Bishop Richard Franklin Norris - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, the 20th Editor, The Christian Recorder
1. EDITORIAL – MIRACLES WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO SEE (PART 2):
Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III
The 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
Last week, I asked of readers if they would like to see young people mature right before their eyes. I asked if they wanted to see young people transformed, observe the maturation process of young people and see young people evolve from carefree, ‘happy-go-lucky” individuals to caring, focused and committed human beings. If the answer was yes, I wrote, “Take your young people on a mission trip.” How do I know? I had the pleasure of going on a mission trip with the 13th Episcopal district and saw, with my own yes and mind, young people and adults transformed.”
Our trip began on Monday July 5, 2010 and upon arrival in Jamaica and checking in to our hotel rooms, we attended an evening welcome worship service/banquet at Kyle’s Temple AME Church in Islington St. Mary Parish, Jamaica. On Tuesday morning, July 6, we began the process of building a house.
We started from scratch
The house that was being built by Team-13 attracted spectators from around the area. Apparently, they wanted to witness the miracle. They saw the walls going up, the floor being laid, and the roof being put in place. The dream was becoming a reality.
The Team-13 young people were motivated and focused as the challenge of building a home became a reality. A second “epiphany” had kicked in and failure was not an option for Team-13. The first “epiphany” was the realization that Jamaica was not like the United States and we were in another country.
The prospective owners of the home that was being built were anxiously watching the progress. The family was excited and encouraged by seeing their home being built and Team-13 was encouraged about the task they were accomplishing. By mid-afternoon, the house was almost completed, except for the steps and the front porch.
Team-13 members were anxious to put the finishing touches on the house and asked if they could start painting. Team-13 was told that the paint had not arrived.
The other group
Unfortunately the supplies had not arrived at Grace AME Church in Geddes Town and they were not able to put up the walls, instead they had a worship service and interacted with the people in the vicinity of the church.
It was decided that they would help with the building of the house that was being build near Kyle’s Temple. When they arrived, they were amazed at what they saw and how much work had been done and they were anxious to lend a hand with putting the finishing touches on the house. They were a big help.
Presiding Elder Davis was all smiles as were Bishop McKenzie, Bishop Davis, Supervisor McKenzie and Supervisor Davis.
The house was almost finished and day was drawing to a close.
Words of thanks and appreciation were extended by Bishop Sarah Davis, Bishop Vashti McKenzie, Supervisor Claytie Davis, Supervisor Stan McKenzie and Presiding Elder Millard Davis.
Team-13 began the long journey back to the hotel, with a brief stop in downtown Ocho Rios for those who wanted to do some shopping. It had been a long day and a little shopping was a great morale boost.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Team-13 was up early and anyone listening and looking, could hear and see “miracles” in the making.
Young people were anxiously getting on the bus wanting to finish up the work that had begun the previous day. They were also anxious to go the Grace AME Church to complete the work. The young people were confident, as well as the older members of Team-13. We could hear the young people expressing how appreciative they were of their own upbringing and experiences back home.
Time and again, they were heard saying that they would never complain about what they did not have.
It was an eye-opening experience for them to view another culture and to be able to put their lives in perspective. It did something wonderful for the psyche and spiritual growth of the young people of Team-13 when they came to realize that a family of eight was going to live in a one-room house; be appreciative, and would see the house Team-13 built, as a home and as a blessing for which to be thankful. It was exhilarating just to listen to the young people express themselves.
The mission work continues
When Team-13 arrived the mission-site the paint had arrived, the front porch had been erected, and the front steps were being put in place.
No one had to be told to get started; Team-13 members picked up the paint brushes and began painting.
A crowd had already assembled. Both young and old Team-13 members had to ask those who were painting to allow them to take their turn to paint. Every team member wanted to help. It was a wonderful experience seeing people who were excited to assist.
Before Team-13 had arrived, Presiding Elder Millard Davis had provided a bed, had hung the curtains, pictures on the walls and the home was ready to be occupied. Bishop and Supervisor Davis had provided funds for supplies and for funds for furnishing the home.
With Team-13 working together, the work was completed and ready for occupancy; but before the home could be occupied, there had to be the Dedication of the Home.
Bishop Sarah Davis, Bishop Vashti McKenzie, Supervisor Claytie Davis, Supervisor Stan McKenzie, Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor of The Christian Recorder, Presiding Elder Kenneth Hill, Presiding Elder Robert Keesee, Presiding Elder Ralph Johnson, Presiding Elder Linda Martin, and Presiding Elder Millard Davis participated in the dedication and the blessing of the home. The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Robinson, pastor of St. Andrew AME Church Memphis was the official photographer for the occasion.
The family received the keys from Bishop Sarah Davis and that part of the 13th Episcopal District mission trip was complete.
The mother and dad and six children were all smiles as they made ready to occupy their new home.
Team-13 journeyed back to the hotel for a much needed respite from the hard work and the heat.
Many of us made our way to the pool or the beach. Those of us who went to the pool were organized into a water combat volley ball game organized by Brother Derrick Davis, a member of Team-13 and the husband of Sister Linnie Davis who works in Bishop McKenzie’s office. The volley ball teams were made up of people from across the United States and around the world. He was in charge of the pick-up combat water volley ball game and everyone knew Team-13 was in the area.
Our work was not finished and our romp in the pool had to come to an end. We had to change and get ready to return to Islington St. Mary Parish for a street revival meeting, and what a meeting we had.
Wednesday night
We traveled to Islington St. Mary Parish for the street revival. The market area was full of people. Kyle Temple band provided music and the center city was rocking. The Rev. Kenneth Robinson was the preacher and what a mighty word he shared as evidenced by the 23 persons who came forward to rededicate or give their lives to Christ. The young people and the old people rocked the square.
We learned a song in the Jamaican dialect that we sang or hummed all the way back to the U.S.
T’ings are ready bet-tah
T’ings are ready bet-tah
With the Lord on my side
T’ings are ready bet-tah
T’ings are ready bet-tah
Ready bet-tah
Bishop Davis, Bishop McKenzie, Supervisor Stan McKenzie and Supervisor Claytie Davis shared greetings with the people of St. Mary’s Parrish; and Bishop McKenzie reminded Team-13 that they could have the same kind of street revival back home and the results would probably be the same – people will come forward and give their lives to Christ.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The women went to breakfast with the women of the 16th Episcopal District. The Rev. Dr. Charlotte B. Sydnor was the women’s breakfast preacher. Her sermon was entitled “Go for it.”
The men traveled to Grace AME Church to complete the work on that facility and spent the morning painting and working around the church with the members of Grace AME Church.
It was hot and humid and the young men took charge because they had the energy. The older folks gravitated to a passive supervisory role - conversing with each other while the young men worked.
When our tasks were finished, we had an emotional farewell with the members of Grace who had come to share in the work. We shook hands, we hugged and there were a few emotional moments as we boarded the bus. Some of the young people wanted to stay longer, but it was time to return to the hotel.
We had a much needed respite of free-time on Thursday afternoon.
Friday Morning
It was time to depart Jamaica – there was an air of accomplishment that we, Team-13 had come to Jamaica, was given a mission, accomplished the mission and now it was time to return to our homes across the 13th Episcopal District.
The Highlight
The highlight of the bus trip back to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, were the personal testimonies of the young people. Bishop McKenzie asked the young people to share their feelings about what they learned on the mission trip.
Those of us on the bus witnessed and heard the miracles that had taken place in the lives of the Team-13 young people; from their own mouths, we heard their stories, which confirmed the miracles that had taken place in their lives; and in our lives.
Overseas mission trips and overseas educational exchange programs broaden global perspective; gives people an appreciation for other cultures; and gives us a wider worldview. It did those things for Team-13!
Thank you, Bishop McKenzie and thank you, Mr. Stan McKenzie; thank you Bishop Sarah Davis and thank you, Mr. Claytie Davis; thank you, Presiding Elder Millard Davis; thank you, Team-13; thank you, 13th Episcopal Presiding Elders Kenneth Hill, Robert Keesee, Ralph Johnson, and Linda Martin; thank you, Dr. Kenneth Robinson and other clergy on the trip; and thank you, adults and chaperones – all of you.
But most importantly thank you, the young people of Team-13; you are miracle workers and a blessing to the African Methodist Episcopal Church and you were a blessing to the people of Jamaica.
Especially, thank you to the following youth members of Team-13 who traveled to Jamaica:
Miacia Porter and Ms. Erica Perry, Greater Bethel AME, Nashville
Alexis Frye, St. James AME, Covington, KY
Tricia Thomas, Historic St. Paul AME, Lexington, KY
Anjelica, St. Matthews AME, Midway, KY
Tyrelle Golsby, St. James AME, Covington, KY
Rex Hammonds, New Allen AME, Memphis, TN
Amara Sydnor, Blake Temple AME Church, Newport, KY
Ayanna Sydnor Kibwe, Carver Mem. Presbyterian Church, Hampton, VA
Darren Thomas III, St. Andrew AME, Memphis, TN
Daniel Thompson, St. Andrew AME, Memphis, TN
Todd Wooten, St. Andrew AME, Memphis
Vincent Peppers, Shorter Chapel, Tullahoma, TN
Nachia Woods, St. Paul AME, Louisville, KY
2. READER RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL AND OTHER ISSUES:
- To the Editor:
RE: Shirley Sherrod Fiasco
As a clergyman, I pray for the day when racial prejudice, disparity and inequity are eliminated.
Regrettably that day has not arrived even though a black man is President of the United States.
Ultimately, the Shirley Sherrod saga of last week is a stark reminder of this sad fact.
That this US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Director of Rural Development for the state of Georgia could be forced to resign her position by Secretary Vilsack because a conservative blogger (Andrew Brietbart) released a selectively edited video of her supposedly refusing to aid a white couple in keeping their family farm, is frightening.
In fact, as we now know, Sherrod’s speech was specifically focused on how she overcame her own prejudices against whites who had murdered her father and taken her Farm Cooperative so as to help the Spooners of Southwest, Georgia maintain theirs. The Spooners immediately lauded Mrs. Sherrod’s work on their behalf.
The real shame of this situation is that due to fear and cowardice Shirley Sherrod was not accorded the American legal birthright of presumed innocent until proven guilty; nor the God given scriptural commandant that thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Instead she was vilified because all it took for evil to prevail was for good men to remain silent.
In the Sherrod case, fear of opposing the Conservative Right and incurring its wrath prevailed; alongside the galling silence of failing to compel them to verify the spurious allegations before making them public. As AJC Columnist Marcus K. Garner reported on July 22, 2010, Ms. Sherrod did acknowledge that AJC was the first media outlet to talk to her and get the story straight. God’s people of all races should be appalled that others did not do likewise.
William Phillips DeVeaux
Presiding Bishop
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Sixth Episcopal District
2900 Chamblee Tucker Road, Building Three
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
- To the Editor:
Thank you so much for the article about my son's participation in the Tennessee State University STEM Program. Apparently, I missed the article in the online newsletter, however, my Pastor, Rev. Walter W Reid Jr. gave me The Christian Recorder and said take a look at this. I didn't know exactly what he was referring to until I looked through the newsletter and WOW! There it was! I was totally surprised -- and pleased that info about my "baby" has gone worldwide. So, I did the same thing to John-William, giving him the paper and telling him to "Take a look at this." His mouth dropped open when he saw his name. He was surprised and also pleased about the article.
John-William completed the 5-week program on July 9, 2010 and I must say his experience at TSU this summer has been extremely rewarding. He had classes with the professors he will have this fall, he made friends with a group of students with similar math and science interests, and the program will provide him with mentoring and specialized study group opportunities during the school year. And just think -- all of this because I read The Christian Recorder and saw the article about the STEM Program at TSU.
Subscribing to AND reading The Christian Recorder really is beneficial not only for the news about the AME Church, but for other articles and news to help each of us....if we only take the time to read "our" outstanding AME publications. Keep up the good work of spreading the news throughout the AME Church.
Thank you,
Beverly T. Goines
St. James AME Church, Memphis
The Rev. Walter Winstead Reid Jr., Pastor
- To the Editor:
RE: Historical Facts
First let me thank you for your outstanding working you are doing. I do enjoy getting the emails from you. As I read these bits of information I keeping seeing things like, “So and so was the first elected and consecrated bishop, of the second elected and consecrated bishop and so forth.”
Should it not red for instance, Richard Allen was the 2nd elected bishop, but the first consecrated bishop, therefore making all the other bishops the 3rd elected and 2nd consecrated and so forth?
Am I wrong in thinking that there was someone before Richard Allen who was actually elected the first bishop of the A.M.E. Church, but due to some actions, was never consecrated as the first bishop?
Joann Thompson
Editor's Note: Thank you for your note. There was someone, Daniel Cocker who was first elected bishop at the 1st General Conference, so you are not wrong in your thinking.
I believe the way we announce “consecrated and elected…” is more accurate and less cumbersome; and though Daniel Coker was initially chosen as bishop, he did not function as a bishop and was only a bishop-elect for a few hours. (Richard Newman, Freedom’s Prophet).
- To the Editor:
I have responses to two articles that appeared in the July 23, 2010 issue of The Christian Recorder Online.
-- (1) Now or Never: A Desperate Call to Innovation through Technology and Social Media in the AME Church - A Response to the June 28, 2010 Editorial:
I applaud the Rev. Cylar for highlighting several critical issues addressing the present and future relevance of our Zion. His expansive commentary touches on many points and merits critical analysis and digestion.
One issue I'd like to highlight is that of information management.
While the Connectional AME Church has drastically improved internal information management over the last decade, we continue to lag behind in how we project ourselves to the outside world. The initial Strategic Planning Process formally presented a recommendation of a "Chief Technology Officer" for the Connectional Church, but somewhere it appears to have been dropped from the process.
Rev. Cylar's commentary underscores the need for the denomination to reexamine our use of technology and public presence. The fact that there is no AME "brand" in cyberspace is cause for concern. Aside from the "cross and anvil" logo, the websites representing local churches and our Connectional organizations vary in quality and accessibility.
Simply put, we do not manage our information and public image well.
In a previous issue, "The Christian Recorder" reprinted an article about Episcopal, Presbyterian and other mainline denominations conducting advertising campaigns to reach out to new members. The Connectional AME Church by statute provides for the Office of Public Relations Representative (2008 Book of Discipline, page 173, #11) however this position has gone unfilled for over twenty years. Often, I hear persons complaining that the Connectional Church does not do much. I believe we have an even greater problem: We do not tell people the good that we are doing.
New initiatives such as the AME Network Video Streaming offered by the Department of Church Growth and Development offer wonderful opportunity that churches around the Connection should take advantage of and needs to be expanded for our major Connectional meetings. The exemplary public relations lesson from "The Great Gathering" is a message to the Connection about how we should always be working with our message.
I hope that we will heed Rev. Cylar's call as we advance towards the
2012 General Conference and take advantage of the numerous technological media we have today as well as better utilize existing resources (such as the AME Network Video Streaming). It is not enough, however, to simply put up a website, create a Facebook account for your local church and expect that all the work is done. We must intentionally use technology and understand its benefits as well as its limitations in furthering the mission of the AME Church. While we know that the AME Church continues to be a relevant and vital force in today's world, we must take concrete steps to understand and utilize appropriate technologies in our work and ministry.
-- (2) RE: Africa must be Self-Reliant
Rev. Msibi brings up several relevant points in his article which provide useful fruit for commentary regarding the future of AME work in Africa and other areas outside the United States. Regarding General Conference delegates for Districts 14-20, however, the General Board did include Districts 14-20 in the process by amending the Right-Sizing Committee Final Report to incorporate a 13% increase (the average increase for Districts 1-13) for the 14-20 delegations. To address cost concerns, the General Board also recommended to the General Conference Commission that funding for 14-20 delegates be frozen at the 2008 level. The number of additional delegates should be confirmed when the CFO/Treasurer issues the final delegate count.
John Thomas III [jthomas3@uchicago.edu]
CLO Young Adult Representative and AMEC General Board member
Ph.D. Student
Department of Political Science
University of Chicago
3. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CONGRESS; DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, JULY 26-29, 2010 - ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICERS:
- The Christian Debutante Master Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church presented fourteen young ladies and six young men to Christian society as debutantes and masters during the 26th Christian Education Congress at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel on Tuesday night, July 27, 2010.
Connectional Officers of the Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC)
President -Brother Derek Anderson- 3rd District
Vice President- The Reverend Terrell McBrown- 6th District
Recording Secretary- Brother Allen Williams- 8th District
Corresponding Secretary- Brother James Brown- 7th District
Treasurer- The Reverend Harold Love- 13th District
Parliamentarian- Brother Matthew C. Douglas- 2nd District
Chaplain- The Reverend Maurice Wright- 8th District
Historian- The Reverend Willie A. Gholston II- 4th District
Editor- Brother Douglas Bynum- 2nd District
Connectional Sons of Allen (Elected)
President - Brother George Brown, 7th Episcopal District
Vice President - The Reverend Timothy Stallworth, 8th Episcopal District
Recording Secretary - Brother Andre Tompkins, 7th Episcopal District
Corresponding Secretary - Brother Warren Leonard, 7th Episcopal District
Treasurer - Brother Robert Chambliss, 8th Episcopal District
Chaplain - Brother Wilson Johnson, 6th Episcopal District
Connectional Music and Christian Arts Ministry (Elected)
Director - The Rev. Anthony B. Vinson, Sr, 4th Episcopal District
Associate Director - The Rev. Maurice Wright, 8th Episcopal District
Assistant Director of Choirs – Sister Barbara Bouie, 11th Episcopal District
Recording Secretary – Sister Beverly Hall, 6th Episcopal District
Correspondence Secretary – Sister Daisy Brown, 3rd Episcopal District
Financial Secretary/Treasurer – Brother Wayne Singleton, 7th Episcopal District
Connectional Music and Christian Arts Ministry Officers 2010-2014
Connectional Director - The Rev. Anthony Vinson, Sr.
Associate Connectional Director – The Rev. Maurice Wright
Assistant Director of Choirs - Mrs. Barbara Bouie
Recording Secretary - Mrs. Beverly Hall
Corresponding Secretary - Mrs. Daisy Brown
Financial Secretary - Mr. Wayne Singleton
Worship Director - Mr. Randall Webster
Historiographer - Dr. Jimmie James
Connectional Association of African Methodist Episcopal Scouts (Appointments)
Connectional Boy Scout Director – Brother Anthony Franklin
Connectional Girl Scout Director – Sister Hattie Saulsberry
Assistant Connectional Boy Scout Director – Brother Clarence Crayton
Assistant Connectional Girl Scout Director - Sister Vivian Perry
Elected Officers
Connectional Secretary - Dr. Jerry Brewster
Connectional Assistant Secretary - Sister Anita Brown
Connectional Treasurer - Sister Cora Lee-Palmer
Connectional Financial Secretary – Brother Robert McRath
Connectional Chaplain - Sister Gwendolyn Williams
Connectional Historiographer - Brother Steve Franklin
Connectional Parliamentarian – Brother Myron Ford
Connectional Officers of the Fellowship of Christian Educators
President – The Rev. Joy L. Gallmon, 11th District
Vice President - The Rev. Samuel Baker, 10th District
Recording Secretary – The Rev. MaDonna Gray, 3rd District
Corresponding Secretary – The Rev. Dr. Jennie Curry, 8th District
Treasurer/Financial Secretary – The Rev. Jai Haithco, 6th District
Parliamentarian – Sister Margaret Smith-Perkins, 2nd District
Chaplain – Sister Delores B. Jones 7th District
4. MIRACLES AND MISSIONS, A MISSION JOURNAL OF THE 13TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT TRIP TO JAMAICA:
*Sister Mary T. Jones
Day 1: Monday, July 5, 2010
And the gang’s all here. Showing up from throughout all corners of the State of Tennessee and the Commonwealth of Kentucky; from the east to the west, from the north to the south and all points between, ministers, laity and youth showed up. Through the capable and magnificent leadership of the illustrious and visionary Bishop, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Supervisor Stan McKenzie, congregants of the 13th Episcopal District gathered bright and early 6:00 a.m. at the Nashville International Airport bound for the Jamaica on a missionary journey to the 16th Episcopal District to make a difference for fellow African Methodist Episcopalians under the leadership of Bishop Sara Davis and Supervisor Claytie Davis.
Greeting each other, excited we began the process, scanning passports, getting e-ticket and boarding pass, checking luggage. It’s boarding time Bishop McKenzie and Supervisor Stan leading us as we boarded “the blessed gang” one General Officer, Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III; four Presiding Elders, three Itinerant Elders, and 35 Lay and Youth; 45 soldiers from the mighty 13th. Getting overhead bags settled and locating our assigned seat, I am sure each person had their own inner thoughts and wonders about what lies ahead.
We are almost there, hearing the pilot give final landing instructions, we are about to start a new journey. Landing, - Montego Bay, Jamaica, clearing customs and gathering luggage all completed Greeted by Reverend Reynolds, associate pastor at Kyle’s Temple A.M.E. Church; we are off by bus to Ocho Rios, Riu Hotel, Saint Ann, Jamaica. “Wait a minute” the driver is on the wrong side of the bus - NO!! We have just been introduced to our first Jamaican custom. They drive on the left side of the roadways. WOW!!!
After getting things settled in our hotel rooms we were ready to meet our AME Brothers and Sisters of the 16th Episcopal District. Reverend Reynolds warned us of the length of the ride we were in for; he said it would be about an hour plus ride to the church, for the reception, located in Islington, St. Mary Jamaica. Roads were a little rocky some parts of the way but the US’s Bus Choir orchestrated by Reverend Kenneth Robinson was singing in joy and anticipation --- we hardly noticed the bumps; “This is the Day that the Lord has made,” “I So Glad, Jesus lifted me,” and on and on savoring each moment, taking in the scenery, banana groves, coconut trees, and of the Caribbean Sea to my left and the majestic Blue Mountain range to my right. We arrive, everyone is singing songs of praise, spirit of the living God was high, smiles and welcomes abundant. Presiding Prelate of the 16th Episcopal District, Bishop Sara Davis, Supervisor Claytie Davis, Presiding Elder Reverend Dr. Millard L. Davis and the wonderful congregation of Kyle’s Temple AME Church, in Islington, St. Mary, Jamaica were all there to greet us as we arrived. The reception entailed a spirit-filled program and a cultural cuisine.
Day 2: Tuesday, July 6, 2010
After such a joyous and humbling experience last night we could hardly wait to see what this day would bring. We would be divided up into 2 teams – Team One would build a house and Team Two would paint and repair a local church. Waking up ready to go we had a delightful breakfast and ready for work to get started. I was on Team One and today we would start, “The House that the 13th Built.” Today as we were traveling to Islington, the sun shining brightly, there was more to see. We were about to see an area where love was rich, families together, and a sense unity all for one and one for all. Oh! Oh! Oh! Did I forget to say, no indoor water, no visible well for water, no indoor toilet facilities, no refrigeration, minimal electric lighting, no TV, no radio, not electric stove, NO XBOX-360, NO BASKETBALL COURTS, NO MOVIES – BUT smiles, and love, and caring and happiness.
Ready to build the house, the material delivered we began our work. Using picks and shovels we prepared footings for the foundation. Here we are working side by side making it possible for a family to have a place to call home. We worked most of the day determined to complete this structure in our two day endeavor. Our work venture was well received and our newly made friend gathered to help with the project. After a long, hard day’s work we went back to the hotel to shower and change for a street ministry in Friendship Square that evening.
As we arrived Elder Millard Davis was there setting up for our evening ministry. He let us know our mission for the evening; we were there to invite unsaved soul to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Elder Davis let us know that all would not be accepting, some may turn their backs, others not ready to talk to us or want what we offered, but God is in our mist and there is a soul to be saved. We started our ministry with songs of praise, the message was delivered by the Reverend Kenneth Robinson, “If you know Jesus you are sho ‘nough free.” More the 300 people gathered that evening and over 23 surrendered their lives to Christ. I realized then that some people had come to the square walking in the darkness, walking with no shoes, yet coming to see what was happening, coming to hear, coming for the gathering. What a great experience it was to see people gather and hear the powerful words of God, realize that this is something I must have and then right there- in Friendship Square -dedicate their lives to Christ. As we returned to the hotel the US’s Bus Choir again sung praises for God’s work, God’s will and God’s way. What a joyful noise it was!!
Day 3: Wednesday, July 7, 2010
On the road again, back to Islington, St. Mary to complete our house. As we arrived we were told that many of our friends we had met from the 16th District had continued to work the previous evening and the structure was well on the way to be finished. We started painting and putting on the finishing touches. AND NOW – it was complete the “House that the 13th Built.” The Youth Ministry from the 13th was shining stars, working, sweating and experiencing something that could have never been told to them. Hearing their view of the remoteness and simplicity of this region and the lifestyles here and how they related their own lives. Their actions and remarks made you realize that these are our new leaders and ones we can be truly proud of having in the 13th Episcopal District. They worked hard, they never quit and they acknowledged how humbling this experience was for them. At After the wait and the work; finished, what a sight. At the end of the day we had a ribbon cutting ceremony and home dedication - today the keys were presented to Richard and his wife, and their eight children. For now they have a home. “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” God is good!
Day 4: Thursday, July 8, 2010
Today the ladies would meet for a Missionary Breakfast. We arrive at Galina Breeze Hotel, to a restaurant along the seashores of the Caribbean Sea. Bishop Davis and the missionaries from Kyle’s Temple and Grace AME Church were there to greet and fellowship with us. The breakfast was dynamite. We were able to share family information, work experiences, talk about our children and all the stuff that women talk about. We learned what their needs were and talked about what we were doing in our lives. Ladies from Kyle’s Temple lead us in our opening welcome and the Youth of the 13th Episcopal District lead us in our devotional moment with prayer, scripture and song. The Reverend Dr. Charlotte Sydnor delivered the morning inspirational word, “Go for it.” In her message Dr. Sydnor let us know; settling for the crumbs may be all you need. Because of your faith and your willingness to go for it, you received all the riches of God’s blessings.
We continued in fellowship and it was during this time talking with our friend in St. Mary that I begin seeing how important the simple thing of life really were. I was concerned about living condition of the families we met and I really was happy that we had been able to contribute to the building of a structure for a family; but during this meeting one of my new friends “Beverly” made a statement that made things so very clear and realistic; “There is no place like home.”
Day 5: Friday, July 9, 2010
Today, it is time to go. I awoke thinking about the many new friends, praying for them and for us. On our way to the airport it was mentioned that the reason so many of the buildings appeared to be under construction was because the owners were constantly building, adding to them, they would build and complete as they could afford. During our travel to the airport and reminiscing of our work in Jamaica someone mention how valuable an electric hammer would have been, so we passed the hat and $310.00 was collected for an electric hammer. I thought about Richard and his family and hoped they would be able to continue to build onto their home. I also thought about the song “ I am working on a building, a building not made by Hand,” and thought isn’t that what we should do work each day to minister, seek missions and see miracles from the work we do on the building, one that will be complete when we reach our heavenly home.
Bishop Vashti McKenzie and Supervisor Stan of the 13th Episcopal District presented to Bishop Sara Davis and Supervisor Claytie a check for $10,000.00; children’s clothing, school supplies, books and shoes; shipped 500 pair of shoes to Haiti; $500.00 from Dr. Clement Fugh for the 16th District and a separate donation to the WMS.
5. BISHOP EDWARD WATERS:
By Robert Thomas Matthews, III
Director of Public Relations – Sixth Episcopal District Lay Organization, AMEC
Historiographer of the West Atlanta District Lay Organization, AMEC
Bishop Edward Waters was born, a slave, on March 15, 1780 at West River, MD. At an early age, he came to Baltimore and joined the A. M. E. Church. He was subsequently ordained Deacon and Elder after which he served in the Baltimore area. Waters was elected and consecrated as the Third Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on May 8, 1836 during the Fifth Quadrennial Session of the General Conference--not including the Organizing Convention of 1816, which was also held in Philadelphia, PA.
However, among the unusual historical biographic annals and documents, we find a most unusual entry concerning Bishop Edward Waters, the Third, elected and consecrated Bishop of African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Although our school of higher education in Florida bears his name, Bishop Water’s legacy and history following his election and consecration to the bishopric, as reported by Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne (6th Bishop), bears this note:
“The same year of his election, Bishop Brown took him with him, to all the Conferences except the Western Conference, thus giving him some idea of the field of labor. After this tour, he never left the regions of Baltimore, only to attend the Philadelphia and New York Conferences, which was once a year. He never presided in an Annual Conference, only as a silent looker-on, assistant of Bishop Brown, and though he sat in the Episcopal chair from 1836 to 1844, he never ordained a single minister, not even a deacon. The second year after his election, he requested the Baltimore Annual Conference to locate him. Indeed, ever after his ordination he held the charge of Ellicott Mills Circuit, and sometimes of Bethel, in Baltimore. In the eighth year of his episcopate he resigned his episcopal authority, although he was able to travel as a Bishop, and returned to the ranks of the effective elders until his death." (Payne: Chapter XIII, page 112, History of the A.M.E. Church).
While historians usually find it most beneficial to use primary sources of history for the proof of what they record, these sources sometime prove to be somewhat ineffective because of the information which they failed to note. A prime example of this is what we are told concerning Organizing Convention of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the election of Bishops during this Convention, which was held in Philadelphia on April 9-11, 1816. Based on words of Rev. David Smith of Baltimore, we are told that on the morning of April 9, the Reverend Daniel Coker, who led the delegation to this convention from Baltimore, was the first elected Bishop of the AME Church. But due to the objections of the people over his complexion, he was never consecrated to the office of the bishopric. So a new election was held with Richard Allen replacing him. (Payne: Chapter VII, page 33-34, Biography of Rev. David Smith).
194 years later, many of us have believed this report and repeated it as true. However, a much closer look at the facts would perhaps shed new light on this belief. Considering that no written record of the proceeding of this Convention has ever been found, we might consider that what we have heard or believed about the election might not be completely true or accurate, since the only facts we can truly claim to know are these:
The Convention was initiated by Richard Allen and held in Philadelphia from April 9-11, 1816.
The Sixteen Delegates who attended this Convention were the following:
- From Baltimore: -- Rev. Daniel Coker, Rev. Richard Williams, Rev. Henry Harden, Mr. Edward Williamson, Mr. Stephen Hill and Mr. Nicholas Gilliard.
- From Philadelphia:--Rev. Richard Allen, Rev. Clayton Durham, Rev. Jacob Tapsico, Rev. James Champion, and Mr. Thomas Webster.
- From Wilmington, Del.:--Rev. Peter Spencer.
- From Attenborough, Pa.:--Rev. Jacob Marsh, Rev. William Anderson, and Rev. Edward Jackson.
- From Salem, N. J.:--Reuben Cuff.
Two other known attendees, who witnessed this Convention, but who were not delegates were: Brother Jonathan Tudas and the young William Paul Quinn, who later became Bishop Morris Brown’s Assistant and the Fourth elected and consecrated Bishop of the A.M.E. Church.
It is largely due to the recollections of Bishop Quinn, Jonathan Tudas and the fathers of the Church who were still alive in 1850 that we have any record of this Convention or the list of those attending it, since no written record of the proceeding of this convention to date have ever been found. (Payne Chapter II, page 7; Chapter IV, Page 13, History of the A.M.E. Church).
Since Bishop Payne recorded David Smith’s Biography and agreed with Smith’s account of the election, one might be persuaded that what Smith said was true were if not for the fact that Smith, by his own confession, was not a delegate to this Convention nor did he witness it, that Rev. David Smith simply repeated what he was told or heard, and like Allen’s biography, in which Allen could sometimes not recall dates or names, Smith’s biography might have in some places shown signs of memory loss, as is apparent in this statement from his biography, “I do not know the date or how old I was when I married my first wife.” (Payne: Page 133, Biography of Rev. David Smith).
Although many historians site Payne’s Biography of David Smith, once we have considered these facts, along with what we have heard or have been told, there is some latitude for a version of this election which is slightly different. Therefore, a few researchers and historians look to Bishop Quinn to fill in the gaps, since Bishop Quinn, who was a youth at the time, outlived many of the participants and no written record has been found.
Dr. Charles H. Wesley recorded two reports concerning the election of bishops based on different recollections concerning it. The first was what we have said above, that Coker alone was elected on April 9 and declared the Bishop Elect, but later resigned and a new election was held in which Allen became the Bishop Elect, as stated in the Biography of David Smith. Wesley states that although Bishop Payne repeats this assertion in his Recollections of Seventy Years, Smith’s Biography has several well known errors and that this, along with the assertion that Coker’s resignation was precipitated by his complexion, might well be one of them. Thus, Wesley also sought another source to discover a different version of this story, which might be closer to the truth. Wesley found his new source in Bishop Jabez P. Campbell’s article entitled, Our Episcopacy, which was published in Volume 6, No. 1, pages 2-3, July 1833 Edition of A.M.E. Review and also published in Bishop Benjamin William Arnett’s (17th Bishop) Centennial Budget, 1887, pages 290-291).
Bishop Jabez Pitts Campbell (8th Bishop) was born February 5, 1815 and according to Wesley he was considered, in the late Nineteenth Century, to be the best link between the Founding Father and the present day. Thus, Wesley recorded that Bishop Campbell stated in Our Episcopacy, that while Richard Allen was away on business on April 9, both he (Allen) and Daniel Coker were elected to the bishopric. When the minutes were read the next morning, Allen thanked the body for the honor, but stated that he was of the opinion that the newly Organized Church only needed one bishop and therefore he would resign. Wesley further stated that Campbell said this caused some consternation among the group, some of whom favored both Allen and Payne. So the election was reconsidered and a new one of held in which Allen became the new and only Bishop Elect. However, no minutes or confirmation of either report has ever been found. (Wesley. Chapter 7, pages 152-153, Richard Allen, Apostle of Freedom). Based on the writing of Bishop B. W. Arnett, this later version of the Convention’s proceedings and the election of two bishops were also written in the Autobiography of Bishop Isaac Lane of the C.M.E. Church. (Lane: Chapter VI, pages 44-45, Autobiography of Bishop Isaac Lane).
Thus, considering that no written document or eye-witness of these reports have ever been found and that Bishop Campbell’s account of what happened is probably more accurate than that of David Smith, yet Campbell’s did not say which of the two was first elected on April 9, the best answer to the question of who was the first elected Bishop of the A.M.E. Church is that, when we considerer all the evidence we have been given, we simply DO NOT KNOW. We simply know the final outcome of it.
This then brings us back to Bishop Edward Waters and his unusual position as a Junior/Assistant Bishop of the then Senior Bishop, Morris Brown. While the facts which Bishop Payne reported above in this article are accurate, as we have pointed out concerning what we know of the General Convention of 1816, the weight of this matter lies more heavily on the side of what Bishop Payne did not report, rather than on the side of what he did report.
Therefore, we must look to another source for additional information and clarity.
A review of the literature brings us to the writings of Bishop James Anderson Handy (22nd Bishop), who also realized that there was more to of this story than what he had read in the History of the A.M. E. Church by Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne. So, in Scraps of African Methodist Episcopal History, after discovering a more appropriate ending to Bishop Water’s story, Bishop Handy wrote the following:
“It is true that Bishop Waters was elected Bishop and never presided over a Conference and there was a reason for it. It will be remembered that a Bishop was paid $25.00 for every Annual Conference he held; hence Bishop Brown made it convenient to open and preside over all the Annual Conferences meeting during the life of Bishop Waters. As he was present, and presided and drew the pay, there was nothing for Bishop Waters to do, but as described by Bishop Payne. The same would be true today, if there were only three or four Conferences and the Bishop's salary depended on the Conferences he held, there would be a few Bishops who would be like Edward Waters, be elected to the office and only be figure-heads.” (Handy: Chapter XII, page 121, Scraps of African Methodist Episcopal History).
So we find as Bishop Richard Allen had stated in 1816, the work of the church was much too small to support more than one bishop even at the time that Bishop Edward Waters became its Third Bishop during the General Conference in 1836. The number of Annual Conferences, the frequency with which they were held, and the pay derived from holding them made a second person elected to the office of the bishopric a mere figure-head. Thus, Bishop Edward Waters found it more productive and more profitable to serve in the office of Elder rather than in the office of the bishopric.
In the spring of 1847, as Bishop Waters was on his way to an appointment, some “wicked, rude, reckless white men” (Payne/Handy) overran him with their horse and carriage as he stepped from the curb, knocking him to the ground and severely injuring him. Although he survived this incident, he never fully recovered from these injuries and died from them on June 5, 1847 at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Steward.
**The purpose of the Lay Organization is to organize and train the lay members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, so that each member may utilize to the maximum the abilities and skills granted by God, in assisting with the improvement and extension of God's kingdom, and creating happiness, peace and harmony among its members.
Used with permission of the Connectional Lay Organization Online Newsletter
6. OLD WOUNDS AND NEW PAIN:
*Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad
The past can be like an old wound that never heals, especially when the scab keeps being picked at. In the wake of Oakland transit cop Johannes Mesherle’s recent involuntary manslaughter conviction for the on-duty shooting death of unarmed, 22 year-old Oscar Grant, the injury of his death and so many black men before him is as raw and bloody now as it was the day they were killed.
The pain runs deep not just because another mother lost her son to a quick-triggered cop; or because no black jurors were yet again allowed to stand in judgment of a white man; or because some observers claim that Grant’s prior trouble with the law made him a willing partner to his own summary execution.
The hurt runs deep because at the root of the outcry over the failure to get a murder conviction for another willing executioner of a black man is the painful reminder, and concurrent denial, of the cheapness of black life in America.
Just remembering the horrors of slavery or the tragedy of Scottsboro in this context is enough to make many want to scream, holler, burn, and pillage. And yet such hot memories are too often soothed by the cool comfort of our post Civil Rights, post Jim Crow triumphalism. However, by the measure of police brutality outside of the South, not much has changed.
In a 1929 Illinois Crime Survey, researchers found that African Americans made up 30 percent of the recorded police killings but only 5 percent of the population. In one case, for example, a manhunt for a sixteen-year-old Chicagoan accused of breaking a restaurant window, ended with police entering his home without a warrant, guns blazing. Alfred Lingle died in a hail of thirty-five bullets.
North of the Mason-Dixon Line unlawful police violence has produced long suffering in silence. In response to a 1930 federal report of police brutality, Lawlessness in Law Enforcement, which highlighted conditions in the Jim Crow South, members of the Philadelphia black press cried foul. They told officials that the report prominently covered brutality in the “uncivilized wilds of Mississippi,” but had ignored several alarming cases in the urban North: the local beating of a sick elderly black woman; the torture of a man “choked, hung upside down, his joints twisted and told that Negroes should be treated like dogs; and the “drag net” arrests and beatings of blacks on the “steps of their own homes.”
There is a thin blue line separating the past from the present, as evident by the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on the steps of his own Cambridge home last summer; and the recent federal indictment of six New Orleans officers charged in connection with the execution-style shootings of six unarmed Katrina victims, two of whom died.
Society’s enduring denial of police repression in black communities inflicts the most harm, ripping off the scab of racial injustice every time an officer’s humanity is affirmed by the presumption of innocence and little to no punishment. In Mesherle’s case as was true for the officers acquitted in the killings of Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell, it is the innocence of fear of black men that decriminalizes murder in police killings, rendering them tragic “accidents.”
Fear affirms the shared humanity of all who presume the guilt of black men. The burden of blackness is to prove one’s innocence, to justify one’s humanity; the privilege of whiteness is to take both for granted.
Recall New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s smear that the slain Patrick Dorismond was “No altar boy” after he was goaded into a fight with undercover narcotics agents (later acquitted) while innocently and soberly minding his own business.
“Again? Again? Again?” were the anguished cries of Dorismond’s mother as she mourned, side by side, with Kadiatou Diallo at Sean Bell’s funeral in 2006.
Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant, now feels the sharp sting of the scab pulling from an old and festering wound. We hear her cries of pain, “my son was murdered,” linking her to a troubling past and present.
As for the future, in order for wounds to heal scabs must not be allowed to form. Wounds must be thoroughly cleaned, properly treated, and vigilantly monitored for healthy tissue to grow.
*Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a member of Bethel A.M.E. in Bloomington, IN, is an assistant professor of history and author of The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America (Harvard).
*Sister Mary T. Jones is a member of Mt. Hermon AME in Millington, Tennessee
7. THE THIRD EPISCOPAL DISTRICT SCHEDULE OF 2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCES:
The Rt. Rev. C. Garnett Henning, Sr., Presiding Bishop
Mrs. Ernestine Lee Henning, Episcopal Supervisor
West Virginia Annual Conference
WMS Annual Meeting - August 25, 2010
Annual Conference - August 26 - 29, 2010
Host Church: St. Matthew AME
Phone: 304-252-1002
103 Mills Avenue; Beckley, WV 25801
The Reverend Debra Smoot, Pastor
Host Presiding Elder: The Reverend Alton Dillard, Sr.
The Reverend Daryl Walker, Revivalist
Pittsburgh Annual Conference
WMS Banquet - September 13, 2010
WMS Annual Meeting - September 14, 2010
Annual Conference - September 15 - 19, 2010
Host Church: St. Paul AME
Phone: 724-225-5689
16 Ridge Avenue; Washington, PA
The Reverend Arthur E. Doctor, Jr., Pastor
Host Presiding Elder: The Reverend James H. McLemore
The Reverend Ann Lightner-Fuller, Revivalist
South Ohio Annual Conference
WMS Banquet - September 20, 2010
WMS Annual Meeting - September 21, 2010
Annual Conference - September 22 - 26, 2010
Host Church: Quinn Chapel AME
Phone: 513-825-4900
10998 Southland Blvd.
Forest Park
Cincinnati, OH 45240
The Reverend Frederick A. Wright, Pastor
Host Presiding Elder: The Reverend Wilton E. Blake, I
The Reverend Dr. Norvell Goff, Sr., Revivalist
Ohio Annual Conference
WMS Annual Meeting - October 5, 2010
Annual Conference - October 6 - 10, 2010
Host Church: Trinity AME Church
Phone: 937-325-1372
554 Selma Road; Springfield OH 45506
Reverend Dwight E. Smith, Pastor
Host Presiding Elder: The Reverend Brenda J. Gregg
The Reverend Roderick D. Dawson, Revivalist
North Ohio Annual Conference
WMS Banquet -October 18, 2010
WMS Annual Meeting - October 19, 2010
Annual Conference - October 20 - 24, 2010
Host Church: Lee Memorial AME
Phone: 216-761-4447
861 E. 105th Street; Cleveland, OH 44108
The Reverend Wesley I. Reid, Pastor
Host Presiding Elder: The Reverend James H. Harris
The Reverend Dr. William Whatley, Revivalist
Planning Meeting
November 11-13, 2010
Location: Crowne Plaza, Columbus - Dublin
600 Metro Place North; Dublin, Ohio 43017
Phone: 614-764-2200
Third Episcopal District Headquarters
288 South Hamilton Road
Columbus, OH 43213
Phone: (614) 575-2279 -- Fax :( 614) 575-2375
Email: thirddistrictsecretary@thirddistrictame.org
Website: www.thirddistrictame.org
8. THE FIFTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT SCHEDULE OF 2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCES:
Pacific Northwest Conference
Monday, August 9-- Sunday, August 15, 2010
Hosts: The Rev. David Aaron Johnson--Walker Chapel, Seattle, WA and the Rev. Catherine Crosby Payne--Primm Tabernacle, Seattle, WA.
Desert Mountain Conference
Monday, August 23--Sunday, August 29, 2010
Host: The Rev. Terry Marks--Greater Bethel, Phoenix AZ
Midwest Conference
Monday, August 30,--Sunday, September 5, 2010
Host: The Rev. Anthony Steele--St. Paul, Wichita KS
California Conference
Monday, September 13--Sunday, September 19, 2010
Host: Rev. Dr. Harold Mayberry--First, Oakland CA
Southern California Conference
Monday, September 27--Sunday, October 3, 2010
Host: The Rev. Joseph C. Nixon--Brookins, Los Angeles, CA
Missouri Conference
Monday, October 25,--Sunday, October 31, 2010
Host: The Rev. Robert Shaw, II--St. John, St. Louis MO
District Planning Meeting
Monday, November 1--Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Host: The Rev. Robert Shaw--St. John, St. Louis, MO
9. THE 10TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT 2010 SCHEDULE OF ANNUAL CONFERENCES:
The Right Reverend Gregory G.M. Ingram, Presiding Prelate
The Reverend Dr. Jessica Kendall Ingram, Episcopal Supervisor
Northwest Texas Annual Conference
September 11 –September 18, 2010
Wesley Chapel AMEC
Ft. Worth, TX
The Reverend Darrell Turner
Host Pastor
The Reverend Johnny Ray Mitchell
Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Dr. Marshall Hobbs, Sr.
Associate Presiding Elder
September 11, 2010 – YPD Day
September 13, 2010 – Missionary Day
September 14, 2010 – The Gathering of Women
September 14, 2010 – Opening Worship Service
North Texas Annual Conference
September 25 –, October 2, 2010
Smith Chapel AME Church
Dallas, TX
The Reverend Darrell G. Caldwell, Sr.
Host Pastor
The Reverend W.C. Ervin, III
Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend James Ford
Associate Presiding Elder
September 25, 2010 – YPD Day
September 27, 2010 – Missionary Day
September 28, 2010 – The Gathering of Women
September 28, 2010 – Opening Worship
Southwest Texas Annual Conference
October 9 – October 16, 2010
Conference Site - Emmanuel A.M.E. Church, San Antonio, Texas
Host Churches / Co-Host Pastors - Hodges Chapel A.M.E. Church - The Reverend W. D. Harris,
Grant Community Christian Center A.M.E. Church - The Reverend William Andrews, Jr. and
Butler A.M.E. Church - The Reverend Joni M. Russ
The Reverend Dr. Ida Keener
Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Dr. L. R. Emanuel Sr.
Associate Presiding Elder
October 9, 2010 – YPD Day
October 11, 2010– Missionary Day
October 12, 2010 – The Gathering of Women
October 12, 2010 – Opening Worship
Texas Annual Conference
October 23 – October 30, 2010
Payne A.M.E. Church
Houston, TX
The Reverend Brenda Payne
Host Pastor
The Reverend Dr. Alfred Baker
Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Johnny Jennings
Associate Presiding Elder
October 23, 2010 – YPD Day
October 25, 2010 – Missionary Day
October 26, 2010 – The Gathering of Women
October 26, 2010 – Opening Worship
Planning Meeting 2010
November 11 – November 13, 2010
Hyatt Regency North Dallas
Richardson, TX
10. THE 13TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT 2010 SCHEDULE OF ANNUAL CONFERENCES:
The Right Reverend Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Prelate
Mr. Stan McKenzie, Episcopal supervisor
Kentucky Annual Conference
August 17 - 21, 2010
Host Church
St. James AME Church, Covington, KY
The Reverend Wink Sweat, Host Pastor
The Reverend Kenneth Golphin, Host Presiding Elder
August 17, 2010 – WMS Day
August 18, 2010 – Opening Worship (7 pm)
August 20, 2010 – YPD Service (7 pm)
West Kentucky Annual Conference
August 31 - September 4, 2010
Host Churches
Asbury Chapel AME Church, Louisville, KY
St. Paul AME Church, Louisville, KY
The Reverend Kenneth Love, Host Pastor
The Reverend Nigal Felder, Co-Host Pastor
The Reverend Ralph E. Johnson, Host Presiding Elder
Conference Site
Holiday Inn Hurstbourne/I-64 East
1325 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy, Louisville, KY 40222
Tel: (502) 426-2600 • Fax: (502) 426-0231
August 31, 2010 – WMS Day
September 1, 2010 – Opening Worship (7 pm)
September 3, 2010 – YPD Service (7 pm)
East Tennessee Annual Conference
September 21 - 25, 2010
Host Church
St Paul AME Church, Fayetteville, TN
The Reverend Chris Grizzard, Host Pastor
The Reverend Kenneth H. Hill, Host Presiding Elder
September 21, 2010 – WMS Day
September 22, 2010 – Opening Worship (7 pm)
September 24, 2010 – YPD Service (7 pm)
West Tennessee Annual Conference
October 5 - 9, 2010
Host Church
St. John AME Church, Memphis, TN
The Reverend Ivy Hudson Courtez, Host Pastor
The Reverend C. Robert Finch, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Linda Thomas Martin, Co-Host Presiding Elder
October 5, 2010 – WMS Day
October 6, 2010 – Opening Worship (7 pm)
October 8, 2010 – YPD Service (7 pm)
Tennessee Annual Conference
October 19 - 23, 2010
Host Church
Lee Chapel AME Church, Nashville, TN
The Reverend Edward L. Thompson, Host Pastor
The Reverend Robert E. Keesee, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Troy Merritt, Jr. Co-Host Presiding Elder
October 19, 2010 – WMS Day
October 20, 2010 – Opening Worship (7 pm)
October 22, 2010 – YPD Service (7 pm)
The 13th Episcopal District Planning Meeting
Dates and location TBD
11. THE VITAL CONNECTION---THE PRESIDING ELDER:
*The Rev. N.T. Pitts
I have searched The Discipline carefully trying to find the qualifications for becoming a presiding elder. As hard as I looked in The Discipline, I couldn’t find a listing for the qualifications of presiding elders.
My mind told me there had to be something, so not to be defeated, I perused the books in my library and found Turner’s Polity and I found the qualifications of a presiding elder.
Turner’s Polity listed the following qualifications:
“Men/women of large and broad views, cool and calculating heads, established piety, well informed, able preachers, good singers, fervent in prayer, given to fasting and self-denial, free from prejudice; kind, generous and charitable to ministers, members and children; not inclined to give or receive insults, nor to the use of abusive language; industrious, practical in business, and learned in Methodist doctrine and polity. (Turner’s Polity, Page 142 reprinted in 1978)
After reading the qualifications for a presiding elder in Turner’s book, I decided to take the privilege of adding a few of my own qualifications for being a presiding elder:
- A person selected to be a presiding elder should not forget from where he/she came.
- A person selected to be a presiding elder must have been a successful pastor and not have been a failure as a pastor.
Upon being a presiding elder
- A presiding elder should never talk down to the pastors or the parishioners in his or her district.
- A presiding elder should not be jealous of other ministers’ academic accomplishments.
- A presiding elder should never threaten pastors with the warning that he or she will make adverse pastoral recommendations to the bishop.
- A presiding elder should encourage inquiries and not be vindictive to pastors who may not agree with them.
- A presiding elder should not be quick to get angry if a pastor does not “jump every time you say ‘rabbit.’”
- Hopefully a presiding elder will understand that pastors and member who do not agree with him or her in is not the presiding elder’s enemy.
- No congregation should ever be too small to merit a visit by the presiding elder.
- A presiding elder should never insult or belittle a pastor, especially in front of his or her members.
- All pastors should be treated on the same level regardless of the size of his/her congregation - there are no big and little pastors =- all pastors should be treated equally.
- A presiding elder should not use intimidation and threats to supervise because when he or she does so, it shows his/her insecurity.
The duties and responsibilities of the presiding elder are tremendous and there is enough to keep them busy 24/7, but good planning and cooperation he/she can make a presiding elder’s work easier.
The presiding elder is the “connection” that makes our Zion connectional, because without the presiding elder, the AME Church would be “a run-away train.” The presiding elder is a manager, counselor, teacher, administrator, mentor, and pastor to the clergy entrusted to the presiding elder’s care.
P.S. – Turner’s Polity also suggests that an Elder should not serve on a district more than four years. Now, I don’t know how that would set today.
I hope that I have not touched on too many nerves, just wanted to share my thoughts on being a presiding elder.
*The Rev. N.T. Pitts [ptaegar@aol.com] is a retired AME pastor who lives in Eatonville, Florida.
12. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to announce the passing of Mrs. D. Shirley Davis, the wife of the late Rev. Walter Davis, a Delaware Conference pastor. Mrs. Davis served as the first lady of several churches in the Delaware Conference. She was also a past officer of the Delaware Conference Women's Missionary Society and a life member of the Women's Missionary Society. The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Viewing and Funeral, Saturday, July 31, 2010
Viewing - 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Funeral - 11:00 a.m.
Murphy A.M.E. Church
700 Yarnall Street
Chester, PA 19013
Phone: 610-497-9925
Fax: 610-485-9989
The Rev. Rev. Manuel M. Biagas, Pastor
Service of comfort entrusted to:
Catherine B. Laws Funeral Home
2126 W. 4th Street
Chester, PA 19013
Phone: 610-494-6565
Expressions of sympathy and condolences may be sent to:
The family of Mrs. D. Shirley Davis
1034 Excelsior Drive
Aston, PA 19104
Phone: 610-494-3935
13. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to share news of the passing of Mr. David Cooper, the brother of Brother David Fielding, 12th Episcopal District Lay President. Mr. Cooper passed on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 in Jacksonville, NC. The funeral will be held on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 12:00 noon at the Abundant Life Baptist Church, 1518 Gum Branch Rd., Jacksonville, NC. The Saunders Funeral Home, 210 Bell Fork Rd., Jacksonville, NC 28540 (910) 938-2151 is serving the family.
Condolences can be sent to:
Brother David L. Fielding
dcfielding@suddenlink.net
14. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to share news of the untimely passing of Brother Reginald Gaines, the son of the Reverend Katherine Gaines, a long-time Local Elder, now retired in the Alexandria-Thibodaux District. Brother Reginald Gaines was in a tragic motorcycle accident on Friday, July 23, 2010. He passed away on Saturday, July 24. 2010. Bro. Gaines was a husband, father and a bus driver for the Rapides Parish School Board.
The Homegoing Celebration will be as follows:
Friday, July 30, 2010; 7:00 p.m.
Zion Hill Church Family
910 Expressway Drive
Pineville, Louisiana 71360
Expressions of Sympathy may be sent to:
The Reverend Katherine Gaines
2820 Los Angeles Street
Alexandria, Louisiana 71302
Phone: (318) 448-1348
Email: rvlewcas@yahoo.com
15. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We share with regret, the passing of Mrs. Loretta H. Greene, the mother of the Rev. Dr. Cecelia E. Greene-Barr, pastor of Smith Chapel AME Church in Inkster, Michigan, located in the South District-Michigan Conference of the 4th Episcopal District.
Service Arrangements for Mrs. Loretta H. Greene:
Monday, July 26, 2010
Family Hour: 1:00 P.M.
Home Going Services: 1:30 P.M.
Haw River Baptist Church
1099 Mount Gilead Church Road
Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312
Phone: (919) 542-2214
Professional services provided by:
Jones Funeral Home Incorporated
112 South Graham Street
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516
Phone: (919) 967-3288
Fax: (919) 967-8269
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
The Rev. Dr. Cecelia E. Green-Barr, Pastor
Smith Chapel AME Church
3505 Walnut
Inkster, Michigan 48141
Phone: (313) 561-6758
Or condolences may be emailed to: ceceliagb@comcast.net (The Rev. Cecelia Greene-Barr).
16. 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
Web page: http://www.amecfic.org/
Phone: (615) 837-9736 (H)
Phone: (615) 833-6936 (O)
Cell: (615) 403-7751
BLOG: http://ameccfic.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMEC_CFIC
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-AME-Church-Clergy-Family-Information-Center/167202414220
17. 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
