL AND OTHER ISSUES:
- To the Editor:
RE: On the Frontiers of Polity: Co-Pastors in the AME Church by John Thomas III
John Thomas III certainly does his research thoroughly, and ends up posing many questions. What I'd like to see is if there is a need for something to be changed, and then change it in the proper, official way so that everyone can be on the same page. I was not aware that some Bishops actually appoint co-pastors or assistant pastors. If we are to be a connectional church, how can some do that without the rule being changed and clarified? I'd like them to handle it in the proper way. Change it, notify everyone involved, and proceed in an orderly manner.
Mrs. Jeanette T. Johns
Editor's Note: Jeanette T. Johns is the author, The Upward Journey - A Centenarian's Chronicle Personal Stories of Bishop Decatur Ward Nichols Reverend Clergyman of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Upward Journey can be purchased online from the AME Sunday School Union Website: http://amecpublishinghouse.com
- To the Editor:
RE: Letter to the Editor (Ora Washington) and On the Frontiers of Polity: Co-pastors in the AME Church by John Thomas III
I believe Ora Washington is on to something. Thank John Thomas for his info on the subject of co-pastors. It is time we clear up that matter since it's been one for so long. What about associates that "senior" pastors appoint; neither assistants nor associates are in the Discipline, right? I only remember an assistant pastor once and he was appointed by the Bishop.
Name Withheld by request
- To the Editor:
I am at my wits end over AME pastors and officers non-adherence to The Discipline. At the 2008 General Conference there were several pieces of legislation that passed that had to do with the local church, to which some pastors and officers have no knowledge of; and they have not complied with the changes.
To name a few:
1) The requirement to obtain a candidates’ signature before placing them on the ballot for election as a Trustee.
2) The delegate to the Annual Conference is to be elected.
3) There is a new Health Commission in the local church.
4) There are revised guidelines for Duties of Stewardesses.
None of the changes has been implemented at my church.
How, on earth, can our church keep up with the changes if the pastors do not implement them, or simply ignore them? What are teaching our young people?
I am a member of the organized Lay Organization and have been told by our Conference Director of Lay Activities that The Discipline is the law of the AME Church.
Who is responsible for implementing the changes enacted at the General Conference?
Name Withheld
3. NEW ORLEANS IS ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL BOARD AND THE BISHOPS’ COUNCIL:
The exciting, exuberant, Eighth Episcopal District, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church to host General Board and Council of Bishops meeting, in New Orleans. The right reverend Carolyn Tyler Guidry, presiding bishop and Mrs. Lola Nixon Cheltenham, Episcopal Supervisor.
The meeting will take place June 23rd – 25th, 2009 and will be hosted at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, (504) 525-2500 (Reservations: Call (888) 627-7033 and mention the AME Church).
The highlight of this meeting is the Investiture Banquet, Tuesday, June 23rd at 7:00 p.m., where Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry will be installed as President of the Bishop’s Council. Come witness the unique festivities of the banquet, commencing with the parade of Bishops and General Officers, interweaving African heritage and a dash of New Orleans culture. Special Guests Tonea Stewart, best known for her starring role, In the Heat of the Night and Rob Jay of WLBT 3 News, will also partake in this grand celebration. “Remembering the Past, Honoring the Present, Celebrating the Future: An Incredible Call Comes Full Circle”.
The Investiture Committee invites you to support the installation of our beloved Bishop and district on this rare occasion. We are offering package pricing, which can include: banquet tickets; vending and/or exhibitors space; advertisement in ad booklet; corporate sponsorship, as well as an opportunity to parade with the Bishops and General Officers, during banquet festivities. For additional information on the Souvenir Journal, Vending/Exhibit Application and corporate sponsorship; contact the 8th Episcopal District office at (601) 366-8240 and speak with Celestine Palmer or the Rev. Michele Goodloe; all forms can be downloaded at www.8thdistrictamec.com
Truly God has blessed the African Methodist Episcopal Church. It is the first and oldest black religious denomination. The Right Reverend Richard Allen was the first elected and consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Currently the AMEC is comprised of 20 Episcopal Districts and serves North America, South America, Europe, the Caribbean Islands, India and African Continent.
4. THE VIRGINIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY:
To Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, the presiding prelate of the Second Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, to Connie Speights Richardson, our beloved Episcopal Supervisor, Host Presiding Elder Chester W. Morris and Associate Presiding Elder William A. Dyson, Sr., to all the clergy and laypersons assembled, your Committee on the State of the Country presents the following report to the One-Hundred-and- Forty-third Session of the Virginia Annual Conference in the year of our Lord, 2009.
Nature, scope and task
The task before our committee has challenged us to exercise the utmost caution to highlight the matters that demand the greatest attention from our republic, its leaders and citizens alike. The national election in November of 2008 was as significant a moment in the entire history of our country as any after the founding of the country in the late 18th century and its rebirth following the Civil War a little more than half a century later. For those of us who witnessed it that chilly but sun kissed day at Mid-January, the oath of office taken by our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama, will often be recalled as a moment of singular civic ecstasy. From the Lincoln Memorial, throughout the whole length of the National Mall, even to the very steps of the Capitol building, the sense of common purpose and the feeling of universal joy saturated every living being. People smiled beatifically at one another in a shared and unspoken understanding that somehow we had managed to make our electoral process work on behalf of our tortured history and an alienated world. The day’s celebrations concluded the difficulties of governing commenced with a near fever pitch as one interlinked national problem after another obsessed the new administration. Our report then is less about the fulfillment of our nation’s political and spiritual principles in the election of the first African American President. We reference instead our nagging worries over health care, our worsening infrastructure, our depressed and ineffective public schools, the prosecution of two interminable wars, the disenfranchisement of ex-convicts and the devastating international consequences of our debilitated economy. And yet, our major emphasis and focus lies beyond all of these. It is the emergent debate that threatens to swamp all other considerations because what is at stake in that debate and discourse is the very soul and conscience of the nation, a nation that prides itself on the rule of law and its obedience to the highest moral precepts regarding justice and liberty.
Process and data gathering
The deep irony of data gathering is that the very practices that have appeared to us most questionable are themselves the sources of the data we require for critique and the formulation of strategies for resolution. Contractors who utilized cheaper building materials for capitol projects in order to expand their profit margins are exposed by the premature collapse of those very materials in the bridges and highways they were used to construct. The failure of public schools is routinely reported by the school districts that bemoan falling graduation rates, declining scholastic achievement scores and the anomie of adolescents who commit school homicides from Columbine to Philadelphia. The graying of America has marched hand in hand with the ever-ballooning expense of health care. Every pastor in every church knows somebody whose life’s savings is quickly expended for the slimmest cost of the care necessary to maintain a robustly healthy life at any age. Likewise, each of us has first hand experience counseling, praying and commiserating with those whose life chances have undergone critical reductions as jobs become scarcer and hopes of employment become dimmer because the current economic recession seems to reel in the direction of catastrophic depression. Added to this is the daily report only a fool would ignore to hear of the mounting cost of war on two fronts with an enemy too easily concealed in a terrain and a culture we know too little about. From CNN to the BBC to the Times of New York and London to Le Monde of Paris and Der Spiegel in Berlin, an international network of journalists and opinion makers keeps us apprised of these events as they unfold. Historians, political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers and theologians along with World Development organizations equip us for the more urgent analyses that free thinking men and women must perform if they would set right what has gone awry.
Findings
We have become increasingly alarmed by recent memos that have been released by the government indicating the complicity of elected officials and operatives from the previous administration condoning “enhanced interrogation procedures,” a thinly veiled euphemism for torture. Indeed, the former Vice President of these United States, Dick Cheney, has not been able to curtail his boasts that approval of these “procedures” entailed the greater safety of the country following 9/11. In a logic nearly as tortured as the detainees who were inhumanely subjected to water-boarding, Cheney adheres to a position which an enlightened history and a searching moral reflection has condemned at least since the time of the Spanish Inquisition; the ends, however honorable, that employ such means are perversely bankrupted by those same means. Worse still is the convicting testimony of distinguished officers of our Armed Forces who have said that the order to sustain these methods continued to thread its way along the chain of command long after any such information conceived to be useful had been elicited from the detainees. In that case torture was not only the means but the end as well, torture for torture’s sake.
Meanwhile, the hearings that loom in order to discover the persons responsible for authorizing criminal acts of torture have precipitated disquiet and foreboding on the right. They assert that should these hearings be permitted to proceed they would threaten to forestall important initiatives on every front. What they really intend to say is that they would seek reprisals against the Obama administration by blocking its aims to secure national health care provisions, to reinvigorate the economy, to secure the promise of a college education for our children and to reverse the enervating entropy of our infrastructure. Their remedy is to hold the public good hostage rather than suffer greater damage to the dwindling prestige of conservative policies, surprisingly and shockingly, policies that include apologies for torture. In a transparent fit of sophistry these folks argue that hearings aimed at uncovering the truth about torture, when, where and by whom and on whose authority, would unnecessarily embroil the Obama Presidency in a “distraction” as though torture was not a matter of illegality prosecutable under the law, a law that Obama swore as wielder of executive power to uphold on that cold January day when the capitol building, the temple for the legislation of just and equitable law, glistened in the inextinguishable light of the sun. We should know because some of us were there.
Goals and objectives
Our committee would propose the following goals for our nation’s people of faith, only slightly amended from last year’s report.
- The recollection of religious duty as distinct from but critical for the proper exercise of civic duty
- The vigilant and thoughtful consideration of what our faith requires for the sake of God’s will
- The prescience of the prophets to alert the nation’s leaders to the all consuming disaster that is the consequence of ignoring moral duty
- The unstinting support of those government aims by which the nation’s welfare is ameliorated
- The broadening of public discourse beyond the inane and counterproductive ranting of radio and television talk show hosts on either the right or the left
- To continue our aggressive pursuit of the restoration of voting rights to those whose release from prison in the Commonwealth of Virginia and elsewhere among the states should signify they had settled their debt to society
- To raise our faith above the vicious jingoism that pits one form of belief against the other in a manner that annihilates all faiths
Recommendations
Our committee recommends the church speak boldly to the license committed in the sanctioning of torture by our national leaders, whether past or present; to hold the present administration accountable for its moral lapse if it should decide that what is politically expedient is more important than what is right in the sight of God; that we lift the clarion call for righteousness above the din of unthinking patriotism; that the church founded by Jesus Christ and washed in his blood be the force for peace it was called to be; that we join with people and organizations of like mind to strengthen the voice for the cause of “the Kingdom.”
The church has always had an ambivalent relationship with our polity but it can never pretend that its core beliefs and values should not frame the political decisions we reach for the sake of our children’s prosperity and our interdependence with the welfare of other peoples of the world. From Pyongyang to Islamabad, from Rwanda to Venezuela, and from Afghanistan to Cuba we should marshal all the power of our faith well lived to renew the better nature of our people as a promise for sustainable relations of mutual regard.
But first our prison houses must be undefiled. Our treatment of prisoners should insist upon the rules governing just nations everywhere and in accord with agreed upon principles of right conduct. Let us promote our nation’s adherence to the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
1. Let us urge her to the solemn honoring of her commitment to act upon the accords expressed in the Geneva Convention.
2. Let us insist she bring her actions into agreement with the letter and spirit of her own Constitution.
3. Finally, let the word of God call us from the heart of darkness and the pit of chaos to the uplands of his sublime and radiant realm. Then could we rightly sing, “Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.”
Respectfully submitted
The members of the Committee on the State of the Country:
The Rev. Edward A. Scott, the Rev. Ruby Brown, the Rev. Debbie Bryant, the Rev. Billy Hunter, the Rev. Eboni B. Kearney, the Rev. Gwendolyn Minor, the Rev. Earl Morris, the Rev. Glenn Orr, the Rev. John Swann, and the Rev. Willie L. White.
Delegates
Brother John Burke, Sister Barbara Hubbard, Sister Shermita Jordan, Sister Ebyleam Smith, Sister Matilda Watson, and Sister Connie Whitfield
5. PASTORAL RETIREMENT OF THE HON. REV. DR. HENDRIK WITBOOI:
The joy of serving the Lord Jesus is always my source of strength.
This missive serves to update the presiding elders, pastors, officers and members on the provisional arrangements concerning the pastoral retirement of Hon. Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi following the initial discussions amongst the presiding elders and with Rev. A B Sauerwein, Director of the Conference Board of Christian Education, and last night’s brief discussions with the retiree.
The sacrifices of love and living legacy of Hon. Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi call for extraordinary arrangements to mark his retirement. This missive is not the appropriate platform to narrate his colourful pastoral ministry and community service, but is meant simply to abreast and to sensitize the constituency of African Methodism of the envisaged retirement celebrations.
Retirement Choral Celebration
Your Presiding Elders proposed to the BoCE and our Bishop to have the Choral Celebration in Honour of the Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi on Tuesday, 1 April 2009 at 19h00. We are calling upon Reverends Albert E Biwa, Penias E Topnaar, Angelica B Sauerwein, Brother Charles Pieters and Mrs. Katherine E /Goagoseb to assist us in the preparation and actual celebrations of the event itself. This Organising Committee is free to delegate and/or create sub-committees to deal with select aspects of the daunting task at hand. The Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi is currently revisiting all choral pieces he had penned and wishes all local churches to be issued with copies of about 2-3 choral pieces which will be rehearsed and sung be all church choirs en mass at the Choral Celebration. And we are also asking all local churches to bring your official uniform and to perform at least one choral piece of your choice.
In this ceremony, we also envisage to entertain some speakers from within and without the AME Church to pay tributes (maximum 5 minutes) in between the performance. We must, however, caution that we do not intend and we will not tolerate lowering the quality of this Celebration by expanding it beyond the scope we envision at this stage. This activity is meant for the man on the street, the ordinary member, to collectively give manifestation, through music, of our appreciation for the labours of the retiree. Thus, we want to, in advance, protect the persons we are entrusting this assignment with, and we are calling upon our people not to make unreasonable requests to the Organising Committee and also for the Organising Committee to try and meet everyone halfway. The latter represents the spirit of the Honorable Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi who, all of his life, has reconciled differing positions in our conference and nation, and he has proven himself as “a people’s person.” Without fear or favour, let everyone feel welcomed and embraced, and let’s celebrate together, for the common good of our people and for the retiree to see that we are unified when his active ministry comes to the end of the road. That is our plea!
Retirement Ceremony
The formal retirement ceremony is provisionally scheduled to take place on Saturday, 5 September 2009 at 11h00, as part of the Ordination Service. There will be three speakers only, namely Bishop Wilfred J Messiah on behalf of AME Church, the Rev. Willem Simon Hanse giving Statement of Achievements and the Honorable Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi giving the Vote of Thanks. We are only going to accommodate St. Mark AME Church Choir and the Honorable Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi (or his special group) to give choral performance in the retirement ceremony to be concluded with the Conference Mass Choir. The Bishop is, however, free as our prelate the prerogative to direct and allow more choirs in the Ordination Service as the Spirit leads him, but we are specifically referring to the formal retirement part of Ordination Service.
It is a known fact that the Honorable Rev. Dr. Hendrik Witbooi belongs to the founding fathers who has served without earning a dime in the AME Church. He, rather, belongs to the rare breed of clergy who’d rather take and use personal and family funds to avoid incomplete or half pastoral reports at Conferences. Having watched him in action, we can agree that he belong to the prophetic tradition of Elijah and Elizah, for his pastoral ministry was both an inheritance and a calling to serve Christ, Church and Community. Against this background, we are calling upon every pastor and church to lift a special offering in our local churches and to bring that along to in order to be placed in the retirement offering during the retirement ceremony.
In conclusion, kindly please be informed that we are also going to extend invitations to community, church and national leaders to attend the retirement ceremony and we envisage for them to be entertained after the ceremony. But we also want to entertain the people and this is going to be a costly affair. Against this background, the Organising Committee is asked to present and brief the Conference Preparatory Meeting, which is scheduled to take place at the Ebenezer AME Church on Saturday, 11 July 2009 on the financial and material needs of this feast. This way, we can consider making early appeals for funding and donations – the early bird catches the fattest worm!
We trust the information shared herein helps our people to better understand the minds of your leadership and the retiree, and that all of us will help this process by opening up lines of communication. It is better to know what is being planned, and make your humble contribution of thought on time, than to wait until the last minute and try and do things on ad hoc basis.
On this note, please accept the renewed assurances of our highest consideration and appreciation for your presence, witness and ministry as part of the AME Church.
The Rev. Dr. Andreas Biwa, Presiding Elder
Conference Coordinator
ZTT AME Church
P O Box 525
Keetmanshoop
Tel / Fax 063-22 3026
081 213 2394
6. WOMEN IN MINISTRY -- ST. PAUL MINNEAPOLIS DISTRICT:
*By Charles Hallman
The African Methodist Episcopal Church long has been a trailblazer in recognizing that both men and women can preach the Gospel.
“This is God’s mandate,” St. Paul Minneapolis District Presiding Elder Rev. Alphonse Reff, Sr. easily points out. “The AME Church always has endorsed women in ministry.”
Women long have demonstrated their leadership abilities, says Reff. “Some of our greatest pastors are (women), doing outstanding jobs as presiding elders, presidents of our colleges and universities, and making an impact as theologians.”
On female ministers, “We should encourage them more and more,” says Reff. Not only that, but also the presiding elder has females in top leadership roles in his district: “I encourage my women in ministry on this district to move forward under the mandate of God.”
“We get a chance to grow because we get to utilize our talents,” says Rev. Janet Johnson (Wayman, Minneapolis), who is the district’s Christian Education director. “We hold positions at the district level and in our churches because it is promoted from the leadership,” adding that she doesn’t sense this from other female ministers that they are similarly involved in their respective districts, she surmises.
Additionally, three of the 10 licensed women ministers in the district are pastors.
The Rev. Marchelle Hallman (St. James, Minneapolis) is the first female pastor in the district to lead two churches, both in Minnesota. “I was ordained in 1987 and was appointed to St. Mark’s in Duluth in 1989. I became the first woman appointed as a pastor in the state of Minnesota for the African Methodist Episcopal Church.” This historic feat “has given me the opportunity to be a role model and a supporter of other women as they come into the ministry,” she duly notes.
The Bible prominently features women in key roles, adds the Rev. Denita Williams (Payne Memorial, Waterloo, Iowa). “It breaks my heart that we believe these things but we don’t act upon it,” she says on the sometimes resistance she and her fellow compatriots encounter as women ministers. “It breaks my heart to see the dichotomy of it, of such that there is no budging or yielding, no willing to see what the Scriptures say.”
Williams is the second female to be twice named pastor: she is now at Payne Memorial in Waterloo, Iowa after serving in the same capacity at St. Mark’s in Duluth, Minnesota. “I’m the first female pastor at Payne, and I thank God for the movement of His hand in my ministry and bringing me here,” Williams admits.
The Rev. Stacey Smith was named to succeed Williams at St. Mark’s, Duluth.
“I left corporate America, quit a great job and went forward because I was called to do something,” she says proudly. “People call me crazy to do that, but I would be crazy not to do it.
“I’m excited to be in the ministry, to be pastoring a church,” adds Smith.
Presiding Elder Reff “is bold enough” to allow his women ministers to grow and succeed, says the Rev. Tracey Gibson (Wayman, Minneapolis), Women in Ministry district director. She is one of three females on the Wayman ministry staff, where Reff also serves as pastor. “He allows us to use the 8:00 service (on Sundays) for teaching so that when we get a church, we will know how to run a service (and) preach the message,” explains Gibson.
Yet despite their prominence, these women ministers all say that they still must battle the nay-sayers from time to time.
“Even though the leadership promotes it,” Johnson says, “We still have people in the congregation who don’t believe in women in the ministry.”
“It is really difficult for women and men to accept a women pastor,” continues Hallman. “That’s the biggest obstacle, to change people’s mindsets that women can be leaders. When a male pastor gets angry and makes a strong point, he’s taking leadership; if I do it, then I am wild and angry.”
Smith reveals, “Sometimes it is a shock to women – that sometimes throw me off because you would think that women would receive you, but yet they are conditioned as well to accept a man more readily than a woman. We’re here serving God – He doesn’t look at gender. We are His children and that is how people should look at us.”
The Rev. Shara Adderley (Payne Memorial, Waterloo) quickly warns female ministers against using their pulpit and leadership positions to promote themselves. “If we feel that we’ve arrived, that will be a big mistake, a huge mistake because we still have a lot to learn,” she believes.
Finally, “If we can say that God is no respect of person, then we should not question what God can do,” says Reff. “He will call who He wants to call.”
“We have a unique opportunity to set the tone for other districts,” concludes Hallman.
*By Charles Hallman is the St. Paul Minneapolis District Reporter
7. THE 3RD EPISCOPAL DISTRICT M-SWAWO-PLUS-PKS ASSEMBLED AT THE 2009 MID-YEAR CONVOCATION IN COLUMBUS, OHIO:
*Mrs. Barbara Thompson
During the 2009 Mid-Year Convocation convened by the Right Reverend C. Garnett Henning, Sr., Presiding Prelate, the Third Episcopal District M-SWAWO plus PKs, led by newly elected President, Mrs. Judy Williams held their first Mid-Year Convocation luncheon on Friday, March 27, 2009, at St. Paul AME Church, in Columbus, Ohio. The forty ministers’ spouses in attendance were warmly greeted by our hostess and St. Paul’s first lady, Mrs. Canise Bean. The Episcopal District was also delighted to have in our presence two of our beloved leaders: Episcopal Supervisor, Mrs. Ernestine Lee Henning and Connectional President, Mrs. Fredia Hanley-Johnson, who graciously traveled from the Twelfth Episcopal District to (meet and greet with these spouses).
The luncheon was dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Mary Porter, a long-time member and widow from the South Ohio Conference, who made her transition to Glory on March 15, 2009.
The luncheon theme, “Uniting, Supporting and Empowering Clergy Families for the Journey,” set the stage for uplifting worship; great fellowship time, with ice breakers that allowed everyone an opportunity to learn more about each other, and a meal most certainly fit for royalty! Mrs Hanley-Johnson captivated the spouses with her President’s Message. Every spouse in attendance was asked to view the Organization as a network/support system for those families who serve the church in the preaching/pastoral ministry. She stated “that we as spouses serve in the most important role in the Pastoral ministry as Spouses – “their Support System”.
The event culminated with final words to the enthusiastic group by Supervisor Henning. She thanked Mrs. Hanley-Johnson for taking time out of her busy schedule to join the Third District Spouses. Supervisor Henning appealed to the spouses to always be mindful of the widows and widowers and to forever support and love one another.
All agreed that the gathering was a huge success. The spouses look forward to the next event with great expectation. Our very capable president, Mrs. Williams expressed her gratitude to everyone who assisted with the luncheon and stated that she looked forward to the many other opportunities to serve in the Third Episcopal District. On behalf of all the other spouses, we can proudly say that we look forward to following our leader to new and higher heights!
*Mrs. Barbara Thompson is the Recording/Correspondence Secretary, Brown Chapel AME Church, Pittsburgh, Penna.
8. FAME, LAS VEGAS, BY FAITH, COMPLETES THE TASK:
*Glenda Logan Osby
First African Methodist Episcopal Church –43rd Year Church Anniversary – Building Dedication and Cornerstone Laying Service -
A Day of Rejoicing ... We’ve Come this Far by Faith (Hebrews 11:1).
First AME Church, Las Vegas, Nevada was founded in 1966 and has grown through the years and found the physical facility “bursting” at the seams. In 2003 with the arrival of Rev. Dr. Ralph E. Williamson, FAME began a journey as he challenged the members to “catch the vision” of a new facility to serve the congregation and community. Now, just six years later FAME Church was celebrating its 43rd year anniversary with the Dedication and Cornerstone Laying of its new house of worship.
In Rev. Dr. Williamson’s words, “It is no secret what God can and will do through those who are willing and committed to giving the best of their service.” The results of this were demonstrated by the members of FAME as we gathered and celebrated the dedication and laying of the corner stone on Sunday, April 26, 2009 with Bishop T. Larry Kirkland preaching and dedicating our new church.”
The dedication service began with the processional led by Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, Presiding Prelate of the Fifth Episcopal District of the AME Church and the Rev. Dr. Ralph E. Williamson, FAME Pastor.
Pulpit participants followed: the Rev. Dr. James Wade, Executive Director, Dept. of Church Growth and Development; Presiding Elder Jewel B. Dewitty (Retired); the Rev. Camille Crawford, FAME ministerial staff; the Rev. Willie Adams, Fountain of Hope AME Church, Henderson; the Rev. James Gibson, ministerial staff, Fountain of Hope AME Church; the Rev. Emanuel Wasson, Holy Trinity AME Church; the Rev. Mark Whitlock, Christ Our Redeemer AME Church, Irvine, Calif.; the Rev. Camille Patton, senior pastor, Heritage United Methodist Church, Las Vegas; and the Rev. Jesse Brown , Jr., Payne Chapel AME Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Bishop Kirkland’s sermon topic was, “A Church to Be Proud Of” taken from II Thessalonians 1:1-4. He emphasized that the building was a state-of-the-art structure but a church to be proud of would be reflected in what the members did to transform the community.
Rev. Williamson acknowledged FAME’s many community partners for this project: Greg Korte (Korte Construction), JVC Architects, Neil Westphall (Project Manager), Jerrie Merritt, (Bank of Nevada Executive VP), Lois Green (Community Liaison), and Attorney Carl Armstrong. The 2008-2009 FAME Officers and the FAME Steering Committee were also recognized.
Harry Reid, US Senate Majority Leader, via video, began the community proclamations followed by Steven Horsford, Nevada State Senator, William Robinson, North Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem, and Attorney Marsha Kimble Simms. Also, in attendance were representatives from Commissioner Larry Weekly, Senator Harry Reid, and Congresswoman Shelley Berkeley’s offices. The final letter of recognition read by program chairperson, Glenda Sargent, was from President of the United States Barack Obama.
It was now time for the cornerstone laying ceremony. The cornerstone which is placed on the outside of a building is a ceremonial masonry stone and an important component of western architecture. FAME’s cornerstone is inscribed “Dedicated April 26, 2009 - Theodore Larry Kirkland, Bishop; Dr. Howard S. Gloyd, Presiding Elder; the Rev. Dr. Ralph E. Williamson, Pastor; Trustees: Loretta Poole, Wardie Clark, Harry Jackson, Rod Davis, Mildred Robinson, Randy Crawford, and Michael Adams.
After the consecration of the cornerstone by Bishop Kirkland, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Nevada proceeded to test the cornerstone with Square, Level and Plumb tools before anointing it with corn, symbolic of plenty, with wine, symbolic of gladness, and with oil symbolic of peace and joy. After affirming that the cornerstone passed all quality review tests and with the assistance of Bishop Kirkland, the Rev. Williamson and ministerial guests; the cornerstone was then laid in the foundation of the building.
Reflecting on the work done, work been done, and the work to come, the Rev. Dr. Williamson concluded, “As we celebrate 43 years of faithful service giving glory and honor to God we will continue to focus on our 2009 theme Chosen to Serve: Enhancing the Kingdom of God (Matthew 9:3) .
*Glenda Logan Osby is the FAME Director of Christian Education
9. TURNER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY LUNCHEON BREAKFAST IN NEW ORLEANS:
General Board & Council of Bishops
Turner Theological Seminary Alumni Breakfast
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
June 24th 2009, 6:30 a.m.
Guest Speaker
Bishop McKinley Young
10. FROM FAME TO SHAME:
*The Rev. N. T. Pitts
Over the last several years we have experienced far too many of those who have made it to the zenith of the popularity chart and into the annals of fame; fall to shame, especially in the field of sports, politics and religion. They have brought shame and embarrassment upon themselves and their families; to those who so admire them; and especially the young people who idolize and desire to be like them.
People like O. J. Simpson, MT, MJ, CB, MV and others have fallen to shame and those who scramble and push to get their autographs and to those who wear the jersey numbers of their idols and to those who desire to be like them, are left empty and bewildered.
Far too often our youth look to them, who are in the lime light, as role-models and that is a tragic mistake. Their hearts are broken and their ambitions are stymied as a result of the conduct of those "famous" people.
What is it? What happens to those who reach the top of their profession and gain the attention of so many? What goes on in their mind?
It takes maturity to maintain a stable posture in the midst of such popularity.
Is fame intoxicating? Does fame make us lose our sensibility and responsibility to those who admire and adore us? Is it difficult to be humble when we are propelled into the light of fame?
There are those of us who, after having the privilege of adding some letters of the alphabet behind our name, become obnoxious and untouchable and feel that we can do no wrong.
King Nebuchadnezzar fell to shame when he became obsessed with his accomplishments and power. He went from the palace to the pasture. He went from greatness to grass. He went from honor to a hermit.
Jezebel, with all of her "glory" and power died a shameful death being eaten by dogs in the streets.
We all must realize that we always fall faster than we rise. And the 'comeback" road is harder and sometimes never.
We have had religious leaders who became famous in their own right; fall to shame.
Fame is not for everyone. People become famous because other people make them famous. But there is a price we pay when we lose our sensibility.
I invite you to read the following:
Luke 6:26
Luke 14:11
Romans 12:3
*The Rev. N. T. Pitts is a retired AME pastor who resides in Eatonville, Florida
11. CLERGY FAMILY CONGRATULATORY NOTICES:
- Congratulations to the Rev. Valerie Eugenia Kendrick Cousin. The Rev. Valerie Cousin was ordained an Itinerant Elder on April 25, 2009 during the New York Annual Conference. She will graduate from Union Theological Seminary with her Master of Divinity degree in preaching and worship on May 22, 2009.
Rev. Valerie was selected as a Fellow with Faithfuldemocrats.com and she was also selected by her seminary to serve as a panelist for the Christian-Jewish Institute at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.
She was recently awarded a second grant through the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. The first grant was received in 2007 and the second grant was received in May, 2009.
She is married to the Rev. David B. Cousin, Sr., senior pastor of Bridge Street AME Church, Brooklyn, NY. They are the proud parents of David, Jr. (25) and Matthew Joseph, (16).
Congratulatory responses may be sent to:
The Rev. Valerie E. Cousin: revvalcousin@aol.com
The Rev. David B. Cousin, Sr.: pastorcousin@aol.com
- Congratulations to the Rev. Carey G. Anderson, Pastor of First AME Church, Seattle, Washington. Pastor Anderson will receive his Doctor of Ministry degree from The Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday May 15, 2009. Pastor Anderson's dissertation title: Towards a New Ministry of Care to Those Living with HIV/AIDS: An African American Model through an AIDS Care Team. !!!
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to: pastorcarey@aol.com
- Congratulations to the Rev. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., pastor of Bethel AME Church, St. George, S.C. Pastor Watkins will receive his Doctor of Ministry degree from The Theological School of Drew University, Madison, New Jersey on Saturday, May 16, 2009. Pastor Watkins’ dissertation title: A Ministry of Reconnection by Reviving the Class Leader System in the Local Church, “Empowering God’s People for Service and Leadership through Divine Vision”.
Congratulations can be offered at:
RevWatkins@bethelstgeorgeame.org or by mail: Bethel AME Church, 5585 Memorial Blvd, P.O. Box 275, St. George, S.C. 29477.
- The Rev. Lillian Frey received her Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Tennessee State University on Saturday, May 9, 2009. Commencement Exercises was held in the Gentry Center Complex - Tennessee State University.
The Rev. Lillian Frey is the wife of the Rev. Nathan Frey, Pastor of Woodfork Chapel AME Church, Shelbyville, Tennessee.
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to: revs37160@bellsouth.net or sent by mail to: 735 North 9th Street, Nashville, TN 37206.
- William Corey Stovall, son of the Rev. Dr. V. Cora Stovall, pastor of Mulberry Circuit in the East Tennessee Annual Conference and the late William Daniel Stovall, Jr. received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance on May 3, 2009 at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
- Wesley Stovall, the son of the Rev. Dr. V. Cora Stovall, pastor of Mulberry Circuit in the East Tennessee Annual Conference and the late William Daniel Stovall, Jr. has become a member of the Black Scholars at the University of Memphis. A grade point average of 3.0 or better is required for membership. Wesley has also become a member of the NASC Honor Society through the University of Memphis.
Congratulatory responses to William and Wesley Stovall can be emailed to: funnyeyez@hotmail.com
- The Rev. and Mrs. Timothy Cokley (Cynthia), first family of Allen Chapel AMEC, Sumter, South Carolina, proudly announce the graduation of their son, Timothy Charles Cokley, from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday, May 3, 2009. Timothy Charles received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts. His specific area of concentration is graphic design. He was featured in a television interview following the commencement ceremony.
Congratulatory messages can be sent to ctt5@aol.com
- The Rev. Nathan A. Dixon, pastor of Trinity AME Church, Lansing, Michigan received the Doctor of Ministry Degree from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University on Saturday, May 9, 2009, at the 110th Commencement Exercise of Virginia Union University, the Rt. Rev. Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Prelate of the 13th Episcopal District, received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree.
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to Bishop Vashti Murphy: kergyma00@aol.com
- Congratulations to the Rev. Michael A. Cousin and to the Rev. Steven A. Cousin, Jr. The Cousin family is blessed to announce the graduation of two members of their family.
First, the Rev. Michael A. Cousin, pastor of St. Stephen AME Church in Detroit, Michigan will receive his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary on May 15, 2009 in Evanston, Illinois. The subject of his dissertation was "Passing the Baton and Letting it go: Creating Leadership Transition in a Traditional AME Church Congregation.” Rev. Cousin is married to Mrs. Marcy G. Cousin and the proud father of two sons: Michael A. Cousin, Jr. - YPD President of the Fourth Episcopal District, and Timothy Charles Cousin. Rev. Cousin is the fourth son of Bishop Philip R. Cousin and Dr. Margaret Joan Cousin.
Congratulatory expressions can be emailed to: mcousin4@sbcglobal.net
Second, we are pleased to announce that the Rev. Steven A. Cousin, Jr. will graduate along with his uncle the Rev. Michael A. Cousin, on the same date and from the same institution. Steven A. Cousin, Jr. will have earned his Masters of Divinity from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He is the son of the Rev. Steven A. Cousin, presiding elder of the Kansas City District of the Midwest Conference, and Mrs. Sybil B. Henderson. Steven A. Cousin, Jr. is the grandson of Bishop and Mrs. Philip R. Cousin.
Congratulatory expressions can be emailed to: scousin@kcdministries.com
- Mrs. Yulise Reaves Waters, Esq., first lady of Joy Tabernacle AME Church in Dallas, Texas, successfully passed the Texas State Bar Examination on her first attempt and was sworn-in by the Texas Supreme Court on Monday, May 11, 2009 in Austin, Texas. Attorney Waters is a founding member and partner, along with mentor and leading Dallas attorney Gay G. Cox, of Cox Waters, PLLC, which specializes in family law, collaborative law, and mediation. Attorneys Waters and Cox are co-authors of the article “Penetrating the Walls: Overcoming Barriers to the Proliferation of Collaborative Practice in Underserved Communities,” published in the Collaborative Review (Winter 2008-2009). Attorney Waters has been named “One-to-Watch” by the SMU Magazine (Spring/Summer 2008) and as a “2008 Featured Graduate” of Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law (The Quad, Fall 2008). She is currently serving a third term as president of the North Texas Annual Conference Clergy Spouses’ Organization. Attorney Waters is married to the Rev. Michael W. Waters, founder and Senior Pastor of Joy Tabernacle. They are the proud parents of Michael Jeremiah (age 2), and the couple is expecting their second child this fall.
Congratulatory expressions can be emailed to yulisewaters@yahoo.com
- Congratulations to the Rev. Deborah L. Brooks, pastor of Bethel AME Church, Vauxhall, NJ. Pastor Brooks will receive her Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University School of Theology, Madison, New Jersey on May 16, 2009. Her doctoral dissertation is entitled, "Training Class Leaders."
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to: Revbrooks@verizon.net
- On Monday, May 11, 2009, Rev. Constance C. Wheeler, Pastor of Wayman Good Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church located in Severna Park, Maryland and the Protestant Chaplaincy Director at Georgetown University received her Doctor of Ministry Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. The commencement exercises were held at the Washington National Cathedral.
The Rev. Constance C. Wheeler’s doctoral track was “Preaching in the 21st Century.” Project Dissertation: Listening to Our Mothers: Preaching Pioneers in Ministry.
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to: revccw@aol.com
- Congratulations to the Reverend Charles A. Lewis, pastor of Historic Steward Chapel AME Church, Macon, Georgia who received his Master of Divinity from ITC, in Atlanta on May 2, 2009.
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to: pastorclewis45@yahoo.com
- The Rev. John C. and Mrs. Dejeonge A. Justice proudly announce the graduation of their daughter Kristin Dijon Justice from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans on May 9, 2009. Kristin Dijon received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a minor in African American Studies. The Rev. John C. Justice is the pastor of St. Mark in Cranford, New Jersey.
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to:
justice-kd@hotmail.com
dejeongeajustice@verizon.net
Or mailed to: PO Box 232 Cranford, New Jersey 07016.
- Carla Lorraine Bouie graduated with Honors from Hampton University, May 10, 2009, with a Bachelor of Science degree, with a concentration in Marketing. Carla is the daughter of Pastor Michael K. Bouie, of Mt. Hermon AME Church-Ft. Lauderdale and Barbara McNeely-Bouie.
You may send congratulations to Carla at carla.bouie@gmail.com
- Congratulations to Derek Andrew Griffin, son of the late Rev. Phillip Griffin (former pastor in the East Tennessee Conference) and Mrs. Doreen E. Griffin. Derek was the recipient of the East Tennessee Conference Lay Organization - Outstanding Young Adult Award, for his exemplary involvement and leadership in his church, Bethel AMEC, Chattanooga; and in the community. Derek was also, honored by being selected as the speaker for the city of Chattanooga M. L. King Day Youth Service, a citywide observance.
Derek will be graduating from East Ridge High School on Saturday May 16, 2009 at the Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tenn. He is an honor student and has been chosen as one of the speakers for the event. He will be attending the University of Tennessee in the fall.
Congratulatory responses can be emailed to: andreasgriff@yahoo.com
12. EPISCOPAL FAMILY SERVICE UPDATE:
Service arrangements for Mrs. Eunice Carol Johnson Smith, the mother of former Episcopal Supervisor, the Rev. Rosalynn K. Brookins, and the mother-in-law of Bishop H. Hartford Brookins:
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Viewing
5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Service:
11:00 a.m.
Douglass & Zook Mortuary
600 E. Foothill Blvd
Monrovia, California 91016
Phone: (626) 358-3244
FAX: (626) 303-2195
Condolences and expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
Bishop H. Hartford and the Rev. Rosalynn K. Brookins
3210 West Adams Blvd
Apt. 304
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Phone: (323) 719-6197
Email: RROSETHEQUEEN@aol.com
The family acknowledges with heartfelt appreciation the prayers and concerns offered during the illness and passing of their loved one.
13. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
It is with the deepest regrets that we announce the passing of the Rev. Henry Jackson. Rev. Jackson retired from active ministry while serving in the South Florida Conference. He is also the brother of Charles W. Jackson, Sr., Daytona Beach District Lay President of the Central Florida Conference.
Service arrangements for the Rev. Henry Jackson:
Wake and Masonic Rites:
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Friday, May 15, 2009
Greater Allen Chapel AME Church
2416 S. Lipscomb Street
Melbourne, FL 32901
Phone: 321-724-1557
The Rev. Joyce J. Moore, pastor
Homegoing Services:
11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 16, 2009
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
2729 Lipscomb Street
Melbourne, FL 32901
The Rev. Hartford Lee, Presiding Elder, North Orlando Conference, Eulogist
The Rev. Joyce J. Moore, Pastor Greater Allen AMEC, Officiating
Expressions can be sent to:
Mrs. Annie Jackson
3108 Swift Drive
Melbourne, Florida 32901
Mr. Charles W. Jackson, Sr.
808 Line Street
Melbourne, Florida 32901
Debra Taylor, Office Manager
11th Episcopal District
101 East Union Street
Suite 301
Jacksonville, FL 32202
904-355-8262
FAX: 904-356-1617
14. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to inform you of the passing of the Rev. Wilbur 'Larry' Lowe, Jr., the pastor of Mt. Zion AMEC, Southampton, Bermuda (East-West District). The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Public Viewing, Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
St. Paul AME Church Centennial Hall
Corner of Court & Vistoria Street
Hamilton, Bermuda
Office: 441-292-0505
Fax: 441-292-9247
The Rev. Lanel Guyton, Pastor
Viewing and Tribute Service, Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.
Mt. Zion AME Church
Whale Bay
Southampton, Bermuda
Office: 441-238-0284
Fax: 441-238-3278
All tributes will be given at this service.
Tributes may be faxed or sent to e-mail: mtzion@logic.bm
Funeral Service - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
National Sports Center
50 Frog Lane
Devonshire, Bermuda DV01
Bishop Richard F. Norris, Eulogist
Interment
Chapel of Ease Cemetery
Chapel of Ease Road
St. David's, Bermuda
Services entrusted to:
Amis Memorial Chapel
8 Khyber Pass
Warwick, Bermuda
Phone: 441-236-7455
Fax: 441-236-4845
Cell: 441-334-8484
Hotel Accommodations
Grotto Bay Beach Resort
11 Blue Hole Hill
Hamilton Parish, Bermuda
Phone: 441-293-8333 ext. 1905 - Mr. Clyde Darrell
Ask for: the AME Group Rate
$144.26 single
$154.46 double
Taxes are included
Stay dates are Sunday, May 17 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009
15. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We are saddened to share the passing of Mrs. Bestoria Brown, the mother of the Rev. Clarence "Jackie" Reynolds, presiding elder of the Camden/El Dorado District-Central Arkansas Annual Conference, 12th Episcopal District.
Funeral Arrangements for Mrs. Bestoria Brown are as follows:
Services: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 12:00 Noon
Ebenezer Primitive Baptist Church
401 Lacy Street
Hot Springs, AR
Services have been entrusted to:
Brandon's Mortuary
329 West 3rd Street
P.O. Box 612
Malvern, AR 72104
501-337-9171 (phone)
501-337-4580 (fax)
The Reynolds family may be contacted at:
3206 Highway 9
Carthage, AR 71725
870-254-2305 (phone)
16. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We are saddened to announce the passing of the Rev. Abraham Fuller of Eutawville, S.C. on Sunday evening, May 10th. The Rev. Abraham Fuller is the father-in-law of the Rev. Dr. Ann Lightner Fuller, pastor of Mt. Calvary AME Church - Towson, Maryland and the father of the Rev. Dr. Stanley Fuller.
Services for the Rev. Abraham Fuller of Eutawville will be held at Springfield Baptist Church Vance, South Carolina.
Wake: Thursday, May 14th 7:00 p.m.
Homegoing Celebration: Friday, May 15th 10:00 a.m.
Condolences may be sent to:
Mrs. Abraham (Louise) Fuller
931 Moncks Corner Road
Eutawville, S.C. 29048
The Rev. Dr. Stanley Fuller and the Rev. Dr. Ann Lightner Fuller
3407 Meredith Ridge Rd.
Phoenix, Md. 21132
(410) 458-2158
17. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We are saddened to announce the passing of Mr. Warren Nelson Woodberry, Sr., the father of the Rev. Leo M. Woodberry, Pastor of Bethlehem AME Church - Rains, South Carolina (Marion District-Northeast Conference, Seventh Episcopal District), Rev. William Smith, Presiding Elder; Bishop Preston Warren Williams II, Presiding Prelate.
Brother Warren Nelson Woodberry, Sr. of Florence, SC went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 after a battle with cancer.
Homegoing Services:
Monday, May 11, 2009
2:00 pm
Mt Zion AME Church
1305 East Cheves Street
Florence, SC 29506
Phone: (843) 662-2316
The Reverend Merritt Graves, pastor
Contact information for Rev. Leo Woodberry:
Phone: (843) 407 4749
Email: brokhalid2001@yahoo.com
18. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICES AND CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
The Clergy Family Information Center
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action
Mrs. 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
19. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Richard Franklin Norris; 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
