The Right Reverend T. Larry Kirkland
- Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr.,
Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor
III, the 20th Editor, The Christian
Recorder
-- Advent ends
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
-- Christmastide,
Christmas Eve - January 5, 2015
-- Epiphany, January 6
- Sundays after Lent through February 15, 2015
-- Lenten Season: Ash
Wednesday, February 18 - Saturday, April 4, 2015.
-- Easter Sunday: April
5, 2015
1. TCR EDITORIAL – SOMETIMES I WANT TO HOLLER:
Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III
The 20th Editor of The
Christian Recorder
Advent
is a wonderful liturgical season, a precursor to Christmas, in which
Christians renew their spirits and contemplate the coming of Jesus Christ anew
into the world and into their lives.
And,
with all that’s happening in the world, it is fitting that we pause and reflect
on the coming of Jesus Christ, not only into the world, but into our personal
and spiritual lives.
Contemplation
on the coming of Christ is so important because wars and conflicts around the
world, earthquakes, floods and drought, HIV/AIDS, violence in every nation, and
the Ebola epidemic in West Africa are just a few of the major distractions
faced by Christians and non-Christians alike. Conflict, of one kind or
another, is present everywhere. So, I am excited and happy that this
season of Advent gives me a reason to reflect upon the presence of Christ. I truly do not understand how those without
Christ function in such a dysfunctional world and in dysfunctional
environments.
I
am reminded of the title of Nathan McCall's book, "Makes Me Wanna
Holler…" Sometimes I feel like
hollering and so I feel calm when I think about the goodness of God and
presence of Christ in my life, in the church and in the world.
But, sometimes, I
feel like hollering
I
felt like hollering when the Ferguson Grand Jury decision concerning Michael
Brown was announced. I wasn’t surprised; I felt like I knew what their decision
was going to be before it was announced. All one had to do was to look at the
history of what happens to policemen in the United States when they kill or
injure black males, young and old.
I
felt like hollering when I heard the prosecutor give the Ferguson Grand Jury
report. I wanted to holler that he sounded like a defense attorney.
I
felt like hollering when I found out about the demographic racial and ethnic
makeup of Ferguson with its majority black population; so few black policemen,
low black voter turnout for elections and what I suspect might be low voter
registration.
I
felt like hollering when it was disclosed that there are so few black policemen
in Ferguson. I suspect that their low presence might have had something to
do with discrimination and hopefully, not because qualified applicants did not
apply.
I
feel like hollering if the residents and demonstrators are content just to
march and raise a little “heck.” The
demonstrations in Ferguson are appropriate and I am also thankful for the
demonstrations in cities across the United States and abroad, but I want to
holler to the residents of Ferguson, “Register to vote and when elections are
held, vote!”
I
wanted to holler when I heard (12/3/14) that the grand jury in Staten Island
has decided not to indict New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo for his
actions in relation to the death of Eric
Garner, even though the officer is seen on video putting an apparent choke hold
on Garner.
I
felt like hollering when President Obama gave his speech on Immigration
Reform. I wanted to holler, “Right on!
It’s the right thing to do.”
I
wanted to holler at those who opposed President Obama’s Immigration Reform
speech. “Shut up and come up with a better plan. How do you propose to send 5
million or so folks back to their countries of origin? Why not give them
a path to citizenship? The United States is as great as it is, in a
large part, historically because of work of slaves and immigrants, both
documented and undocumented.
I
feel like hollering when I see “our young people” wasting their talents and
their dreams, instead of focusing on academics and hard work. I feel like hollering when our young people
are not given opportunities to excel in academics; instead they are encouraged
to excel in sports and other short-ranged enterprises.
I
feel like hollering when it looks like some of our adults are satisfied to let
the neighborhood idiots raise our children instead of taking a sturdy stand in
being strong and loving parents.
I
feel like hollering when I see the lack of involvement of some of our churches
in the communities in which they are located.
Some
of our pastors and churches seem to be primarily concerned with “getting their
praises on,” and by that, I mean getting a shout and praise and calling it
worship, with little, or no regard for what happens outside of the
building.
Some
pastors seem preoccupied with Sunday worship, Bible study, Prayer meeting, the
offerings and little else.
Some
pastors show little or no concern about visiting the sick and shut-in members
and little or no concern about what’s happening in the daily lives of
parishioners, and especially the youth.
Salaries,
budget and their pastoral assignments are their major concerns. When was the
last time your pastor visited the neighborhood school?
I
have heard of pastors who have never visited a single athletic event in which
one of their young parishioners participated. I asked a noted football player,
whose name I won’t mention, “How often did your pastor attend your high school
football games?” He looked at me
strangely and responded, “My pastor never attended any of my football games. He
never attended any of my award ceremonies and he didn’t attend my high school
graduation; of course we didn’t invite him to my graduation.”
I
felt like hollering to that football player, “Take me to your pastor so I can
“bless him out” for his failure to take advantage of some important pastoral
opportunities and responsibilities.”
I
want to holler when I hear about empty churches and pastors who complain about
folks not attending worship services. I
want to holler, “You have got to have some spiritual food and evidence that
you, at least, thought about what you were going to preach. A sermon is more
than a “hoop and a collar.”
In
the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other non-stop
shopping opportunities, I need time to focus upon the real reason for the
upcoming season of Christmas; and Advent helps me to spiritually focus my mind
and my spirit to what is important.
“O come, O come,
Emmanuel
And ransom captive
Israel
That mourns in
lonely exile here
Until the Son of
God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee,
O Israel.”
I
feel like hollering when pastors ignore the Advent season with its Advent and
Christ Candles.
One more comment
I am doing what I
recommend preachers to do – “Take some time for you.” The General Officers of
the African Methodist Episcopal Church will be attending their retreat this
weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wish
all of you could be there, but then that wouldn’t be a retreat. Please pray for
our safe travels.
-- Bible – Reading Challenge IX
This is a
head-up. I am planning to read the Bible
from Cover to Cover beginning January 1, 2015, which will be Challenge IX. I am inviting the readers and TCR subscribers to join me. I believe that I am going to do the 180-Day
Plan. The 90-Day or 360 Day plans are options.
I encourage you to
use the plan that you feel is best for you. If you follow the 90-Day Reading
Schedule, there is a Bible for that schedule.
If you choose to do either the 180 or 360 Day reading schedule, Email me
at chsydnor@bellsouth.net
and I will send you the 180 or 360 Day schedules. If you use one of these
reading schedules, I recommend you choose your Bible and mark off the days
before you start. I do not recommend the King James Version or the Message
Bible. I recommend the NIV or the NRSV
for ease of reading.
I surely would like
to have some company. As a matter of
fact, I welcome a lot of company to join us on this venture of Challenge IX.
2. LECTIONARY AND DAILY OFFICE RESOURCES:
If you are using
the Lectionary, we are now in Year B. If
you use the Daily Office for your daily devotions, use Year One.
If you have never
preached sermons using the Lectionary scriptures, you ought to try it. It will
sharpen your sermon preparation skills because preaching the Lectionary
Scriptures forces preachers to develop texts other than their favorite
texts.
4. TCR OP-ED - FEEL THE EBOLA CRISIS “UP
CLOSE AND FIRST-HAND” – CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE ON THE GROUND:
The
Christian Recorder is please to share messages exchanged between Bishop Clement
W. Fugh, Presiding Prelate of the 14th Episcopal District and two
pastors in the 14th Episcopal District. A “praise Report from Bishop Fugh is appended
at the end of the op-ed and following the “Praise Report” is information on how
we can donate to help alleviate and eradicate the Ebola crises. Donations can be made to the 14th
Episcopal District and to AME SADA (See information). We need prayer and we need financial
donations.
Message Exchange:
-
Bishop Clement W. Fugh
-
The Rev. Lois Gaye-Harding a minister (WIM) in the Sierra Leone Annual
Conference.
-
The Rev. Margaret Fadehan, a presiding elder and pastor in the Nigeria Annual
Conference.
-- On Wednesday,
December 3, the Rev. Lois Gaye-Harding, (WIM) Sierra Leone Annual Conference
wrote:
Dear
Bishop Fugh,
Thank
you for your support and concerns. Here
in Sierra Leone we have been attending training of trainers' workshop and with
such training a lot of sanitization has been going on in the churches. What we lack is the capacity to do community
mobilization as other churches are doing.
I personally am not interested in money; my concern is for us AMEs to
make an impact in the communities like other missions are doing. In times like these when families are been
wiped out, It is not only words of encouragement but also the AME Church coming
out to address challenges in the communities as a result of the Ebola
outbreak. This will be a tool of
evangelizing for us. We should be seen making
an impact in the communities.
Presently
Port Loko District has been quarantined and the town (Waterloo) near Newton
Village is highly infected with the virus.
However WIM members will be going to the Newton School sometime next
week to have knowledge of the effect of the Ebola outbreak in that
community. In all of these, we have hope
that God will see us through soon.
God
bless you all.
The
Rev. Lois Gaye-Harding, Sierra Leone Annual Conference
The dialogue below
was generated by Bishop Fugh's Message to the 14th Episcopal
District in October:
-- On Oct 16, 2014
9:07 p.m. Bishop Clement Fugh, Presiding
Prelate of the 14th Episcopal District wrote:
Greetings
All,
No
expression of concern can remove the trauma that I am sure our brothers and
sisters in West Africa are experiencing right now.
I
have tried to keep abreast of the developments in each of the countries in the
14th Episcopal District that are affected by the Ebola Virus. On two
separate occasions I have made funds available to the Sierra Leone Conference
through the Board of Directors. As funds
come in through the Connectional Appeal, they will be shared. Other areas in the 14th that are not as
gravely affected are welcome to wire funds to Sierra Leone in care of the Board
of Directors.
As
long as one among us hurts, we all feel the pain and pray for relief.
Clement
Fugh
Bishop
-- On Thu, Oct 16,
2014, the Rev. Margaret Fadehan, presiding elder and pastor in the Nigeria
Annual Conference wrote:
Dear
Sir/ Madam
Greetings
in the matchless name of Jesus!
This
morning, I received a text message from the Rev. Lois Gaye-Harding, Sierra
Leone and it broke my heart. Please see the text her message and my response.
"Dear Reverend, I am doing fine. Please, I
need advice concerning the Ebola effects in the livelihood of our people. Other
missions are providing logistics etc.
This is making impact. My dear,
entire families are wiped out. In some
instances the parents die living the children.
Port Loko, where we have a school and church, is badly affected by the
virus. The Ebola Virus is bad even in
the east where two of secondary schools are located. What will the mission do?"
I
called her not long after and she shared some of the challenges, particularly
some of the issues underlying the rapid spread of the virus- the hunger faced
by infected persons compelling them to break out the quarantined areas to look
for food thus spreading the disease further.
Sir,
what can we do to help? This is really a call for help.
The
Rev. Margaret Fadehan, Nigeria Annual Conference
-- On Friday, October
17, 2014 5:04 a.m., Margaret Fadehan, presiding elder and pastor in the Nigeria
Annual Conference wrote.
Thank
you so much Bishop Fugh for what has been done so far. Certainly, those of us
who have been spared by God's mercy are not sitting still. We are already
working on a few areas where we can support from our Annual Conference.
I
have also shared with the Rev. Lois Gaye-Harding some of the strategies the Rev
Dr. Katurah York Cooper has been using through HOPE, Inc. - the advocacy to
families and communities - teaching basic tips and providing some basic
supplies toward hindering the continued spread. This way church folk can serve
as gatekeepers and teach others to do same to curtail the spread. Christ love
is working on sponsoring a number of kits once the costs involved are received
today.
However,
I also know that with the global nature of our Church and the influence we
wield, AME-SADA could be of great help at this time, in accessing and getting
across disinfectants and some basic items to congregations and areas that are
hardest hit. That strength is one great opportunity we need to harness at this
time. So that apart from money, many who are willing to give supplies can do
same, and as a church we can use our influence to move these through the
structures being put in place globally to get help to our churches and the
communities they serve.
We
are confident that our God is in this fray with us and will certainly give us
victory. God bless.
The
Rev. Margaret Fadehan
-- Praise Report -
December 3, 2014
In
response to the Women's Missionary Society (WMS) and Connectional Lay
Organization (CLO) joint Connectional Appeal to assist with Ebola Relief in
West Africa through the purchase of "sanitation kits," together with
HOPE, Inc, we have exceeded our goal of providing 500 kits to the most at-risk
families. Though the threat continues to exists, you have made a positive
impact.
$10,000.00
has been donated to the Western West Africa Methodist Collaborative, a united
effort among the Methodist denominations serving the region whereby resources
are pooled, and then distributed where the need appears most dire.
Payments
of stipends for the last two quarters of ministers serving in Sierra Leone,
plus benevolence, have been made possible through your contributions. Our
pastors have been paid.
For
these, and all other acts of love and generosity on the part of AME's and the
larger Community, we extend heartfelt THANKS!
Bishop
Clement W. Fugh
14th
Episcopal District
Donations
-- 14th Episcopal District
Funds
can be sent to the 14th Episcopal District Office in Nashville, Tennessee. The 14th Episcopal District Office will then
forward funds to the AME Relief Team in Liberia that will administer the
project with assistance from HOPE, Inc., a non-governmental organization (NGO)
sponsored by Empowerment Temple AME Church in Monrovia, Liberia.
Payments
of Checks, Money Orders, and online via PayPal are all ways to respond.
Checks
and Money Orders can be mailed to:
14th
Episcopal District
512
8th Avenue South, Suite 103
Nashville,
TN 37203
Telephone:
(615) 744-6244
PayPal payments please
use the following link:
All
monies will go directly to securing the sanitation kits. Not only will we be helping our AME sisters
and brothers in West Africa, we will be providing a powerful witness for
Christ.
Bishop
Clement W. Fugh
-- AME-SADA
Individual
donations can be made directly on the AME-SADA website:
http://www.ame-sada.org/ and each donor
will be able to indicate his/her home district and organization. Alternatively, the funds can be collected
through the Episcopal District Offices are encouraged to collect funds and send
checks to AME-SADA, 1134 11th
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001.
An information fact sheet is enclosed.
Robert
Nicolas, Executive Director
Bishop
McKinley Young, Chair
5. TCR OP-ED-
RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION AT FERGUSON GRAND JURY DECISION:
*The Rev. Dr.
Joseph A. Darby
I’ve been accused
of being a prolific writer, and at least to some extent, I plead guilty. A clergy colleague once asked me what
inspired my writing, and one of the things I included as a source of
inspiration is righteous indignation.
I’ve found that one of my best means of processing outrageous situations
is to write about them. That led to this
column, written on the night when the news broke that Darren Wilson would not
be indicted for the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
I wasn’t surprised,
because indictments in America for police killings of black men are as scarce
as hen’s teeth. I thought of the many
times when today’s “police murders” have been deemed “justifiable.” I thought not only of Michael Brown, but of
Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida; Akai Gurley in Brooklyn, New York; Denzell
Curnell in Charleston, SC and the many other young black men whose lives were
cut short by what can only be described as racism in law enforcement.
I thought of the
predictable strife that followed the failure to indict - the expressions of
violence by people who have abandoned all hope of justice. I thought of what will no doubt be said in
numerous letters to the editor across America in the coming days by those who
can’t deal with the reality of white privilege - that those who question the
fairness of the decision in question are playing the “race card” and that black
folks should just accept the result and “get over it” - as usual.
I thought of all of
those things - and then I thought of the Reverend Renita Lampkin, the pastor of
Saint John African Methodist Episcopal Church in Saint Charles, Missouri. Reverend Lamkin has been “on the ground”
among the crowds since Michael Brown’s murder.
She stood and marched with those who were protesting, she was shot by a
rubber police bullet that left a horrific bruise while trying to calm an angry
crowd, and she was a major voice calling for calm before the predictable grand
jury result.
The Reverend Sister
Lamkin - she happens to be white, but I rejoice to call her “sister” -
epitomizes the best of what the AME Church has to offer and models what AME
clergy should be and do in the present age.
What’s frustrating is that in many ways, she’s the exception to the
rule.
Our Zion was born
not out of Theological disagreement, but out of our Founders’ belief that no
child of God should be relegated to “second class Christian status” because of
skin color. Our Zion was instrumental in
growing the Church in the south and educating newly freed slaves after the
Civil War, and many of our churches were stations on the Underground Railroad
before the Civil War. Our Zion was an
integral part of the 20th Century battle for Civil Rights. AME Clergy led marches and made their
churches the staging grounds for protest.
That’s our
honorable past, but our present pales in comparison. Too many of our churches today are caught up
in the need to be fashionably popular and are hardly discernable as AME
Churches when it comes to our work and worship.
Too many of our members only look for places to engage in “Holy Ghost
aerobics” on Sunday, buy into the lie that churches shouldn’t engage in
advocacy and only intersect with their surrounding communities by benign and
“acceptable” means - like food banks and clothes drives - instead of
questioning why there are still people in the 21st Century who can benefit from
food banks and clothes drives.
Too many of our
clergy limit their concerns to the size of their congregations, the spirit of
their worship, the capability of their choirs and the “style” of their sermons,
and are loathe to address issues of the day or confront the “powers that be” in
their communities, out of fear that they might no longer be the recipients of
their good will or financial largesse - some of them don’t even vote on
election day and don’t encourage their congregants to do so.
There’s a cure for
unjust travesties like the one that unfolded in Ferguson, Missouri, and that
cure lies in our going back to the “old landmarks” of our Zion and again being
prophetic rather than pragmatic.
We have a Christian
responsibility to confront and speak truth to power. We have a Christian responsibility to
register, educate and mobilize voters, for those who drove the unjust decision
in Ferguson, Missouri hold elected office and can be voted out when people of
good will stand up. We have a Christian
responsibility to go beyond the chicken and fish dinners we stage to “pay the
budget” and pursue the admonition by the Prophet Amos to let justice and
righteousness flow like unfettered streams.
When the African
Methodist Episcopal Church celebrated the bicentennial of the “Richard Allen
event” in 1987, we proclaimed ourselves to be a “liberating and reconciling
people.” As we approach the Bicentennial
of our Incorporation as a Denomination in 2016, we need to examine ourselves
and renew that noble proclamation - not just in word, but also in deed. We can then change every nation where our
Zion exists for the better, make it plain that injustice will no longer be
tolerated, move by the blessed unction of the Holy Spirit, and bring new life
to the words of the song of those who endured American slavery - “Walk
together, children, don’t you get weary, there’s a great camp meeting in the
promised land.”
More thoughts
And, a couple of
more thoughts on the day after an
insultingly dubious and slanted grand jury process yielded an outrageous but
predictable result - the finding of “no probable cause” to indict Ferguson,
Missouri police officer Darren Wilson in the murder of Michael Brown. That decision led to immediate protests -
some peaceful and some violent – that reflect ongoing frustration with a
criminal justice system that places no value on the lives of young black men.
The temptation when
justice is denied is to react with violence and to seek immediate results, but
the better course of action is Christian persistence in the pursuit of
justice. The Apostle Paul spoke of that
kind of persistence when he wrote to the church in Ephesus from the confines of
his Roman jail cell and urged those who would soon face persecution and injustice
to put on “The whole armor of God.”
Paul and the other
Apostles of the early church exemplified Christian persistence. They faced rejection by family and friends,
beatings and imprisonment by those in authority and the strong possibility that
they would be killed for doing the right thing, but - as Paul later said in his
last letter to his protégé Timothy - they fought the good fight, finished the
race and kept the faith, and because they did, the church that some tried to
kill in its infancy became and still is a world-wide institution.
As people of faith,
we must walk in the Apostles’ footsteps - even if it means taking the risk of
rejection and persecution for doing so.
We can’t simply give thanks for our blessings through short, routine
prayers - like the ones we offer on Thanksgiving Day - while ignoring those in
need and those subjected to injustice.
We must give thanks by taking up our crosses, putting on God’s armor,
speaking truth to power and working to change our communities, states, nation
and world for the better.
The Christian
journey is not a sprint - it’s a marathon.
When we commit to running that race and to fighting for justice with God
leading us, we can give thanks for our blessings and make a difference by what
we do for others.
We can do so with
the assurance that those who wore slavery’s chains and endured Jim Crow
segregation were right, “The Lord don’t like ugly,” and with the determination
that led James Weldon Johnson to pen the words, “God of our weary years, God of
our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by
Thy might led us onto the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray.”
*The
Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Darby is the Presiding Elder of the Beaufort District of the
South Carolina Annual Conference.
6. TCR OP-ED
- NEWS FROM THE THIRD: SAVE
WILBERFORCE NOW FUND:
*The
Rev. Dr. Taylor T. Thompson
On
Monday, November 17, 2014, the Connectional Church gathered in Nashville,
Tennessee for CONVO XVI.
The
focus in the Monday evening session was on education and Bishop Jeffrey Leath,
President of the Bishops’ Council opened the discussion on Wilberforce
University at the request of the Rev. Dr. Taylor T. Thompson of the 3rd
Episcopal District.
A
letter from Dr. Jayme Coleman Williams, Trustee Emeritus of the Wilberforce
University Board of Directors was read. Bishop McKinley Young, Presiding Bishop
of the Third Episcopal District of the AME Church and Chancellor of Wilberforce
University talked about the critical needs of Wilberforce University at this
time.
Wilberforce
university funds needed to save the accreditation
Wilberforce
University received a show cause notice: this is the final warning and step
before the institution looses its accreditation. If action is not taken immediately, Wilberforce
will loose it accreditation. The
show-cause report must be written and submitted to the higher learning
commission by December 15, 2014. The
institution must tell or demonstrate what it has done to correct the cited
deficiencies. The institution cannot
talk about future plans, but the things must be done now.
The
accreditation site visit is on February 2-4, 2015. In order for criteria five (5) of the show
cause report to be written, documentation must be provided that the eight (8)
buildings have been renovated, and the indebtedness has been reduced.
An
infusion of $20,000,000 in cash would increase Wilberforce’s fiscal fragility
score from .65 to +2.2 on a 3.0 scale.
We
are thankful for the tremendous response to Wilberforce University from the
African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Connectional Meeting in Nashville,
Tennessee, November 17-18, 2014.
The
Rev. Dr. Ann Lightner Fuller and Bishop Robert V. Webster led the way with the
first gifts to the "Save Wilberforce
University Now Fund." We are grateful to all who joined in this
initial step:
Bishop
John R. Bryant, $1,000.00
Bishop
Robert V. Webster, $1,000.00
Bishop
Earl McCloud, $1,000.00
Bishop
Richard Norris, $2,500.00
Bishop
Carolyn Guidry, $1,000.00
The
Connectional WMS, $10,000.00
The
Connectional RAYAC, $1,000.00
The
Rev. Dr. Darryl Ingram, $1,000.00
The
Rev. Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, $500.00
The
Rev. Dr. Theresa Fry Brown, $500.00
The
Rev. Dr. Ann Lightner-Fuller, $1,000.00
First
AME, Oakland, CA, $502.71
St.
James AME, Newark, the Rev. Dr. Ronald Slaughter, $3,000.00
North
Chicago District, the Rev. A.D. Tyson, $1,000.00
South
District Chicago Conference, the Rev. Thomas Hughes, $1,000.00
The
Rev. Dr. Constance W. Evans, $1,000.00
The
Rev. Ronnie E. Brailsford, $500.00
The
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Robinson, $1,000.00
The
Rev. Dr. Caesar Richburg, $800.00
The
Rev. Donald Newberry, Jr., $500.00
The
Rev. Dr. Taylor Thompson, $1,000.00
Seventh
Episcopal District, $25,000.00
Tenth
Episcopal District, $15,000.00
Thirteenth
District, $7,000.00
Fourteenth
District, $2,500.00
Third
District WMS/Phase II, $1,000.00
St.
Paul AME Columbus, Ohio, $2,500.00
Total: $85,802.71
Thank
you and we look forward to the continuing support of our sister churches and
friends across African Methodism to the Mother institution of higher education,
Wilberforce University.
*The
Rev. Dr. Taylor T. Thompson is the pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Columbus,
Ohio
7. THE COUNCIL OF BISHOPS AME CHURCH STATEMENT ON THE
GRAND JURY DECISION ON THE KILLING OF MICHAEL BROWN:
The Council of
Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church joins with many others in
expressing our disappointment and frustration with the failure of the grand
jury in St. Louis County, Missouri to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson in
the August 9th killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Our concern is not
merely with the decision of the grand jury, but also with the lack of
objectivity and fairness on the part of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and St.
Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch.
The Council of
Bishops protests the grand jury’s decision and the manner in which this case
has been handled. We cannot accept this decision silently or without response.
Our cry is about more than Michael Brown and Ferguson, Missouri. Black
citizens, and all who live in the United States, deserve fair, sensitive
service from law enforcement as we encourage and appreciate those officers of
the law who risk their lives to justly protect our communities. Moreover, our
judicial system should be one of integrity, placing justice in everyone’s
reach.
As we join those
who seek justice beyond this grand jury’s decision, we call upon protesters to
be peaceful and non-violent. Protesters must not give credibility to those who
anticipate looting, violence and destruction. We must show a more excellent
way.
It is also
important that the grand jury’s decision is not the last word as it relates to
the continued killing of young black people. The last word must be the success
of God’s justice and our determination to learn from our tragedies, to draw
closer to each other and to value ourselves. We must work to end violence in
our communities by committing to expect the best of each other and having each
other’s back.
Through our protest,
the Council of Bishops calls those of us who call the United States of America
“home” to repent and challenges us all to acknowledge that racial and
racialized class injustices continue to mar the moral character of our nation.
While we protest, let us pray for our country, the Brown Family and each other.
We are people of faith, and we will keep the faith, even in these disappointing
and frustrating times.
We call upon the
congregants of our Zion and community to be in prayer, both personally and
collectively, and to recommit ourselves to justice and the work of our Lord’s
kingdom on earth.
Faithfully,
Jeffrey N. Leath,
President
The Council of
Bishops
Much of this
statement comes through Bishop Reginald T. Jackson and the Social Action
Commission of the AME Church. For a more complete presentation/discussion on
this matter please go to our Social Action website: http://www.ame-sac.com
8. THE AMEC SOCIAL ACTION COMMISSION STATEMENT ON GRAND
JURY DECISION IN KILLING OF MICHAEL BROWN:
The Social Action
Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church joins with many others
across the nation in expressing disappointment and frustration with the failure
of the grand jury in St. Louis County, Missouri to bring an indictment against
Police officer Darren Wilson in the August 9th killing of unarmed teenager
Michael Brown. Let us be clear, our disappointment and frustration is not with
the members of the grand jury, but with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and St. Louis
County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch. Because of the ties of family members
and other connections with police, Gov. Nixon was asked and urged to appoint a
special prosecutor to handle this matter, but he refused. Clearly, there were
questions of objectivity and independence raised to the governor, but he
brushed them aside and allowed the county prosecutor to pursue this matter.
St. Louis County
Prosecutor McCulloch from the very beginning has mishandled this case. The
purpose of the grand jury is not to decide guilt or innocence, but only to
determine whether or not there is probable cause to send the case to trial.
Ninety nine percent of the time a prosecutor will present a case to the grand
jury and suggest the charge or charges they are pursuing and the grand jury
will agree. In this case the prosecutor simply gave all the information to the
grand jury without explanation and without seeking charges, but left all
decisions to the grand jury. This is
highly unusual. The best and fairest decision for the prosecutor would have
been to forego the grand jury, and send the matter to trial, where Officer
Brown would be ensured of due process. We do not convict Officer Wilson, he may
be innocent of anything wrong or illegal, but only a trial can determine that,
and the grand jury has decided that will not happen. Because of this, Officer
Wilson fairly or unfairly is guilty in the eyes of many in this country,
particularly Blacks.
This grand jury had
no credibility whatsoever. Grand jury proceedings are supposed to be
confidential, yet we read in the New York Times, Washington Post, other
newspapers, on television and other social media the proceedings in the grand
jury, all favorable to Officer Wilson. Now the grand jury’s decision not to
indict Officer Wilson has further divided an already divided and polarized
nation. This decision by the grand jury is about more than Michael Brown, it is
about the lack of value and loss of life of so many young blacks, particularly
males, who are unarmed and killed by law enforcement and others under the guise
of “standing their ground.” This lack of indictment is a continuation of no one
being held accountable and justifying the claim of those who kill blacks saying
they “feared for their lives.” Indeed as
County Prosecutor McCulloch
The Social Action
Commission supports those who protest the grand jury’s decision. This decision
cannot be accepted silently or without response. We expect and the nation
should not be surprised that there will be protest across the country. This is
about more than Michael Brown and Ferguson, Missouri. The killing of young
blacks is a national problem, and this does not excuse or ignore blacks killing
blacks, which we also abhor and work to seek to end. While we support those who
protest this grand jury’s decision, we call upon protesters to be peaceful and
non-violent. Protesters must not give credibility to those who expect
protesters to loot and rob, to be violent and destructive. We must show those
who expect the worse of us a more excellent way.
It is also
important that the grand jury’s word fail to be the last word as it relates to
the continued killing of young blacks. The last word must be our determination
to learn from our tragedies, to draw closer to each other and to value
ourselves. This includes ending the cycle of blacks killing blacks, of us
committing to expect the best of each other and having each other’s back.
Through our protest let us call the nation to repentance, and challenge it to
come out of denial about our unresolved issue with race. While we protest let
us pray for our nation, the Brown family and each other. We are people of
faith, and we will keep the faith, even in these disappointing and frustrating
times.
We call upon the
African Methodist Episcopal Church to be in prayer, both personally and
collectively and to recommit ourselves to justice and the work of our Lord’s
kingdom on earth.
Bishop Reginald T.
Jackson
Chair, The AMEC
Social Action Commission
9. THE SECOND EPISCOPAL DISTRICT WOMEN IN MINISTRY PRAY OUT:
*The Rev. Dr. Joan
L. Wharton
The Second
Episcopal District Women in Ministry PRAY
OUT for the Grand Jury Failure to Indict Officer Darren Wilson for Shooting
Unarmed African American Teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on
August 9, 2014.
We send our
condolences to the Brown family, for the loss of their beloved son and loved
one, Michael Brown. We thank God for their strength and integrity during this
very challenging time.
We also commend the
Brown family and other faith and community leaders for taking the peaceful and
nonviolent approach. While we pray for our young men and boys of color, we pray
for a police department that outwardly disregards human life.
We Pray Out O God for a fairer and more
justified system. Christians all over must stand in solidarity as we protest in
peaceful prayer knowing that God will hear us!
Yes justice has
been denied, the Second Episcopal District Women in Ministry Pray Out for the lives of our Ferguson
sons here and our Ferguson sons yet unborn be covered in the Blood of Jesus!
While an inducement
did not take place, we will continue to Pray Out against police brutality and
police neglecting to protect people of every race and background.
We will Pray Out against this contagious and
infectious shooting of unarmed African American boys and men!
We Pray Out for the healing of this Nation
as we stand together on nonviolent protests and a better criminal justice
system.
In Jesus Name,
Amen!
*The Rev. Dr. Joan
L. Wharton is the President of the 2nd Episcopal District Women in Ministry!
10. NOVEMBER 2014 AND FERGUSON: WHAT DO WE DO NOW:
Since our founding
in 1787, the ministry of social action has been at our core. When the United States invaded Haiti in the
early 20th Century, the AME Church spoke up and demanded justice. During the Civil Rights movement, the
leadership of the AME Church advocated for mass involvement while the majority
of historically Black denominations blanched at the prospect of direct
action. We also prided ourselves in
agitating for United States healthcare reform through working closely with the
Obama administration. The aftermath of
the recent November 2014 national elections and ongoing outcry for justice in
the Michael Brown case should cause us as a Church to pause and reevaluate how we
exercise our social justice ministry.
It is clear that
AME clergy and laity are at the forefront in issues of local concern. A cursory look at the AME newsfeed on Google
shows town forums and public hearings held in our churches as well as local
clergy and lay leaders periodically cited addressing salient issues. As a Connectional Church, we have a
structure that should allow for international support to be given so that local
activists should not feel alone and members across the Church should feel
informed and empowered to act. Whenever
a “significant” event occurs, we are guaranteed to hear a statement from the
Council of Bishops. Especially since 2008, the Commission on Social Action has
issued timely bulletins and emails on a variety of issues. As a prelude to the 2014 elections, the
Connectional call for “Freedom Sunday” to be observed combined with tangible
resources for congregations demonstrated how our network can diffuse vital
information.
But, can the AME
Church do more aside from publishing statements and putting out circulars
encouraging persons to vote? An AME
minister on Facebook bluntly stated, “The polls are closed in Ferguson. What do we do now?” It is clear that while our local “ground
game” will be in tune to salient issues, our Connectional entities at times lag
in response and action. Additionally,
our tendency to emphasize voting over other means of civic engagement is
problematic. Telling persons to “go to
the polls” in a vacuum without civic education regarding the issues and
engagement with the relevant authorities does not serve to keep interest after
the “horse race” is over. Sustained
engagement is key to social action.
At the recent
CONVO, Social Action Director Jackie Dupont-Walker voiced her concern that
while the AME Church has been recognized in the United States as having one of
the most effective social action programs in historically black denominations,
we are far from the robust program that our creed and history dictate we should
have. The Commission is not fully
organized across the Connectional Church (Part VII, Sec. III, C) and it is
woefully underfunded—having less than $12,000 per annum. The next time we ask ourselves: “Why is our
institutional response slow?” or “Where are the congregational resources to
educate and inform our communities?” or "Where is our voice on
international issues?" we should immediately ask “Is the AME Church
investing enough in Social Action?”
As we border on 200
years as a denomination, it is time for us to go back to basics and critically
examine where our true emphasis is and where we need to invest our time and
energy. We can no long simply give lip
service to “Social Action.”
The AME Social
Action Commission website is http://www.ame-sac.com.
For detailed work
on the AME Church and political engagement see "Politics in the Pews"
by Eric McDaniel.
John Thomas III is
a Graduate Student in the Department of Political Science at the University of
Chicago and a member of the General Board.
11. NAACP IS DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED A MISSOURI GRAND JURY
OPTED NOT TO INDICT OFFICER DARREN WILSON:
BALTIMORE, MD –
Tonight, a St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict Officer Darren
Wilson, 28, for the shooting and killing of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown,
Jr. In light of this decision, the NAACP has released the following statement.
From Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President and CEO:
“The NAACP stands
with citizens and communities who are deeply disappointed that the grand jury
did not indict Darren Wilson for the tragic death of Michael Brown, Jr. We
stand committed to continue our fight against racial profiling, police
brutality and the militarization of local authorities. The death of Michael
Brown and actions by the Ferguson Police Department is a distressing symptom of
the untested and overaggressive policing culture that has become commonplace in
communities of color all across the country.
We will remain steadfast in our fight to pass the End Racial Profiling
federal legislation. And we stand in
solidarity with peaceful protesters and uphold that their civil rights not be
violated as both demonstrators and authorities observe the “rules of
engagement.” The grand jury’s decision
does not mean a crime was not committed in Ferguson, Missouri, nor does it mean
we are done fighting for Michael Brown, Jr. At this difficult hour, we commend
the courage and commitment of Michael Brown's family, as well as local and
national coalition partners."
###
Founded in 1909,
the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights
organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the
premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and
our five “Game Changer” issue areas: http://www.naacp.org/pages/game-changers
12. NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN CLERGY NETWORK DENOUNCES
GRAND JURY FAILURE TO INDICT OFFICER DARREN WILSON:
The National
African American Clergy Network denounces the grand jury's failure to indict
police officer Darren Wilson for shooting unarmed African American teenager,
Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9, 2014. Clergy leaders, once again, send their
condolences to the Brown family, for the loss of their beloved son and brother,
Michael Brown. We thank God for helping them maintain their strength and
dignity during this very difficult time for their family and community.
We would also like
to commend the Brown family and other young Ferguson faith and community
leaders for taking the "high road" of encouraging peaceful,
nonviolent protest. They consistently
urged calm in the midst of the storm of a police department that operates in
blatant disregard of human life, particularly the lives of boys and young men
of color. While we hoped that the grand jury would have issued an indictment;
nonetheless, we laud faith leaders across the nation who stand in solidarity
with young Ferguson community leaders in ongoing peaceful protests for a fair
and accountable justice system.
Although justice
has been denied in this case, the National African American Clergy Network
recognizes that too many "Fergusons" are taking place across America,
claiming the lives of too many young Michael Browns. While Officer Wilson was
unfortunately not indicted, we recognize that our journey on the road to
justice continues. Thus, we will continue to fight police lawlessness,
brutality and police officers who neglect their duty to protect citizens of
every race and background.
We use this tragedy
to once again highlight the fact that the epidemic of police shootings of
unarmed African American boys and men must stop! Failure to indict yet another police officer
for killing another unarmed Black child sends the message that police need not
fear indictment when shooting people of color.
Given this reality, it is imperative in the days ahead, that faith
leaders of diverse backgrounds continue partnering with young community leaders
on nonviolent protests against these and other injustices. We also encourage
increased bridge-building efforts, recognizing it as a vital step toward
healing communities like Ferguson.
Finally, we view
this tragedy as a call to civic engagement--- one of the most powerful ways to
resolve the issue of police misconduct, brutality and criminal justice system
inequality. Voting and supporting
candidates committed to policing reform is one of the most effective ways to
translate our beliefs into action. So at the next election, including off year
2015 elections, we encourage all who care about a justice system that values
all life, to lift up our voices, register, and vote!
Dr. Barbara
Williams-Skinner
Dr. T. DeWitt
Smith, Jr.
Co-Chairs
National African
American Clergy Network
13. GETEQUAL
RESPONDS TO FERGUSON DECISION:
Calls
Non-Indictment "Disgusting and Outrageous" and Calls for a
"System of Justice We Can All Believe In"
WASHINGTON, DC --
Tonight GetEQUAL -- a national grassroots social justice organization working
toward the full equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer
(LGBTQ) Americans -- released the following statement regarding the Ferguson
non-indictment:
"Tonight's
news from Ferguson is disgusting and outrageous. The profiling and murder of
Michael Brown -- and the violation of the human and civil rights of Ferguson
residents that has followed and that still continues -- shine a light into the
deep racism and criminalization that many Americans experience every day.
"The decision
to not indict Officer Darren Wilson is yet another example of the devaluation
of black lives that occurs each day in cities and towns across the United
States. The State Policies and institutions that not only allow but that permit
the profiling, harassment, and unjust treatment of any human being --
regardless of who they are, where they live, what they look like, or who they
love -- are an affront to the values this country espouses. Tonight we saw that
the system of law and order in which we have been taught to trust is, again,
unworthy of our trust.
"We call on
leaders at every level of government -- from the halls of state legislatures to
the Department of Justice, and from the U.S. Congress to President Obama
himself -- to speak openly and honestly about the institutional racism present
within the criminal justice system, to actively address it with clear and
actionable steps, and to finally create a system of justice that we can all
believe in.
"The GetEQUAL community is dedicated to
fighting for justice -- and we stand firm with those in Ferguson and beyond who
are fighting back against a system that is actively criminalizing our
communities.
"Our struggles
are not the same, but they are connected. The policies and institutions that
give permission to lock up and dehumanize queer black and brown folks are the
same policies and institutions that give police officers the right to kill
unarmed black men and women without recourse. We stand with families,
organizers, and activists in Ferguson in their sadness and anger, and echo
their calls for justice and reform in Ferguson and across the country. We are
committed to protesting together, building a grassroots movement together, and
doing the ongoing work of dismantling these unjust institutions together."
GetEQUAL is a national grassroots organization
whose mission is to empower the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer
(LGBTQ) community and our allies to take bold action to demand full legal and
social equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way. For more
information go to www.getequal.org. You
can also follow GetEQUAL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/getequal or on Twitter
at @GetEQUAL.
*Media Contact:
Angela Peoples, Co-Director - angela@getequal.org,
202-553-0271
14. BLACK ACTIVISTS COMMENT ON FERGUSON GRAND JURY
DECISION
St.
Louis/Washington - After a grand jury chose not to indict Ferguson police
officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death last August of local resident
Michael Brown, members of the Project 21 black leadership network are speaking
out about the ruling, what it means for the black community and how protesters
might redirect their energies to find some redemption from the loss.
“Now that we have a
grand jury decision, may the process of healing begin in earnest,” said Project
21 member Stacy Washington, a St. Louis resident who hosts a local radio talk
show. “I truly hope for a refocus of protest energy towards reflection and away
from blaming the police for the difficulties facing black Americans today. We
must begin to look at improving ourselves instead of blaming groups of others
for endemic problems that plague the black community. May God grant the Brown
family peace and closure.”
“The grand jury’s
decision shows that facts do matter,” said Project 21 member Joe R. Hicks, a
former executive director or the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference and Los Angeles City Human Rights Commission.
“From the inception — and despite the hyperbolic rhetoric from national black
leaders, local protesters and political opportunists of all stripes — my
position was that the facts and a thorough investigation would tell the story
of what happened on that street between teenager Michael Brown and Officer
Darren Wilson. Now that Officer Wilson’s actions have been deemed within the
scope of a lawful police response to the dangerous actions of Mr. Brown, it’s
now important to watch how the so-called black leadership responds. Will they
irresponsibly reject the decision, along with the facts it revealed, and
continue to claim that Brown was the murder victim of a racist white cop? To what
extent will Ferguson protesters defy the orders of authorities for lawful
behavior? We don’t need a replay of the violent, pathological riots we saw on
the streets of that small suburb of St. Louis.”
“It amazes me that
there are so many who dismissed the fact that Michael Brown robbed a
convenience store and attacked a police officer prior to being killed,” said
Project 21 member Michael Dozier, Ph.D “Once again, the black community largely
turned a blind eye to the real issues affecting the very lives of our youths.
Black-on-black crime is an epidemic and thousands of black children are
brutally killed every year, yet we do not see the Al Sharptons or Jesse
Jacksons protesting their deaths. The President doesn’t proclaim their lives
would reflect the life of a son he never had. The black community needs to stop
with the excuses and victimization and stop allowing antagonists to come into
their communities to promote their own agendas.”
"Now that the
grand jury has rendered a decision, people on both sides can now peacefully
debate the result. The decision does not give anyone the right to engage in
property destruction, physical assaults and general chaos if they don’t agree
with that decision,” said Project 21 member Kevin Martin. “The grand jury looked
at all the evidence, and it surely did its best to render a judgment respectful
of all parties. It is long past the time for those who might seek to use
violence to achieve an outcome to decamp from Ferguson and allow the community
to heal.”
Since August,
Project 21 previously issued six press releases and posted numerous
news-related blog entries addressing the death of Michael Brown and related
events. Project 21 members have already completed over 150 radio and television
interviews on the death of Michael Brown and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri and
been mentioned by Cal Thomas in his nationally-syndicated column. Several
Project 21 members have visited the area in the wake of the initial rioting,
and two members live in the immediate area and another is currently there to
chronicle events as they unfold.
Additionally,
Project 21 member were interviewed or cited by the media over 1,500 other times
in 2014 – including TVOne, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Fox News Channel,
Westwood One, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sirius XM satellite radio and the
50,000-watt radio stations WBZ-Boston, WHO-Des Moines, KDKA-Pittsburgh,
KOA-Denver and WJR-Detroit – on issues that include civil rights, entitlement
programs, the economy, race preferences, education and corporate social
responsibility. Project 21 has participated in cases before the U.S. Supreme
Court regarding race preferences and voting rights, defended voter ID laws at
the United Nations and provided regular commentary during the Trayvon Martin
judicial proceedings in 2013. Its volunteer members come from all walks of life
and are not salaried political professionals.
Project 21, a
leading voice of black conservatives for over two decades, is sponsored by the
National Center for Public Policy Research (http://www.nationalcenter.org).
15. SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER COMMENTS ON FERGUSON
GRAND JURY DECISION:
*Richard Cohen
Should a state
grand jury have indicted Officer Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown in
Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9? What’s publicly known, of course, suggests that
there was probable cause to believe that a crime occurred. But we’re in no
position to second-guess a group of citizens who have had access to much more
information than we have had.
What we can say,
however, is that the events in Ferguson have made vivid just how wide the gulf
is between the police and those who are policed in so many communities in our
country. It’s a gulf that’s been formed by the history of discrimination in our
country, a gulf that has been deepened by the systemic biases in our current
criminal justice system. It’s a gulf that breeds suspicion and mistrust, a gulf
that undermines the very legitimacy of our system of justice.
A federal grand
jury may yet indict Officer Wilson. Further, the Department of Justice may file
a “pattern or practice” lawsuit against the Ferguson Police Department. But
until we reform the criminal justice system in our country and heal the racial
wounds of the past, there will be more Fergusons.
In the coming days,
we hope that everyone listens to the plea of Michael Brown’s father for cooler
heads to prevail.
*Richard Cohen is
the President of the Southern Poverty Law Center
16. CLERGY LEADERS VOW CONTINUED ORGANIZING SUPPORT FOR
YOUTH ACTIVISTS SEEKING JUSTICE FOR MIKE BROWN…:
Washington, DC-- In
response to today’s grand jury decision against charging White Ferguson police
officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting death of 18-year-old
African-American youth Michael Brown, faith leaders with the PICO National
Network released the following statement:
“Today’s decision
is deeply disappointing, but it comes as no surprise. It is another
unconscionable blow to the St. Louis community and the communities of color
across America who have suffered through painful patterns of police abuses,
discrimination and aggressive policing tactics at the expense of human life.
Our children, our brothers and sisters, our loved ones have died at the hands
of unrepentant law enforcement right in front of our eyes and enough is enough.
“Not indicting
Officer Darren Wilson highlights a clear pattern of injustice and sends this
community a message: the Ferguson Police Department and St. Louis County
officials do not value Black lives. Michael Brown’s body was riddled with
bullets and left lying in the street for more than four hours. The police
response to a grieving and traumatized community was shocking and shameful:
tear-gassing peaceful protesters, selective arrests, violations of the
constitutional right to free speech and assembly, pointing military-grade
weapons at unarmed young people, running police cars over Brown’s memorial,
using dogs to intimidate community members, even urinating on the site of the
shooting. In America, this should be a disgrace and does not look like the will
of God.”
“The unwillingness
to hold a public trial of Darren Wilson is rightfully seen as a moral failure
and a reflection of a biased judicial system that dehumanizes and devalues the
lives of Black youth. St. Louis County Prosecutor McCulloch took a standard
process designed to protect the public by determining whether there was
probable cause in a murder case, and turned it into a charade to protect Darren
Wilson from public accountability. In
the face of this denial of justice, we say, Black lives do matter and as people
of faith who stand on God’s word to love each other, we will not stand for the
dehumanization of any of God’s children.”
“We are here to
support peaceful protesters against another round of heavy-handed police
violence. We are here to urge Governor Nixon, President Obama and Attorney
General Holder to use all their powers to de-escalate the militarized police
response to non-violent demonstrations.
We are here to call on the Department of Justice to charge Officer
Wilson for violating Michael Brown’s civil rights, as well as oversee
negotiations between local community organizations, local faith leaders and law
enforcement officials and require all St. Louis County law enforcement agencies
follow the rules of engagement set up by its taxpaying residents.”
“As people of
faith, we have a moral obligation to demand justice for the Mike Browns in this
world and to stand firm for human dignity, respect and peace when people are
being abused. Justice requires action and GOD requires justice. We are
committed to standing with the community of Ferguson and its courageous youth
as an extension of our religious ministries.”
PICO National
Network is the largest grassroots, faith-based organizing network in the United
States. PICO works with 1,000 religious congregations in more than 200 cities
and towns through its 60 local and state federations. PICO and its federations
are non-partisan and do not endorse or support candidates for office. PICO
urges people of faith to consult their faith traditions for guidance on
specific policies and legislation. Learn more at www.piconetwork.org.
17. ACLU COMMENT ON FERGUSON GRAND JURY DECISION:
ST. LOUIS, Mo. —
The grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., has declined to indict Ferguson Police Officer
Darren Wilson on charges in the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown. The
following is reaction from Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the American
Civil Liberties Union of Missouri:
"The grand
jury's decision does not negate the fact that Michael Brown's tragic death is
part of an alarming national trend of officers using excessive force against
people of color, often during routine encounters. Yet in most cases, the
officers and police departments are not held accountable. While many officers
carry out their jobs with respect for the communities they serve, we must
confront the profound disconnect and disrespect that many communities of color
experience with their local law enforcement.
"The ACLU will
continue to fight for racial justice. We must end the prevailing policing
paradigm where police departments are more like occupying forces, imposing
their will to control communities. This 'us vs. them' policing antagonizes
communities by casting a blanket of suspicion over entire neighborhoods, often
under the guise of preventing crime.
"To build
trust, we need a democratic system of policing where our communities have an
equal say in the way their neighborhoods are policed. Collaboration;
transparency, and communication between police and communities around the
shared goals of equality, fairness, and public safety, is the path
forward."
More information is
at: https://www.aclu.org/aclu-response-ferguson
18. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES STATEMENT ON FERGUSON
GRAND JURY DECISION:
Washington, DC: The
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA expresses its deep
disappointment with the decision of the grand jury, sitting in Clayton,
Missouri, not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the murder of Michael Brown.
An indictment would
not have been a conviction or a judgment of Officer Wilson’s guilt; rather, it
would have permitted him to be tried before a jury of his peers where his
innocence or guilt would have been appropriately decided. Without an indictment
it now seems unlikely that justice will be done.
Nevertheless, we
reiterate our call in this time of serious tension for the city of Ferguson and
its citizens, law enforcement officials, justice-seekers, and others to respond
in a nonviolent manner. We join with Michael Brown’s father’s plea that
protests not become violent.
All hope is not
lost. We will not forget Michael Brown nor cease to advocate for justice to be
carried out in the matter of his death.
His death has helped galvanize across the country a moral will to address
the crisis our country faces in the systemic marginalization of young men of
color.
Recall the words of
Jesus, “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day
and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly
grant justice to them.” (Luke 18:7-8, NRSV)
We are especially
thankful to the churches and faith community in the St. Louis, Missouri who
have declared themselves to be ‘sanctuary churches’ and ‘sacred spaces’ as well
as to many others who continue to advocate for justice and peace. Many of these
churches and individuals are part of our member communions. We surround them
with prayer and love.
See also: National
Council of Churches issues statement on the upcoming grand jury action in
Ferguson, MO
19. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES WELCOMES NEW RULES ON
IMMIGRATION:
Washington, DC: The
National Council of Churches (NCC) welcomes President Obama’s announcement of
new steps on immigration stated in his speech on the night of Thursday,
November 20, 2011. The President's proposals will make life better for millions
of immigrants who are exploited and live in fear of deportation. Still, less
than half of the undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. will benefit from
the changes announced by the President.
The NCC has long
stood for the rights of immigrants. In
1952 the NCC stated its concern for displaced peoples in the aftermath of World
War II, from Soviet rule, and in Korea. Ten years later the NCC formulated the understanding
that has stood ever since:
“...all persons,
including migrants, immigrants and refugees, are endowed with God-given dignity
and worth, and that all in need must be viewed through the eyes of Christ.
Christians have a unique motivation to participate, both corporately and individually,
in the struggle for justice, human rights, and the-alleviation of suffering. As
people redeemed by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and incorporated
into Christ's Body, the Church, Christians are freed and called to serve their
neighbors in the worldwide human family.”
“While we welcome
President Obama’s announcement, we wish to see more,” said Jim Winkler, NCC
General Secretary. “Comprehensive immigration reform has been debated since the
presidency of George W. Bush and Congress has repeatedly failed to move it
forward. It’s simply not something we can wait on any longer.”
NCC President Roy
Medley stated, “The creation of a more just system is within the reach of our
government, and the failure to move reform through Congress seems to have
required the President to act on his own.
What we really need is this broken system to be fixed. That’s why we call upon Congress to move
bipartisan reform forward now.”
20. REMEMBERING THE PRAYER WARRIOR
*The Reverend
Sayaunda Casey is an Associate Minister at Bethel AME Church in San Antonio,
Texas
On November 16,
2014, during the 11 a.m. worship service, the Pastor, officers and members of
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church - San Antonio, along with a host of
friends and well wishers praised and honored Almighty God in the dedication
naming of its sanctuary. From henceforth the place of prayer, praise and
worship at Bethel - San Antonio is known as The Sarah Frances Davis Sanctuary
in memory of the Bethel’s beloved former pastor; the 126th elected and
consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the third
woman elected to the Episcopacy of our Zion.
Bishop Sarah, as
she is affectionately known, served as pastor of Bethel-San Antonio from May,
1997 to August, 2004. She was lovingly known as Pastor Davis. During her tenure
at Bethel, Pastor Davis set a standard of excellence, leadership, commitment
and spirituality in the areas of prayer, praise, preaching and teaching. Dr. W.
Raymond Bryant, the current pastor of Bethel, served with then Pastor Davis
throughout the 10th District and thought it appropriate to remember his friend
and co-laborer. Immediately following Bishop Sarah’s passing, Dr. Bryant led
the way along with the members of Bethel to consider how the congregation
should pay tribute to this awesome servant and handmaiden of God at her last
pastoral appointment. It was in the sanctuary that Pastor Davis led the people
in spirit-filled worship. She could be seen standing at the door during praise
and worship with lifted hands preparing to enter the sanctuary with
thanksgiving and praise. The sanctuary was the place of singing, dancing,
teaching, preaching and revival that compelled the people to be transformed by
the renewing of their minds. It was in the sanctuary during an 11 a.m. worship
service that God gave her and she immediately announced the vision that Bethel
would build what is now known as the Beasley-Brown Community Center. It was the
routine to meet Pastor Davis in the sanctuary on Wednesday morning at 6 am as the prayer warriors gathered to
lift up to God the concerns of the congregation, the needs of others and the
AME Church at large. Because of all these things and her strong devotion to
prayer, the building of a strong and vibrant prayer ministry, and the memory of
her praying at the altar with people of every walk of life the congregation
believed that the sanctuary should be named in her honor.
Those present for
the dedication service included Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie via live video.
Bishop McKenzie greeted the congregation and praised God for Bishop Sarah’s
life and legacy and encouraged the members to continue to walk in that spirit.
Supervisor Claytie Davis, Jr., former first gentleman of Bethel and Dr. Carol
T. Mitchell, sister of Bishop Davis, attended and participated in the service.
Several of Bishop Sarah’s children in the ministry were also in attendance,
along with Donald Davis, brother of Supervisor Claytie Davis, Jr., Carl Davis
from Wesley A.M.E. Church Houston, Texas and other close friends and family.
During the worship
service Pastor Bryant preached from Matthew 25: 14-30 and encouraged the well
attended congregation to use their talents and gifts from God, as did Bishop
Sarah. The Annie E. Hunt Missionary Society presented Supervisor Claytie Davis,
Jr., with approximately 100 dresses made by the men and women of Bethel to take
to the orphanage in Haiti adopted by Bishop Sarah. A letter from Bishop John
Bryant, Senior Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Senior
Supervisor Cecilia Williams Bryant was read and shared in the worship guide.
Bishop Bryant gave the appointment to the then Rev. Dr. Sarah Davis, making her
the first woman to hold a major charge in the 10th Episcopal District. Another
letter from Bishop McKinley Young and Dr. Dorothy Young, Presiding Prelate of
the 3rd Episcopal District was also shared. Bishop Young offered their
commendations for the dedication. He stated “As my daughter in the Episcopacy,
I could not be more proud of her commitment to her calling, the life she led
and most importantly, her love of people and her God.”
Presiding Elder Ida
Willis Keener of the Sweet and Sanctified, Soul Saving San Antonio District
opened the dedication service. Sister Thelma Chenault and Rev. Sayaunda Casey,
daughters of Bishop Sarah, offered prayer and read Isaiah 56:4-8
respectively. The Bethel-aires, the
men’s chorus, sang “This is Your House” which spoke of the sanctuary being a
holy house of prayer where the lost and lonely could come and meet God. Those
sharing in readings that gave thanks to God for the many attributes of
Christian service that were displayed in the life of Sarah Frances Taylor Davis
were Bro. Melvin Braziel, steward pro-tem serving continually since the Davis
administration; the Rev. Linda Bryant, first lady of Bethel and a former
student of Bishop Sarah; Dr. Carol T. Mitchell, sister; Sister Sabrina Smith, a
Davis mentee; Brother Byron Miller, a local judge and member of Bethel; and
Supervisor Claytie Davis Jr. The
congregation affirmed with a concluding statement that Bethel be dedicated anew
to God Almighty and the name of this place of prayer, praise and worship be the
Sarah Frances Davis Sanctuary. Dr. W. Raymond Bryant, pastor, concluded the
service after praying and unveiling the purple and gold plaque and the photo of
Bishop Sarah that is affixed in the vestibule to the Sanctuary.
The day concluded
with a dinner in the Beasley-Brown Community Center.
21. FACT SHEET: STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY POLICING:
Recent events in
Ferguson, Missouri and around the country have highlighted the importance of
strong, collaborative relationships between local police and the communities
they protect. As the nation has
observed, trust between law enforcement agencies and the people they protect
and serve is essential to the stability of our communities, the integrity of
our criminal justice system, and the safe and effective delivery of policing
services.
In August,
President Obama ordered a review of federal funding and programs that provide
equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs). Today, the Obama Administration released its
Review: Federal Support for Local Law
Enforcement Equipment Acquisition and the President is also taking a number of
steps to strengthen community policing and fortify the trust that must exist
between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.
White House Review:
Federal Support for Local Law Enforcement Equipment Acquisition
Today, the White
House released its review which provides details on the programs that have
expanded over decades across multiple federal agencies that support the
acquisition of equipment from the federal government to LEAs. During the course of its review, the White
House explored whether existing federal programs:
1) provide LEAs
with equipment that is appropriate to the needs of their communities,
2) ensure that LEAs
have adequate policies in place for the use of the equipment and that personnel
are properly trained and certified to employ the equipment they obtain, and
3) encourage LEAs
to adopt organizational and operational practices and standards that prevent
misuse/abuse of the equipment.
The report finds a
lack of consistency in how federal programs are structured, implemented and
audited, and informed by conversations with stakeholders, identifies four areas
of further focus that could better ensure the appropriate use of federal
programs to maximize the safety and security of police officers and the
communities they serve: 1) Local
Community Engagement, 2) Federal Coordination and Oversight, 3) Training
Requirements, and 4) The Community Policing Model.
Consistent with the
recommendations in the report, the President instructed his staff to draft an
Executive Order directing relevant agencies to work together and with law
enforcement and civil rights and civil liberties organizations to develop
specific recommendations within 120 days.
Some broad examples of what process improvements agencies might
implement as a result of further collaborative review include:
• Develop a
consistent list of controlled property allowable for acquisition by LEAs and
ensure that all equipment on the list has a legitimate civilian law enforcement
purpose.
• Require local
civilian (non-police) review of and authorization for LEAs to request or
acquire controlled equipment.
• Mandate that LEAs
which participate in federal equipment programs receive necessary training and
have policies in place that address appropriate use and employment of controlled
equipment, as well as protection of civil rights and civil liberties. Agencies should identify existing training
opportunities and help LEAs avail themselves of those opportunities, including
those offered by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and the
International Association of Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
• Require
after-action analysis reports for significant incidents involving federally
provided or federally-funded equipment.
• Harmonize federal
programs so that they have consistent and transparent policies.
• Develop a
database that includes information about controlled equipment purchased or
acquired through Federal programs.
Click HERE: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/federal_support_for_local_law_enforcement_equipment_acquisition.pdf
for the White House’s review of Federal Support for Local Law Enforcement
Equipment Acquisition.
Task Force on 21st Century Policing
The President
similarly instructed his team to draft an executive order creating a Task Force
on 21st Century Policing, and announced that the Task Force will be chaired by
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who also serves as
President of the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association, and Laurie Robinson,
professor at George Mason University and former Assistant Attorney General for
DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs. The
Task Force will include, among others, law enforcement representatives and
community leaders and will operate in collaboration with Ron Davis, Director of
DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office. The Task Force will
build on the extensive research currently being conducted by COPS; will
examine, among other issues, how to promote effective crime reduction while
building public trust; and will be directed to prepare a report and recommendations
within 90 days of its creation.
Community Policing Initiative
The President also
proposes a three-year $263 million investment package that will increase use of
body-worn cameras, expand training for law enforcement agencies (LEAs), add more
resources for police department reform, and multiply the number of cities where
DOJ facilitates community and local LEA engagement. As part of this initiative,
a new Body Worn Camera Partnership Program would provide a 50 percent match to
States/localities who purchase body worn cameras and requisite storage. Overall, the proposed $75 million investment
over three years could help purchase 50,000 body worn cameras. The initiative
as a whole will help the federal government efforts to be a full partner with
state and local LEAs in order to build and sustain trust between communities
and those who serve and protect these communities.
22. BISHOP FRANK
CURTIS CUMMINGS WILL BE THE PREACHER FOR LEGACY SUNDAY AT BETHEL AME CHURCH,
BATON ROUGE:
-- The Rt. Rev.
Frank Curtis Cummings will be the guest preacher for Legacy Sunday at the 3 p
m. Worship Service on December 7, 2014 at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal
Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The
guest preacher for Legacy Sunday will be the Right Reverend Frank Curtis
Cummings, the 95th Elected and Consecrated Bishop of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church. The Worship Service will highlight the legacies of
our Zion.
During
his episcopacy, Bishop Cummings served as the Presiding Prelate of the 8th,
1st, 11th and 6th Episcopal Districts.
Bethel
AME Church celebrates Legacy Sunday during this Advent season because we expect
the Presence of our Savior, Jesus; the Christ in the preached Word by the
Servant of God, Bishop Frank Curtis Cummings. Come, expecting to be blessed and
inspired through the teaching and preaching of the Sacred Word by Bishop
Frank Curtis Cummings.
Bethel
AME Church is located at 1358 South Boulevard in Baton Rouge Louisiana. The Rev. Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr. is the
pastor of Bethel AME Church.
23. UNITY SUNDAY AT COSMOPOLITAN AME CHURCH, BISHOP E.
EARL MCCLOUD WILL BE THE PREACHER:
The Rt. Rev. E.
Earl McCloud, the 127th Elected and Consecrated Bishop (2004) of the
African Methodist Episcopal Church, will be the guest preacher for Unity Sunday
at the 10:30 a m. Worship Experience on December 28, 2014 at Cosmopolitan
African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia
This Worship
Experience will highlight the Power and Love of the local church for each other
and of our Zion.
Cosmopolitan AME
Church celebrates Unity Sunday during on the last Sunday of the year because we
desire to close out the old year and look forward to a new year as a people of
God united in our faith in God and love for each other. We invite you to come,
expecting to be blessed and inspired through the teaching and preaching of our
Lord's Sacred Word by Bishop E. Earl McCloud.
Cosmopolitan AME
Church is located in the heart of the Vine City community at 170 Vine St. NW,
Atlanta, Georgia. For more information please contact our office at (404)
525-0168 or email us at cosmopolitanamec@gmail.com. The Rev. Bruce L. Francis, M.Div., is the
pastor.
**Submitted by the Rev. B. L. Francis
24. NEWS AROUND THE AME CHURCH
-- Update: AME University
Dr. Joseph T. Isaac
is the President of AME University in Monrovia, Liberia. AME University is the largest academic
institution of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Dr. Isaac has been President of AMEU since July
2013.
His Contact
information
President Joseph T.
Isaac, Ed.D.
AME University
34 Camp Johnson Rd.
Monrovia, Liberia
+ 231 886 710 117
+ 231 886 599 677
+ 301 300 6527
(USA)
SKYPE: Joe.Tele
Planning is
integrated decision-making; organizations that fail to plan may struggle in
achieving sustainable results.
Know Me: jotele.com
Follow Me: Twitter
Email Me:
-- Historic Emanuel AME Church raising money for an
elevator
Emanuel AME Church
is raising money for an elevator to make it handicap-accessible.
Charleston Mayor
Joe Riley and Rev. Clementa Pinckney launched a fundraising campaign Wednesday
to raise $270,000 for an elevator for the historic Emanuel AME Church on
Calhoun Street.
-- Jackson starts 2nd year at St. James AME Church
The Rev. Dwaine
Jackson is looking forward to his second year as pastor of St. James A.M.E.
Church, a mid-sized congregation in South Los Angeles. Reappointed in October by Bishop T. Larry
Kirkland, Sr…
Read More:
http://www.lasentinel.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14029:jackson-starts-2nd-year-at-st-james-ame&catid=97&Itemid=187
25. FUNERALS FOR THE LIVING:
*Dr. Monica A.
Coleman
I recently sat at
dinner with a group of seminarians talking about whether or not theological
education prepares student ministers for the everyday tasks of ministry. At
this particular time, we spoke about how classes in liturgy prepare seminarians
to conduct some of the key rituals of our trade: weddings and funerals.
Weddings are fun, we all agreed. Funerals are quite difficult.
There’s a part of
planning funerals that isn’t so complicated: Scriptures, sacred readings,
hymns, obituary and sitting with the grieving friends and family.
The hard part is
the eulogy. There’s a lot of pressure to get the eulogy right. We’re trained to
talk with families and focus on the life of the individual. We’re also supposed
to provide hope: hope in God, hope that we will all meet on the other side (if
that’s what you believe), hope that life will go on. After all, the funerals
are for the living, not for the one who has died.
One person recalled
a funeral of a gang member. The eulogy was so inspiring that several members of
the gang came down the aisle, dedicated their lives to God, and pledged to make
changes for the better. Everyone at the table oohed and aahed. That’s a good
one. Most of us could not remember the eulogies we’d heard. Not even of close
family members. Maybe the eulogies weren’t that good. Maybe grief erased our
memories.
Many people who
write about depression describe it like grief.
They say it’s like
a deep sadness. It’s like heartbreak, agony, and despair all at once. I’ve
never felt that way. I’ve always thought that grief was a walk in the park
compared to depression. Grief has an identifiable cause. There are stages. It
eases over time.
Depression has
always felt like death to me. I’m not referring to suicide. I’m talking about
what is lost. In every depressive episode, something is lost. Something dies.
And it never returns. Sometimes it’s the belief that you’re not that sick.
Sometimes it’s a dream. Sometimes it’s a concrete plan or goal. Sometimes it’s
a harmful lie you’ve told yourself or someone told you. Sometimes what dies,
needs to go. Other times, it seems you could have been perfectly fine without
knowing this loss.
For many of us,
this death is quiet and invisible. It’s stealth. We may not know what was lost
until we feel alive again. When we are able to whisper about what has happened,
only our closest confidantes and therapists know what has died.
What if we had
funerals to mark these kinds of deaths? After all, the ritual is there to honor
that someone has died. The ritual is there for community to acknowledge that we
should pause when there has been a great loss. The ritual is there to offer
hope.
How would one
structure this kind of funeral? Would there be scriptures, hymns, sacred
readings? Who would attend? What do you say in the eulogy? Do you recall how
wonderful the deceased was? Do you talk about how she made wonderful
contributions to the world? Do you say our lives were the better for knowing
her? Do you say it’s okay to cry and scream over what and who has passed? Do
you say that even when someone has died, there is still life after death? Do
you say that even when something has died and it hurts like hell, something
else is given the chance to live? Do you remind the living that they still have
their memories? Do you tell the living—even the still-living person for whom
something has died—that we will all meet on the other side, but we will be
different? We will all be transformed by what death does to us.
I tried this once.
When I realized that something very large inside of me died, I had a funeral. I
had sacred readings and songs and dance. I wrote a eulogy. I invited friends
who didn’t completely understand what was going on. I went to Good Friday
services. I did this for myself. Because I was the person living who needed
hope in the face of the death of someone I loved.
I didn’t know then
that there was a template for this. There is a way to write an obituary for
someone who has died but is still alive. I think this is what the Gospel
writers tried to do. I like their approach. They talked about how Jesus was
born, how they came to know him, what they liked best about him, what he did,
whom he touched. They told their favorite stories about him. And, unlike most
clergy in eulogies, they didn’t shy away from talking about how he died. They
realized that death was an important part of talking about new life.
This is an excerpt
from Not Alone: Reflections on Faith and Depression – a 40-Day Devotional
Available on
Amazon.com; as eBook on Amazon.com and iBooks
ISBN-13: 978-0985140205
*The Rev. Dr.
Monica A. Coleman is an itinerant elder in the Michigan Annual Conference. She
is Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religions
at Claremont School of Theology. She is the author or editor of five books
including Not Alone. She can be found at www.MonicaAColeman.com
Read More: http://monicaacoleman.com/blog/
This article is a
reprint from Dr. Coleman’s Blog and used with permission.
26. DISTRICT CONFERENCE
WITH A MESSAGE
The Rev. Kenneth Whitley
On the weekend of October 10, 2014 the 23 churches of the Boston
Hartford-District convened for their Annual District Conference under the
leadership of Presiding Elder Herbert L. Eddy.
Bethel AME in Springfield MA hosted the event where the Rev Angelo S.
Dawson is the pastor.
The conference started with a Friday night worship service. The guest preacher was the Reverend Pedro A.
Castro, Presiding Elder of the Buffalo-Rochester-Albany District of the Western
New York Conference. His message “Keep
it or Clip It” came from Hebrews 12 and included a powerful visual aid that
unfolded during the message. Presiding
Elder Castro’s wife, the Rev Stephanie Castro, trimmed a rose bush in front of
the congregation as the Presiding Elder spoke.
The congregation watched as the scruffy looking bush was transformed
into a beautiful but smaller bunch of roses.
Presiding Elder Castro commented that when the available nutrients and
attention are focused on the productive roses or the productive ministries, the
results can be spectacular. The service
then closed with Presiding Elder Eddy presenting licenses to the licentiates.
Friday’s service was hard to beat, but Saturday activities were no
disappointment. After Devotions the
conference addressed the works of the church.
District committees gave their respective reports. Several workshops also enlightened attendees. Sis Ethel M. W. Jenkins presented a very
informative workshop on the General Conference and Bro Derrick A. Sheldon led a
discussion on budgets in the local church.
The noon hour brought a special treat.
Worked paused for the “Hour of Power” Worship Service. A young licensed preacher from Bethel AME in
Boston chose Acts 5:3 as his text. Dr.
Jacobi Cunningham blessed everyone with his message titled, “Who Do You Choose?” After the service, the host church served
lunch and the committee chairs gave the remaining reports including the
Committee on Admissions and Orders. At
the close of the conference, Presiding Elder Herbert L. Eddy prayed that
everyone could take all that was shared during the conference back to the local
churches so everyone in the district might be blessed. All agreed this conference was not only
informative but very productive.
*The Rev Ken Whitley is the Assistant Pastor at People’s AME Church in
Chelsea Massachusetts
27. THE MEANING OF ADVENT:
*By Dr. Richard J.
Krejcir
Therefore the Lord
himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth
to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
"Advent"
simply means coming as in Christ is coming, and for us now He has arrived. This
is referring to His birth in history and in humanity. It meant the welcoming or
the arrival of a special king and for us; it is our King of Kings. This is what
the Old Testament prophecies foretold concerning Jesus' Incarnation, the Word
made flesh for our Hope and Atonement that brought us our deliverance.
Advent represents
our expectation, anticipation, and preparation for who Christ is and what He
has done for us. He arrived into the world as a human being, being fully God
and fully man. He came to identify as one of us, as the Son of Man, as a baby
born in a manger. He came for us, He came for you and He comes into our lives
and into our hearts. He is coming again in great power and glory to bring His
Kingdom into fruition.
The Advent Wreath
And again, Isaiah
says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over
the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:12-13).
Traditionally,
during the Christmas season we have an "Advent Wreath" in our
Churches, and this is remarkably celebrated in all Denominations. The Advent
Wreath is a venerable tradition that cuts across denominational and theological
boundaries.
It dates to the
beginning of the 19th century in Europe. This Advent Wreath is
arranged with 4 or 5 Advent candles, 3 or 4 of which are in a circle, along
with one in the center, all on a base of evergreens each has a powerful message
for us about our Lord. This has prevailing imagery we should not take for
granted or consider just another holiday decoration.
• The Wreath: The
wreath itself means "victory" as Christ's victory over sin so He can
save us. The Advent Wreath has 4 or 5 candles that are arranged in a circle
symbolizing Christ's eternity, as a circle has no beginning and has no end, it
is a symbol for God, Who is eternal and thus without beginning or end. The
evergreens mean He is "ever with us," they are usually pine branches
or holly that are used as a base that represents anticipation, newness, renewal
and His everlastingness. The red berries of the holly represent the shedding of
Christ's blood.
• The Candles: The
Advent candles mean the light of God coming into the world through the birth of
His Son. This refers to the significance that Christ is the Light of the world.
When they are lit, the illumination is to symbolize the Christ of eternity and
His coming as the "Light of the World" and our worship and honor of
His most precious gift of His Grace and mercy. These candles also have a color
theme too, purple, blue, pink or rose and while. The first two or three are
purple meaning royalty and this is also the color of suffering and the darkness
of sin, connecting Jesus' birth and crucifixion and His triumph over sin. Blue
means sky and life, pink means joy, and white means purity.
Each candle has a special meaning:
• The First Candle
(Purple): "CANDLE OF HOPE" means His promise and hope. We can have
hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises He made to us. Our hope
comes from God. (Romans 15:12-13)
• The Second Candle
(Purple): "CANDLE OF PREPARATION" means His light and preparation.
Preparation means to 'get ready'. "Help us to be ready to welcome YOU, O
GOD!" (Luke 3:4-6)
• The Third Candle
(Pink or Rose): "CANDLE OF JOY" means the angels sang a message of
JOY! (Luke 2:7-15)
• The Fourth Candle
(Purple or Blue): "CANDLE OF LOVE" symbolizes Christ love. God sent
His only Son to earth to save us, because He loves us! (John 3:16-17)
• The Fifth Candle
(white): "CHRIST CANDLE" symbolizes the incarnation, the heart and
reason of the season, God giving light to the world. Its location is in the
center as Christ's light is central and radiant. This reminds us that Jesus is
the spotless Lamb of God, sent to wash away our sins! (in wreaths that have 4
candles, it is in the circle among the rest of the candles)
Each candle is
lighted during the worship services each week in progression until Christmas
Eve or Christmas Day when the last candle is lit. Each week the new unlit
candle for that week is lighted, and then the previous candles are re-lighted.
A family, leaders or youth are sent up to do the lighting as a passage is read,
a Christmas selection is sung and/or a prayer said.
The four weeks are
a period of waiting also signifying the four centuries of waiting between the
last prophet Malachi and the birth of Jesus. All five candles should continue
to be lighted in worship services through Epiphany on January 6th
(Epiphany means "to show," is the climax of the Christmas Season and
the "Twelve Days of Christmas."
It is observed to denote the coming of the wise men bringing gifts and
their worship to Christ).
*Read More: © Into Thy Word www.intothyword.org
28. MORE PASTORS EMBRACE TALK OF MENTAL ILLS:
By Jan Hoffmannov,
a writer for The New York Times
The Rev. Matt
Brogli, a pastor in North Carolina, has sent congregants to a secular
psychologist.
EAGLE SPRINGS, N.C.
— The pastor’s phone rang in the midnight darkness. A man’s voice rasped: “My
wife left me and I’ve got a shotgun in my mouth. Give me one reason why I
shouldn’t pull the trigger.”
The Rev. Matt
Brogli, a Southern Baptist pastor scarcely six months into his first job, was
unnerved. Gamely, he prayed with the anonymous caller, trying out “every
platitude I could possibly think of.”
Eventually the
stranger assured Mr. Brogli that he would be all right. But the young pastor
was shaken.
“I was in over my
head,” he recalled. “I thought being a pastor meant giving sermons, loving my
congregation, doing marriages and funerals, and some marital counseling.”
Since that
midnight-call two years ago, Mr. Brogli...
Read the full article:
29. THE TRUTH IS THE LIGHT:
*The Reverend Dr.
Charles R. Watkins, Jr.
Based on Biblical
Text: Matthew 2:11: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented
unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh
I think we can
agree that for a lot of people Christmas would not be Christmas without gifts.
The truth of the matter is giving and receiving gifts is fun. In fact the ritual of Christmas gift
exchanging can be traced all the way back to the Christmas story itself. Wise
men traveled from far in the east, following a new star in the heavens, until
they came upon the Christ child to give him gifts.
Each Christmas we
put a lot of thought into the gifts that we give. Many of us spend weeks
putting together our gift lists, working hard to come up with that perfect
gift. We go out of our way to find that one gift that will please that special
someone the most. The Wise Men brought Jesus special gifts too. In fact there
were three gifts in all, gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The gold would have
been recognized as a welcome gift for such a poor struggling family like Mary
and Joseph. Frankincense, an expensive oil used only in the temple for
sacrificial offerings, and to anoint priests would have been a welcome gift,
though its full significance may not have been immediately understood. However,
the third gift, the gift of myrrh would have been considered quite surprising.
I don’t mean that
it would have been considered a surprise like what we try to create on
Christmas morning. Receiving Myrrh would be a surprise more akin to getting a
lump of coal in our stocking. Why, because myrrh was an embalming oil for the
dead.
We could conclude
that of the three gifts that Jesus received, this gift of myrrh was one that no
one really wants to receive. Even though it was also a precious and expensive
spice from the Orient used to anoint priests, its more common use was to embalm
the dead.
I submit that Myrrh
for a baby just beginning life was a strange and unwanted gift. I have to
wonder if Jesus’ parents were shocked by the implications of the gift. Did they
realize the symbolism in this gift? Were they mindful of the dual purpose of
this expensive gift? Did they realize that the gift would first ordain Jesus,
and then embalm Him?
With his gift of
myrrh at the manger, God used this non-Christian king to prophesy that the
purpose of Jesus’ birth was wrapped up in His death. God was prophesying that
Jesus would one day be the atoning sacrifice for sin. In fact the myrrh was
Mary’s reminder of the commonality of death and suffering as well as the
purpose for which she had birthed God’s child.
We like our Christmas
to be filled with gold. We find that a
gold Christmas is a Christmas filled with lots of expensive gifts and
money. We like a frankincense Christmas
too. Those are the ones filled with activities and things we like to do and
with events that remind us of God and Jesus.
A frankincense
Christmas promotes the spirit of Christmas.
Most churches record one of the highest attendance totals for the entire
year as on Christmas Sunday the whole world seems to have a desire to go to
church, out of tradition. That is a “Frankincense Christmas.” That is a
traditional Christmas.
Gold and
Frankincense Christmas’s are welcomed because they are fun, however myrrh
Christmas’s are not fun at all. A Myrrh Christmas is filled with the stench of
suffering, the aroma of despair and with the odor of death.
For many it will be
a myrrh Christmas, when we remember the loved ones we have lost. Some of us
will experience a myrrh Christmas, because we are sick or shut in, and alone.
There will be those among us who will be experiencing a myrrh Christmas as they
emerge from a nasty divorce or deal with the loss of a job. Unfortunately, a
myrrh Christmas happens too often.
Some may ask why
should there be any myrrh Christmas at all? After all wouldn’t it be far better
to just put all suffering and death on hold from Thanksgiving right through to
the New Year? Wouldn’t that be a great way for God to show His power, and
demonstrate the love of the season? After all, isn’t that what Christmas is all
about?
And why don’t we
just eliminate that third king. Wouldn’t it be sufficient to have just two
kings in the manger scene? We could have two kings, bearing two gifts gold and
frankincense.
I submit that if we
listen closely we can hear a heavenly voice encouraging us and saying, there
must be a third king, “We must have the third king!”
The historic
writings of Josephus record that the third king was named Caspar. I find it
particularly interesting that, according to tradition, this African king is the
one who presented Christ with myrrh. God, in His infinite wisdom gave this
Black king the honor of presenting the Only Begotten Son of God with the gift
of His legacy. Through the Black king’s gift, God was revealing that Jesus was
born to die to save us!
That gift of myrrh
represented all the evil Jesus would have to face, as well as the ridicule and
the rejection He would endure. That gift of myrrh represented the spit, the
anguish and the agony. That gift of myrrh represented the thorny crown and the
cross. We find that wrapped up in this special gift were all the warnings of
the suffering to come.
We hear so many
explanations as to why evil exists in this world. Some will explain that evil
has to exist in order for us to appreciate and recognize good. Some would dare to say that God ordains evil
even though He is all powerful and all loving. However, these explanations are
not very comforting when we are going through a myrrh Christmas.
What is comforting
is that we see this precious baby Jesus, being presented with myrrh. This is
comforting because we are made aware that God could have stayed in heaven
unconcerned with our sinful condition. But instead, He chose to dispatch
Himself in the form of His Only Begotten Son, and showed up in a manger.
As we look at the
manger we find Jesus willing to endure the same kind of suffering and evil that
we encounter in life. Jesus understood loss. He suffered the loss of a close
friend in Lazarus. Jesus suffered the pangs of poverty, the pain of misunderstanding
and the loneliness of rejection. He suffered the injustice of a crooked trial
as well as the intense pain of crucifixion. Jesus suffered for us.
It is safe to say
that we would like to keep myrrh out of our Christmas. However, we have to learn
to take the bitter with the sweet. And how do we do it? We follow the example
of Jesus, the baby in the manger because as the songwriter said, “Jesus knows
all about our struggles, He will guide ‘til the day is done. There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no
not one, no not one”.
Sooner or later,
the smell of myrrh will invade our Christmas. We will find it mixed in with the
more pleasant odors of Christmas like cookies and sweet potato pie. We will
find it mingling with the smell of pine trees and wreaths.
We can’t help but
notice that every now and then, we will catch a whiff of myrrh as we remember
our loved one who is no longer with us. We will smell the myrrh as we think
about the person who is too far from home to celebrate with us or as we think
of our ill health, or our unemployment.
However, the myrrh
in our Christmas should also remind us of the great opportunity for meaningful
ministry. It should move us to set an extra place at our table for a lonely
senior, take a hot meal to a homeless person, and give a word of encouragement
to someone in despair.
We are challenged
to show compassion for someone who is struggling between paychecks, to pray for
soldiers separated from their families and to lend a listening ear to someone
who is suffering. We can lighten the load by sharing someone else’s myrrh
Christmas.
In the past when
our Christmas celebrations have been mingled with myrrh we learned that Jesus
was present then. Jesus is present right now telling us that Christmas is not
complete without the myrrh. A gold and frankincense Christmas may be a lot of
fun, but it misses the most important element of the Christmas celebration. It
misses the Savior, crucified and risen! No matter what kind of Christmas we are
going through, Jesus is with us. Jesus
loves us and he cares about us.
In our myrrh
condition, we are experiencing what those who concentrate only on gold and
frankincense will never be able to comprehend and we know that Jesus is with us
to share our myrrh experiences because of His promise never to leave us nor
forsake us.
Myrrh may not be
the gift we want, but it is the gift we need. It is the myrrh that reveals that
Jesus came to die for our sins. And that is the true joy of Christmas!
*The Reverend Dr.
Charles R. Watkins, Jr. is the pastor of Morris Brown A.M.E. Church in
Charleston, S.C.
30. GETTING TO ZERO:
The Getting to Zero
Column, penned by Dr. Oveta Fuller, Associate Professor of Microbiology and
Immunology and Faculty of the African Studies Center at the University of
Michigan and adjunct faculty at Payne Theological Seminary will resume next
week.
31. iCHURCH SCHOOL LESSON BRIEF FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7,
2014 – WORSHIP CHRIST’S MAJESTY - HEBREWS 1: 1-9:
*Bill Dickens
Black barbershops
encourage patrons to verbally engage in topics that are often controversial and
while the topics are spirited in nature (not necessarily spiritual), one of the
more popular discussions revolve around comparisons about what sports or entertainment
personality is considered “The Greatest.”
Who is the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.)?
Is Michael Jordan
the GOAT in professional basketball? Is
Willie Mays the GOAT in Major League Baseball? Is Joe Montana the GOAT in the
history of the National Football League? Is Muhammad Ali the GOAT in
professional boxing? In the field of
entertainment who is the GOAT in music?
Is Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, or James Brown the GOAT? Is Walter Hawkins, James Cleveland or Mahalia
Jackson the GOAT in gospel music?
The Adult AME
Church School Lesson for December 7, 2014 looks at the issue about who is the
greatest and the implications of that status. As we will see below, the case
for the GOAT is really a no-brainer.
How so? Glad you asked!
The author of
Hebrews opens his book by addressing and answering three interrelated
questions.
Those questions
are: What is the communication mode God uses to communicate with His people?
Who is the GOAT? Why is Jesus important?
Prior to the advent
of Jesus, God’s preferred communication channel was thru the Old Testament
prophets. Special messengers like
Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and all of
the minor prophets (with a major message) relayed God’s will and intent to the
people of Israel.
However, in the
current dispensation, God communicates with humanity thru His Son, Jesus.
Since Jesus is the
Incarnate Son of God, he can convey God’s will and intent to everyone and do
that far more effectively than the prophets of old. Jesus is not just God Incarnate; He is the
Redeemer of all humankind. This is a
title that can’t be identified with angels.
God’s angels are subservient to Jesus, thus making Jesus greater than
angels!
Since Jesus is the
GOAT it would make sense that our worship and devotion be directed to Him and
not angels or special men/women. Jesus
has a special relationship with God. He
is the King of Kings and the Lord of lords.
He is a majestic Savior! This
should be the focal point of our worship activity. Everything else is secondary and tertiary to
Jesus.
The author of
Hebrews makes a compelling case for why Jesus is the GOAT.
The case for Jesus
as the GOAT is historically sound, theologically correct and spiritually
undeniable.
So, while many
barbershop patrons will expend much energy arguing who is the GOAT in sports,
entertainment or politics, the key takeaway in Hebrews 1: 1-9 is clear: Jesus
is the ultimate GOAT! This conclusion
requires no debate.
*Brother
Bill Dickens is currently the Church School Teacher at Allen AME Church in
Tacoma, Washington. He is currently a
member of the Fellowship of Church Educators for the African Methodist
Episcopal Church
32. MEDITATION
BASED ON ISAIAH 40:21-31:
21 Have you not
known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have
you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits
above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who
stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live
in; 23 who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as
nothing. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem
taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the
tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, or
who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who
created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all
by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from
the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"? 28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of
the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths
will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who
wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings
like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:21-31
(New Revised Standard)
I’m
writing this meditation after enjoying a delightful dinner that featured a very
tasty turkey stew. That wonderful “main
course” included assorted mixed vegetables, but also included the final
remnants of what was formerly the “centerpiece turkey” at last week’s
Thanksgiving dinner for the Darby household.
Those
who came for Thanksgiving dinner pretty much picked that bird clean, but we
were able to salvage what was left and was too meager to be the “main course”
of a new meal, and to transform it into a new main course - with a little
creative and loving care. What initially
appeared to be very meager leftover turkey was ultimately transformed into the
centerpiece of a whole new meal, when placed in skilled, experienced and
creative culinary hands.
Remember
what happened to that leftover Thanksgiving turkey in a world that often
compels us to cope with what initially appear to be the “remnants” of our
lives. The circumstances of life can
often try us, consume us and leave us feeling like little more than inadequate,
insignificant and “picked clean” remnants of what we’d hoped to be.
When
we take the time, however, to look to and trust in the Jesus who transformed a
cross that represented the final remnant of a failed life into a symbol of new
victory and who can change our old lives in new ways, we can press on with new
life, new hope and new victory. The
Jesus who transformed the cross - a symbol of hurt and harm - into a symbol of
hope, still has the power to bring us repair, hope, restoration, transformation
and victory in our time.
Put
the remnants of your life into God’ hands, and let the Lord Jesus restore,
rebuild and transform what seem to be the “leftovers” remnants of your life
into something new and better. When you
do, you’ll face life’s journey not with fear, but with a restorative and
transformative awareness of why the Prophet Isaiah said, “Those who hope and
wait on the Lord shall renew their faith.”
This
Meditation is also available as a Blog on the Beaufort District’s Website: www.beaufortdistrict.org
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BeaufortDistrictAMEC
Get
Ready for Sunday, and have a great day in your house of worship!
*The
Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Darby is the Presiding Elder of the Beaufort District of the
South Carolina Annual Conference of the Seventh Episcopal District of the
African Methodist Episcopal Church
33. 14TH
EPISCOPAL DISTRICT PRAISE REPORT:
"Praise Report!" - In response to the Women's Missionary
Society (WMS) and Connectional Lay Organization (CLO) joint Connectional Appeal
to assist with Ebola Relief in West Africa through the purchase of
"sanitation kits," together with HOPE, Inc, we have exceeded our goal
of providing 500 kits to the most at risk families. Though the threat continues
to exists, you have made a positive impact.
$10,000.00 has been donated to
the Western West Africa Methodist Collaborative, a united effort among the Methodist
denominations serving the region whereby resources are pooled, and then
distributed where the need appears most dire.
Payments of stipends for the last
two quarters of ministers serving in Sierra Leone, plus benevolence, have been
made possible through your contributions.
For these, and all other acts of
love and generosity on the part of AME's and the larger Community, we extend heartfelt
THANKS!
Clement W. Fugh
Bishop
Ora L. Easley, Administrator,
CFIC, The AME Church Clergy Family Information Center
34. CME CHURCH
EPISCOPAL FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
Homegoing
Services for Mr. Edward Johnson, husband of Mrs. Prince Johnson and stepfather
of Bishop Teresa E. Snorton, are as follows:
Family
Visitation Hour: Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Mims
Funeral Home
1827
Hull Street
Richmond,
VA 23224
Telephone:
804-232-3874
Services:
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - Noon
Swansboro
Baptist Church
3801
Midlothian Turnpike
Richmond,
VA 23224
Eulogist: Bishop Teresa E. Snorton
Expressions
may be sent to P.O. Box 13383, Birmingham, AL
35302.
Please
keep the family of Mr. Edward Johnson in prayer.
In
His Service,
Senior
Bishop Lawrence Reddick
Presiding
Prelate of the Eighth Episcopal District
Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church
Dr.
Jeanette L. Bouknight
Executive
Secretary
Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church
"The
Investment Factor: A Changed People, Changing the World"
35.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
The Third Episcopal District
regretfully announces the passing of Mr. Jimmie Williams, brother of Mrs.
Dorothy White, brother-in-law of the Rev. Archie White, pastor of Faith Chapel
AME Church, Fostoria, Ohio.
Funeral services are Saturday
December 6, 2014:
Glory Apostolic Church
995 Foster Ave
Elyria, OH.
Condolences can be sent to:
Mrs. Dorothy White
P.O. Box 347
Fostoria, OH 44830
36. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
The
Third Episcopal District Regretfully Announces the passing of Anna Pearl
Johnson McMillan. Anna Pearl is the
daughter of the late Reverend Wayman & Mrs. Mamie Johnson, the wife of the
late Reverend Dr. H. Calvin McMillan (Presiding Elder, Cleveland District,
North Ohio Conference), mother of Michael Calvin McMillan (Candith), Kevin
Wayman McMillan (deceased) and Angela Annise McMillan Cousin (Philip Robert,
Jr., son of Retired Bishop & Mrs. Philip R. Cousin, Sr.). Upon her passing she resided in Cleveland
(Shaker Heights), Ohio and was a member of St. James African Methodist
Episcopal Church, Cleveland, Ohio.
Anna
Pearl McMillan served as a past Conference Branch WMS President for the
Kansas-Nebraska Conference and later as Corresponding Secretary of the
same.
Home
Going Celebration will be held Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Family
Visitation at 9:30 a.m.
Funeral
Service at 10:00 a.m.
St.
James African Methodist Episcopal Church
8401
Cedar Avenue
Cleveland,
OH 44103
Phone: 216-231-3562
Fax: 216-231-6877
Email: stjamescleveland@yahoo.com
The
Reverend Dr. Charles P. Lucas, Jr., Pastor
The
Reverend Philip R. Cousin, Jr., Eulogist
A
repast will follow the services followed immediately by the interment
The
Interment:
Brookdale
Cemetery
41600
Oberlin Elyria Road
Elyria,
OH 44035
Phone:
440-322-3896
Expressions
of Sympathy can be sent to:
Mrs.
Angela McMillan Cousin
555
Noriega Street
San
Francisco, CA 94122
Professional
Care entrusted to:
E.F.
Boyd & Sons Funeral Home
2165
East 89th Street
Cleveland,
OH, 44106
Tel:
(216) 791-0770
Fax:
(216) 421-2776
Email: mcox@efboyd.com
37. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We
regret to announce the passing of Rev. Isaiah Woods. He was a former pastor in
the Philadelphia Annual Conference and an associate minister at LaMott A.M.E.
Church (Philadelphia Annual Conference, Philadelphia District). The following
information has been provided regarding the funeral arrangements.
Funeral
Services Friday November 28, 2014
Viewing:
9:00 AM - 10:00 a.m.
Service:
10:00 a.m.
LaMott
AME Church
1505
West Cheltenham Avenue
Elkins
Park, PA 19027
Telephone
(215) 288-2748
Fax:
(215) 782-1705
The
Rev. Louis Attles, Pastor
Interment:
Washington
Crossing National Cemetery
Newtown,
PA
Cards
& Expressions of Sympathy may be sent to:
Mrs.
Grenice Woods
C/O
Congleton Funeral Home
67
West Logan Street
Philadelphia,
PA 19144
Telephone:
(215) 849-7327
Fax:
(215) 849-4782
Professional
Services Entrusted to:
Congleton
Funeral Home
Jeanette
L. Congleton, Funeral Director
67
West Logan Street
Philadelphia,
PA 19144
Telephone:
(215) 849-7327
Fax:
(215) 849-4782
38. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
With
heartfelt sorrow, we announce the passing of Mr. Jerry Gatewood on Thursday,
Morning, November 20, 2014. The deceased is the younger brother of the Rev. Dr.
L. Anthony Gatewood, pastor of Spelman Chapel, Kent, Ohio.
The
Reverend Dr. L. Anthony Gatewood, requests that you keep the family in
prayer. They will hold a private family
service for Mr. Jerry Gatewood on Saturday, November 29, 2014.
Words
of comfort and condolences may be sent in care of:
Dr.
L. Anthony Gatewood and Family
27600
Chardon Road, Apt. 1187
Willoughby
Hills, Ohio 44092
Telephone:
(216) 314-6713
39. BEREAVEMENT NOTICES
AND CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
Ora L. Easley, Administrator
AMEC Clergy Family Information Center
Web page: http://www.amecfic.org/
Telephone: (615) 837-9736 (H)
Telephone: (615) 833-6936 (O)
Cell: (615) 403-7751
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-AME-Church-Clergy-Family-Information-Center/167202414220
40. CONDOLENCES TO THE
BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend
T. Larry Kirkland; 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.
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