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 – I WISH HE COULD HAVE BEEN WITH US AT ST. PHILIP MONUMENTAL:
Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III
The 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
Sometimes I must have a counselor’s look or demeanor. I love people and I never hunger for conversation. The people I meet always seem willing to talk.
Last week I was invited to preach at St. Philip Monumental AME Church in Savanna, Georgia where the Rev. George Moore serves as pastor. I decided to drive rather than fly.
I left Nashville, Tennessee late Saturday morning and was looking forward to getting to Savannah before dark. I stopped at a rest stop in north Georgia and a gentleman who had stopped at the rest stop apparently recognized me and identified himself as an AME pastor. I thought we were going to exchange pleasantries and move. I really wanted to do that because I had left Nashville later than I had planned.
The pastor engaged me in conversation and caught my attention by telling me that he was an avid reader of The Christian Recorder. That made me feel good, especially after he went on and said that the first thing he read in each issue was my editorial. I really felt good when he said that, but then he added, “I like reading your editorials, but I don’t agree with everything you write.” I thought to myself that I didn’t expect everyone to agree with everything that I write. He went on to explain, that he did not agree with my editorials that seemed to champion the traditional AME worship services and my criticism of those who have abandoned the traditional AME worship liturgy. He took umbrage with the need for pastors to retain the AME Call to Worship, the Decalogue, and the some of, in his words, “the other dry parts of the worship service.” He went on to say, “I am so glad to meet you and I meant to write an article,” and then abruptly asked, “Can I be real?” I responded that he could be real, but that he needed to remember that I was an editor and that I don’t have many secrets. He told me that I could quote him, but asked me not to use his name.
He told me that he felt that the AME Church needed to be updated and that our worship needed “fire.” He said that he had deleted the traditional AME Call to Worship and the Decalogue out of his Sunday morning worship service because he felt that “tradition” was leading us to demise. He went on to say that the Decalogue took too long and he wanted to make the service more “upbeat.” He gave me an earful about how he viewed “tradition” and contemporary worship. He went on to say that he felt that the Full Gospel Fellowship had it right.
I have to admit that I usually take the Rogerian approach to counseling, but this pastor was quickly driving me back to the Freudian camp. I maintained my composure and asked him about his congregation, what it was when he arrived, where the congregation is now, and how the people had responded to his changes. I also asked if he had consulted the steward board or the members beforehand about the changes he had made.
My question must have hit a nerve, because he spiritedly said that his church was an African Methodist Episcopal Church, not a Baptist church and that he was in charge of worship; and that the bishop had assigned him, not the stewards to oversee worship. So, I guessed that his answer to my question was “no” he had not consulted with the steward board or the membership. He went on to say that the church was doing “okay,” but he felt that the Sunday morning worship service needed a “shot in the arm” and he so he had made the changes and that most of the parishioners seemed okay with the changes. I was left with the impression that the steward board was not a player in the pastor’s decision to make changes. We ended the conversation and he said that he still planned to write an article for The Christian Recorder so that he could present the other side. I threw one more question at him, “How is your attendance? Have you increased your church attendance with your upbeat worship service?” He responded, “We are working on it and we are hanging in there. Pray for us.”
I wasn’t pleased with my interaction; I felt that I should have been more forceful and I felt sorry for him because obviously, he had made changes based upon his ideas of worship and what makes worship dynamic.
I continued my drive to Savannah and arrive there much later than I had anticipated. I was a little unsettled by the conversation that I had with the pastor at the rest stop because I did not feel that we had dealt sufficiently with the issues we discussed. I was in a rush and added to that, he seemed to have had a made-up mind about the changes he had made; in other words he seemed hard-headed.
If I felt unsettled by the conversation I had at the rest stop in North Georgia on Saturday, but my unsettledness dissipated on Sunday morning when I had an opportunity to worship at St. Philip Monumental AME Church in Savannah, Georgia where the Rev. George Moore, Jr. serves as the pastor. I was the preacher for Allen-Turner Day.
When we drove up to the church, I immediately noticed that all of the parking spaces were taken. Rev. Moore began to apologize when I reminded him that “all-the-parking-spaces-occupied” in a church parking lot are a good thing. People were arriving and the security persons and church officials had to assist parishioners as they arrived at the church. That’s a problem every pastor would like to have.
I had a fleeting thought about the previous day’s conversation with the pastor in north Georgia and wondered if the Rev. George Moore, Jr. had to de-AME-ize the St. Philip worship service to entice people to attend. I spoke with him later about that and he told me that he encouraged St. Philip Monumental to purchase new AME hymnals and added the comment, “How can you have an AME Church without AME Hymnals?”
By the time we quickly assembled in the rear of the sanctuary and was lining up for the processional, the sanctuary was abuzz with holy activity. A spirited prelude, played by the organist, Brother D’ Andre Ervin, filled the sanctuary, which was almost full; and it did fill up. The ushers were at their appointed places of duty and the Monumental Adult Choir members were all robed and lined up, and prepared for the processional. There was excitement in the sanctuary and I could tell that the worship service was going to be spiritual celebration. I wished the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia, could have been with us at St. Philip Monumental so that he could see AME worship at its best.
The processional was as unique as I have ever seen. The ministerial team greeted and shook hands with parishioners sitting on the aisle-end of the pews as they processed to the pulpit. Most of the people sitting on the aisle end of the pews were senior citizens and they beamed with joy as the ministerial team greeted them. The brother I met the previous day in north Georgia should have seen the joy on the faces of those senior citizens at St. Philip Monumental.
The voices of the parishioners filled the sanctuary as the Doxology was sung; the AME Call to Worship was led by the creative worship leader, Sister Ruby Lipscomb; and the Worship Hymn, Number 572 in the AME Hymnal was sung by the choir and the congregation. One could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and it was at that point that I wished the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia, could have been with us.
The Morning Prayer, followed by the choral selection by the Monumental Adult Choir, led by 13-year-old Jamill Washington, a young man who is a member of the youth choir, set the place “on fire.” The presence of the Holy Spirit was in the house. I wished my brother that I had met the previous day in north Georgia could have been with us at St. Philip Monumental.
Sunday, September 13, 2009 was Grandparents’ day and the Rev. Terry Alexander, the St. Philip Monumental AME Church Generational Minister, called for all YPDers in the sanctuary to pass out corsages to all of the grandparents. Twenty-five or more young people assembled in front of the sanctuary to move about the sanctuary to pass out the corsages to the grandparents in the congregation.
The offerings and the special presentations perfectly blended into the worship liturgy. The Finance Committee and officers were dressed in blazers with pocket patches and were seated on the front row, where officers of the church should sit. I suspect that being an officer in St. Philip Monumental is a big deal. The officers walked with a bounce in their steps and it was obvious they took pride in their ministry.
The Rev. and Mrs. Charlie Fogle, retired AME pastor and First Lady, lent their voices in praise. The Rev. Charlie Fogle came out of St. Philip Monumental when he began his ministry. His welcoming spirit and warmth would encourage any preacher.
The Rev. Velma Watts led in the altar call and people flocked to the altar and we were allowed to pray and talk with God in our own way. The Rev. Velma Watts closed out the altar call with prayer. We could feel God’s presence. I wished the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia, could have been with us at St. Philip monumental.
After the introduction of the preacher, the Monumental Senior Choir, along with the soloist, Sister Tanya Walker completely wrecked the sanctuary; there is no other way to say it. I wished the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia, could have been with us at St. Philip Monumental so that he could see that liturgy does not have to inhibit the working of the Holy Spirit.
The sermon was preached, the invitation to Christian Discipleship was extended, the remarks were given, the Doxology sung and the benediction pronounced. Again, I wished the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia, could have been with us at St. Philip Monumental.
The morning worship was followed by a delicious meal that was followed by an afternoon worship service. There were almost as many worshippers at the afternoon service as there were at the morning worship service. The worship leader was the Rev. Roland Sigman, pastor of Campbell Chapel AME Church in Bluffton, South Carolina.
They must do things differently in AME Churches in Georgia and South Carolina. When Rev. Sigman called his choir to the choir loft, he said, that he was appreciative of the “faithful few” who traveled from Bluffton, South Carolina to Savannah. His “faithful few” were more people than a lot of churches have in their morning worship services. The “faithful few” filled the choir loft and there were other members of Campbell Chapel sitting in the congregation. The afternoon worship service at St. Philip Monumental was spirited and the Campbell AME Church sang to the glory of God.
I just wished that the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia could have been with us at St. Philip Monumental and could have seen AME liturgy combined with high spiritual worship.
In worship, it does not have to be “either/or,” it can be “both/and.”
I just wished the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia, could have been with me at St. Philip Monumental AME Church in Savannah, Georgia, where the Rev. George Moore, Jr. serves as pastor.
ADDENDUM: After we were finished at St. Philip Monumental and after a short “windshield tour,” the Rev. George Moore, Jr. took me to visit a long lost friend, the Rev. Dr. Henry Delaney, a great preacher, who before his retirement this summer, pastored the largest CME Church in the Connection. What a great well-read mind! What a visit and what a conversation that closed with prayer! I just wished the pastor I had met the previous day in north Georgia, could have sat with us preachers in Dr. Delaney’s home and talked as preachers talked.
At one point, Dr. Delaney talked about the Thrice Prayer and said that there are times when we need to pray the Thrice Prayer. His explanation was intriguing and it’s biblical, but I am not going to address the Thrice Prayer just yet; that’s a future article.
2. READER RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL AND OTHER ISSUES:
- To the Editor:
RE: Article by John Thomas III, International Protocol and the AME Church: The Flag Dilemma
I would like to thank John Thomas III for his lucid insight and discussion concerning flag protocol. The key point for me is our failure to see flag protocol as an important element to address and correct the problem of geographic illiteracy among our members. It is indeed ironic that many of us make boastful statements about being African yet if our lives depended on correctly identifying countries that make up the "Horn of Africa" or the location of Cape Verde or Madagascar we wouldn't pass the test. If we are a global church that means we must recognize the sovereign status of our member countries and accord them with the international respect they richly deserve. The practice of collocating US state flags with flags of independent countries should cease and desist. Brother Thomas' article raised a question in my mind about why so few local AME churches own an AME flag. Years ago, when I lived in Florida I wanted my church at that time to purchase an AME flag and have it raised outside. Having the flag on the flagpole with the US flag would've been an effective witness about the Gospel of liberation that our Zion represents. That was my rationale yet much to my surprise and chagrin this simple, common-sense suggestion was met with ambivalence and subsequently non-action. Bro. Thomas is absolutely right, we must do better.
Bill Dickens
Allen AME Church
Tacoma, WA
Editor's Note: Reference the article by John Thomas III, International Protocol and the AME Church: The Flag Dilemma, the email addresses for Dr. Richard Lewis and Mrs. Anita Rankin were left out of the article. The email addresses for Anita Rankin: ayrankin@amecnational.org and the email address for Dr. Richard Lewis: cfo96amec@aol.com
3. THE AMEC PUBLISHING HOUSE WEBSITE HAS BEEN UPDATED:
The AMEC Publishing House Website has been updated and tweaked.
The 2008 Discipline may be purchased from the AMEC Publishing House Website, as well as, subscribing to or renewing your subscription to The Christian Recorder may be done online by clicking on the following link: http://amecpublishinghouse.com.
The 2008 Discipline may be purchased for $27.00 plus $3.00 Shipping and Handling.
The Discipline and other items can be purchased from the AMEC Publishing House Website http://amecpublishinghouse.com.
You may also purchase The 2008 Discipline by calling the AMEC Sunday School Union at 615-256-5882.
*The AMEC Publishing House Website was designed by Universal Electronics. The President of Electronics Universal is Brother Joseph V. Turner who is an active member and steward at Greater Bethel AME Church, Nashville, Tennessee
4. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN CHALLENGE II TO READ THE BIBLE FROM COVER TO COVER IN 90 DAYS:
If you began on September 1, 2009 and are on schedule, as of 9/17/09, you should be on Day 17 and should have completed Judges 3. If you have fallen behind, please stay encouraged and keep reading. The more you read the Bible, the more encouraged you will be; don’t get bogged down with the genealogical material and the long lists. Speed read those, if you wish.
I am amazed at how much new material I am finding with each reading of the Bible from cover to cover. If we stay on schedule, we will be finished with the books of history by October 6.
Stay with us and stay encouraged as we complete Challenge II.
5. JURY DUTY SCAM ALERT:
*The Rev. Ronald Slaughter
The FBI in June 2006 issued a Jury Scam Alert to all states detailing incidents whereby persons had been scammed. The caller would act as if they were a representative of the local court notifying a person that they had missed Jury Duty; and therefore a warrant had been issued for their arrest.
Upon hearing the news concerning a warrant for their arrest the person receiving the call would panic and state that he or she never received a Jury Summons. The caller would aggressively accuse the person called of having intentionally misplaced the notice.
At that point, the caller begins to explain that they can verify through the system if they received a notice, or not, and fix the problem for the individual. The person called, so afraid of being arrested, that they are ready to comply with whatever information the supposedly court representative needs. The caller then states that they need the persons Social Security Number and Date of Birth.
Unknowing that this is a scam the person releases the information over the phone.
Having the information of the Social Security Number, the caller then proceeds to tell the person called that they have found their information and sees that a fine has been imposed for missing Jury Duty. The caller then tells the person they can pay the bill right over the phone using their credit or debit card. Not knowing it is a scam the person who was called releases pertinent credit card information to pay the bill and before he or she knows it, their bank account and credit cards are compromised.
The above scenario is being perpetrated on our senior citizens.
This scam started in 2006, but this scam has resurfaced. All of us need to be reminded to be vigilant and to never give out any pertinent information over the phone, and never give out your Social Security number to anyone over the phone.
No court will ever make a phone call to you about missing Jury Duty. If this ever happens to you simply hang up the phone.
Please check out the FBI Website about this Scam in 2006 at www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury-scams060206.htm
*The Rev. Ronald Slaughter is the pastor Saint Paul AME in Macon, Georgia
6. ACORN ANNOUNCES MAJOR STEPS TO ADDRESS ISSUES RAISED BY VIDEOS:
In response to recently released videos of frontline ACORN staff, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis made the following announcement Wednesday morning:
“As a result of the indefensible action of a handful of our employees, I am, in consultation with ACORN’s Executive Committee, immediately ordering a halt to any new intakes into ACORN’s service programs until completion of an independent review. I have also communicated with ACORN’s independent Advisory Council, and they will assist ACORN in naming an independent auditor and investigator to conduct a thorough review of all of the organizations relevant systems and processes. That reviewer, to be named within 48 hours, will make recommendations directly to me and to the full ACORN Board. We enter this process with a commitment that all recommendations will be implemented.”
Ms. Lewis is specifically ordering the following steps be taken effective noon eastern on September 16, 2009:
- No new intakes will be accepted into ACORN’s offices for service programs, effective immediately;
- An immediate in-service training for all frontline staff has been ordered within 48 hours;
- ACORN’s independent Advisory Council will help select an independent auditor/reviewer no later than September 18th to review all of the systems and processes called into question by the videos.
In early 2009, ACORN set up an independent Advisory Council to help facilitate a transition to a new management team under the leadership of CEO Bertha Lewis. Lewis was appointed to the job in the fall of 2008 after disclosure of a set of improper management decisions by the founder of the organization, who had led ACORN for 38 years. High-powered, qualified people serve on ACORN’s Advisory Council.
Executive Director, Needmor Fund
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Advisory Council said: “ACORN has a long history of serving those who most need help, and giving voice to those who have been left behind. We will take the necessary steps to ensure that ACORN functions with the highest levels of ethical standards and competence.”
Said Ms. Lewis: “We have all been deeply disturbed by what we’ve seen in some of these videos. I must say, on behalf of ACORN’s Board and our Advisory Council that we will go to whatever lengths necessary to reestablish the public trust. For nearly forty years, ACORN has given voice to communities, and gotten results. Right now, our nearly 500,000 member are working their hearts out for quality, affordable healthcare for every American and to help stop the foreclosure crisis. We must get this process right, so the good work can go forward.”
ACORN is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 500,000 member families organized into neighborhood chapters in over 75 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. ACORN is an acronym, and each letter should be capitalized. ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.
ACORN's website is at http://www.acorn.org
7. COPING IN A CRISIS:
*The Rev. N.T. Pitts
It is without a doubt that people pray less in times of prosperity. But when disaster strikes and hard times roust us out of our comfort zone, we find it difficult to cope. It is then that we see an increase in church attendance and fervent prayers sent up pleading for relief and rescue. Some of us view God as an “Emergency cord.” That was the case during Jeremiah’s time. Jeremiah 2:26-27
We are now experiencing a condition that no one anticipated brought about by greedy and unscrupulous men.
Jobs are being lost, people losing their homes and their savings. Those who once enjoyed living, “high on the hog” now find themselves scuffling at the feet of the hog. The foods that were once considered not pleasant to eat are now welcomed with no reservations. Those who once had the privilege of selecting the proper utensil and using embellished napkins to dine now find themselves satisfied to eat with whatever instruments available and clean their mouths with any available material including their shirt sleeves. Those who once enjoyed sleeping between silk and satin sheets, now cover themselves with tarps and blankets. Table etiquette is no longer an issue. Pride is no longer a priority and honesty is being challenged by efforts to survive.
Homicides and suicides are on the rise with entire families being wiped out all because the head of the family could not to cope with the crisis.
Crime is on the increase such as stealing and robbery. Some people are doing anything and everything in order to survive and to feed their families.
The questions we hear:
What do I do when I don’t know what to do?
Where do I go when I don’t know where to go?
What do I say when I don’t know what to say?
Who do I trust when I don’t know who to trust?
What can I say to my children to get them to understand?
If I steal food to feed my family am I justified?
In Paul’s letter to Timothy he stated that “If any provide not for his own house is worse than an infidel. I Timothy 5: 8.
I heard a gentleman say that before he would let his children go without food, he would steal to feed them.
Crises know no color, creed, character or religion. Crises do not consider our socioeconomic status.
What can we, as Christian, do in the midst of this crisis?
We can now put into action what we have been singing about. We can show the love that we have been preaching, teaching and talking about.
Those of us who are fortunate not to be too affected by this crisis should care enough to share enough. There are some whose pride won’t let them ask for help. But this shouldn’t prevent us from lending a helpful hand to them.
If you have been taking care of your own yard let some unfortunate person to do it. If you have been washing your own car, let some “down and out” person to wash your car as a way of helping them. Lend a hand without “sounding a gong” to those who are trying to cope.
There should not be any need for anyone to have to steal food to feed one’s family.
We must remember that God has no hands, but ours. God has no feet, but ours.
We must give praise to God in sunshine and also in rain. God is not an “Emergency cord.”
How are you coping?
*The Rev. N.T. Pitts is a retired AME Itinerant Elder living in Eatonville, Florida
A Bit of Real Humor: The other day I overheard some men, standing under a tree, talking about what the Republicans were trying to do to President Obama. One of the men said the Bible warn us not to be like those Republicans. ??????
8. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to share news of the passing of Mrs. Geneva Zachery Williams, mother of the Rev. Dr. Letitia Williams-Watford, former Presiding Elder, Camden-Prattville District, Alabama Annual Conference of the 9th Episcopal District, newly appointed Pastor of Murdock Chapel AME Church, Pike Road, Alabama.
Mrs. Geneva Zachery Williams passed on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.
Service Arrangements:
Visitation:
Friday, September 18, 2009
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Trinity United Methodist Church
2600 Holman Street
Houston, Texas 77004
Funeral Services:
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Trinity United Methodist Church
2600 Holman Street
Houston, Texas 77004
Phone: 713-528-2356
FAX: 713-528-0154
Professional services entrusted to:
Ross Mortuary
3618 Lyons Avenue
Houston, Texas 77020
Phone: 713-223-8071
Fax: 713-223-5934
Condolences and expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
The Rev. Dr. Letitia Williams-Watford
1718 South Perry Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
Home Phone: 334-224-8795
Office Phone: 334-738-3118
Email: drtish1@aol.com
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to:
S.H.A.P.E. Community Center
3815 Live Oak
Houston, Texas 77004
Telephone: 713.521.0641
9. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to announce the passing of Mrs. Miranda Finley. She is the mother of Cathy Hensford and mother in law to the Rev. Terrence C. Hensford, pastor of Ward AME Church in Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Conference, West District). The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Homegoing Service, Friday, September 18, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
Jones Memorial AME Zion Church
2400 Barhamzille Road
Columbia, SC 29204
Ofc: 803-254-8786
Fax: 803-765-9300
The Rev. James R. Williams, Sr., pastor
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
Mrs. Cathy Hensford
3900 Ford Road #2-O
Philadelphia, PA 19131
Or
Jones Memorial AME Zion Church
Fax: 803-765-9300
10. 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
Email: Amespouses1@bellsouth.net
Phone: (615) 837-9736
Voice Mail: (615) 833-6936
Fax: (615) 833-3781
Cell: (615) 403-7751
11. 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
