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
-- March – Woman’s History
Month
-- The Lenten Season
-- Easter Sunday: April 5,
2015
Thought for the Week: “A joy
shared is twice the joy, and a burden shared is half the burden.” – Abigail Van
Buren
1. TCR EDITORIAL – CONVENIENCE AND SHORTCUTS LEAD TO INEFFICIENCIES
AND INEFFECTIVE MINISTRY:
Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III
The 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
The African Methodist Episcopal Church is a global
denomination, which presupposes that there are things that should be
standard.
For instance, we should all follow The Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
2012 because The Discipline is the law, not a guide; it’s the rule of order
for our Zion. AMEs all over the world
should follow the rules of The Doctrine
and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church 2012 because it
contains the agreed upon laws of the Church. Local churches do not have to have
congregational meetings to make decisions about the governance of the Church. Local churches do not need to “reinvent
the wheel.”
Some churches get into difficulty because some pastors and
even some laypersons attempt to take shortcuts in order to circumvent the
disciplinary requirements and guidelines.
Sometimes shortcuts are often taken because of convenience,
a failure to follow the process and inefficiency.
For instance, the requirement to make an announcement 10
days and two Sundays prior to an upcoming Church Conference is violated because
“someone” forgot to make an announcement to the congregation - that’s most
likely inefficiency, but it’s also a lack of commitment to diligently follow
the disciplinary process.
Conflict is often the result of shortcuts, inefficiency and
a lack of commitment because there are people who want to follow the rules,
while there are others who don’t mind bending or breaking the rules.
Convenience is another reason for shortcuts.
Let’s take the example of the election of trustees. Pastors
are required to nominate twice the number of persons needed and the members of
the church vote to elect half of the number of persons nominated by the pastor.
The election is supposed to be held every year, but some
pastors for convenience get a consensus without the nominating process and the
same trustees are named year after year without an election.
The “mothers and fathers” of the Church with their infinite
wisdom were concerned about “checks and balances” and allowed the pastor to
exercise power, but the congregation also had a hand in the process of who
would serve as trustees. The wisdom of The
Doctrine and Discipline exceeds the wisdom of pastors and laity who want to
short-cut the process.
And, speaking about “checks and balances,” the “mothers and
fathers” of the church in their infinite wisdom also set the selection of
stewards in place, but, some pastors and laity, because of convenience,
shortcut the process.
The way it is supposed to work is that the pastor nominates the number of stewards needed and submits
the names to the Quarterly Conference. The Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist
Episcopal Church 2012 says, “The pastor in charge shall nominate the number of stewards
needed for the mission, circuit, or station and shall submit them to the
Quarterly Conference, which shall confirm them or, if it sees fit, reject
them.”
The “checks and balances” process gives the pastor power to
nominate persons to the steward board; and “nominate” is the operative
word.
The pastor does not “appoint” persons to the steward board;
he or she “nominates” persons to the steward board – that is the “check” in the
“checks and balances.” The “balance”
portion of the “checks and balances” process is supposed to happen at the
quarterly conference when the members of the quarterly conference “confirm them
[the pastor’s nomination of stewards] or, if it sees fit, rejects them.”
The pastor’s nomination is not a “rubber stamp.” If a person(s) nominated to the steward board
is clearly not qualified to be a steward, the nomination should be rejected by
the members of the quarterly conference.
And, sometimes unfortunately, presiding elders short-cut the
process and the persons nominated are quickly confirmed without comment, which
probably is not a problem in most situations, but in some circumstances, local
churches might benefit by not accepting persons unsuitable to serve as
stewards. The “mothers and fathers” of the church put the “checks and balances”
in place.
If churches, pastors and members, followed the rules of The Doctrine and Discipline of our Zion,
some of churches might find “smoother sailing.”
If churches followed the rules of The Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist
Episcopal Church 2012, perhaps it might eliminate some conflict and tension
because churches would be functioning in accordance with The Doctrine and Discipline of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church 2012 and pastors could not be accused of
dictatorial styles
of ministry.
A shortcut is not a model for successful businesses and it’s
not a good model for the church.
Rules are made to be followed and rules contribute to discipline and
good order.
The AME
Church is a connectional organization and rules have been put in place, tried
over time and pastors and leaders of the laity should follow the rules of The Discipline.
2. TCR OP-ED - A MORATORIUM UPON THE
ADMISSION AND TRAINING OF LOCAL PREACHERS AND NO ONE SAID WHY:
*The
Rev. Anita L. Moorer
This
year, when I arrived at the New Jersey Annual Conference, I learned that a
moratorium had been placed upon the admission and training of Local Preachers –
no one could tell me why.
Yes,
for the past few years, there had been vague inferences about “problems caused
by local preachers,” but the inferences were woefully short on reliable
details. Now, things seemed to be
escalating. Not only was a moratorium
placed upon the admission and training of local preachers as it has been
outlined in The Book of Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church,
but in the First District we were no longer being ordained at Annual
Conferences. Quite honestly, I began to
feel somewhat like a member of a swarm of locusts in need of
extermination.
Has
the work of the local preacher become extinct?
Is there no role in building God’s kingdom for local preachers? As a body, have we given others cause to
doubt our calling? In a sin sick world
in which the harvest is so plentiful, have we, as a church, reached the point
in which laborers are in excess?
These
are questions I pondered until I remembered who called me to preach. I am not worried anymore. The sadness and
concern I had about the role of the local preacher in the African Methodist
Episcopal Church soon turned to feelings of peace and joy thanks, in no small
part, to the training I received at the Institute and to the example set before
me by every steadfast and unmovable local preacher who preceded me. I humbly follow in the steps of a group of
outstanding men and women whom God called to local service to provide support,
love, followship, and servanthood to their pastors and to their pastor’s flock.
As
a Local Deacon and candidate for ordination to Local Elder, I thank God I
successfully completed the rigors of the New Jersey Ministerial Institute – the
finest ministerial training program anywhere.
My cup is filled to overflowing when I think of the instruction, knowledge,
guidance and love poured into me and into my classmates by the Board of
Examiners these past five years. We have
been instructed by a committed group of Spirit-filled, gospel proclaiming,
scholarly instructors, and I give God the glory.
When
I entered the Institute in 2009, two years after telling my pastor, that I had
been called to preach, I was nervous, unsure, and insecure. Yet, there was that burning inside to
proclaim the gospel. I emerge sure of
the calling that God has placed upon my life and prepared to follow where He
leads.
At
Conference Lay Night, the Rev. Vernon Byrd (member of the Judicial Council) preached an extraordinary, thought-provoking
sermon, entitled, “The Other Simon.”
Believers are aware of Simon Peter the disciple – the member of Christ’s
inner circle, the one who received so much of Jesus’ time, attention and
spiritual nurturing; however, what of the other Simon – the Simon written about
in Luke 23:26. The Simon who was seized
to carry the cross of Jesus. Some would
say; Simon the Cyrene was second class when compared to Simon Peter. But, as the Rev. Byrd preached, he carried
the Cross of Christ, as we must do.
Receiving recognition doesn’t matter.
Being granted the esteem of those in high places doesn’t matter. Alas, being treated with basic civility really
doesn’t matter. What matters is that
proclaimers have been called by God to share the good news of Jesus Christ and
we must work in earnest to answer that call.
The
self-pity that threatened to steal my joy because I am “just a local,” no
longer worthy of ordination at the Annual Conference.
I
give thanks to almighty God for the African Methodist Episcopal Church and its
leadership, for my pastor, the Rev. Jeffrey M. Johnson who has trained me with
love and energy, for the members of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
in Woodbury, New Jersey who supported me wholeheartedly in my ministerial
training, for the Board of Examiners, for the New Jersey Ministerial Institute,
for Dean Deborah Blanks, who took the time to oversee a curriculum, to
coordinate, to teach, to encourage, and to scold (when necessary), for every
Professor who traveled to Princeton in the sleet, the hail, the snow and any
other type of precipitation to teach us, for my classmates – itinerant and
local – who stood together to complete this journey, and especially, for the
local preachers everywhere who were ordained before me and who have set such an
awesome example of “other Simonhood.” I pray that we continue, as local
preachers in our connected Zion, to demonstrate the love, support, and
followship to which we have been called.
*The
Rev. Anita L. Moorer will receive the M.Ed. Degree on May 9, 2015 and is a
Local Deacon Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Woodbury, New Jersey
3. NEWS AROUND THE
AME CHURCH:
-- Focus on Faith:
Big Bethel AME is a Downtown landmark
-- American minute
- Vibrant church founded by former slave
Bill
Federer remembers black missionary Richard Allen
Big
Bethel was a Methodist church until after the Civil War when it became an AME –
the first independent denomination in the country. Formed into a
-- Churches bolster
unity through faith
4. A MESSAGE TO THE CONNECTIONAL AFRICAN
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH FROM BISHOP PRESTON W. WILLIAMS II:
--
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia,
U.S.A., it is with great joy and thankfulness to Almighty God that I announce
to you that Morris Brown College is officially emerging from bankruptcy. Morris Brown College’s Chapter 11 Plan of
Reorganization has been approved by the Bankruptcy Court. This action, approved at a confirmation
hearing yesterday, and confirmed by a signed order of Judge Barbara Ellis-Monro
today, will allow the college to exit bankruptcy and move forward to regain its
accreditation.
This
is a bittersweet ending to a long and complex process. It was bitter, because we had to sell
property that had historical significance to many people; sweet, because we
emerge from bankruptcy fully functional and current with all of our debt
obligations. Thus, as is the case with much of life, we must accept the bitter
with the sweet and keep pressing forward.
The
college has been represented in the bankruptcy court by Anne Aaronson with the
law firm of Dilworth Paxson, LLP and has utilized the services of Renardo L.
Hicks, from the law firm of R. L. Hicks & Associates, as its General
Counsel. The filing of the Chapter 11
Reorganization was initiated in August of 2012 and has enabled the college to
settle more than 30 million dollars of indebtedness with secured and unsecured
creditors.
As
a part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the college sold assets through the 363
sale process, in a transaction with InVest Atlanta and Friendship Baptist
Church, selling approximately 26 acres of properties and buildings to receive
$14,700,000. The college retains
ownership of the Administration Building, the Griffin Hightower Classroom
building and the historic Fountain Hall, on six acres of land.
Morris
Brown College has remained in operation throughout the Chapter 11
Reorganization process and continues to receive significant financial support
from alumni, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Sixth Episcopal
District of the AME Church, trustees, faculty, staff and administration. Twenty-One (21) students are scheduled for
graduation on May 16, 2015 in the annual commencement program.
I
would like to thank each and every person who supported Morris Brown College by
providing their professional expertise, financial support, and prayers as we
have tirelessly worked our way through this challenging process.
Now
our focus is to grow Morris Brown College into the proud and productive
institution of higher learning that God would have her to be. Therefore, please continue to support Morris
Brown College both spiritually and financially so that together we may continue
educating our youth, who are tomorrow’s leaders, to the glory of God.
The
Rt. Rev. Dr. Preston W. Williams II
5. THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH HAS
AME APP AVAILABLE:
The Office of the General Secretary of the AME Church makes AME App available to AMEs and others who would like to download the App on Apple and Android devices. There is a one-time cost of $1.99. In your App Store, simply type in your search: "AME Church"
The Office of the General Secretary of the AME Church makes AME App available to AMEs and others who would like to download the App on Apple and Android devices. There is a one-time cost of $1.99. In your App Store, simply type in your search: "AME Church"
Editor’s note: It’s a
wonderful app and you can navigate all over the AME Church with the one-time
cost of $1.99
6. AMEC SOCIAL
ACTION COMMISSION “BLACK FRIDAY CAMPAIGN”:
-- Black Friday Campaign - Wear black, Buy Black,
Shop Black
The AME Church gave birth to “Black Lives Matter”
and now to the “Good Friday Campaign.” Other denominations joined in the effort
and people joined in this proclamation; it was interracial and international,
with supporters in France, China and other countries joining us. “Black Lives
Matter” made a major statement and got the attention of the nation. The “Black
Friday Campaign” can do likewise. Just as AME’s gave leadership to “Black Lives
Matter”, we are giving leadership to the “Black Friday Campaign.” This week at
the Pan Methodist Commission meeting in Atlanta, all of the Methodist communions
gave their support to this effort. Likewise, we urge those who supported “Black
Lives Matter” will join the “Black Friday Campaign.”
As a follow up to our “Black Lives Matter”
effort, we call upon all of our churches and communities to join us on “Good
Friday” in our “Black Friday Campaign.” Beginning “Good Friday”, April 3rd to
Memorial Day, Friday, May 25th each of us is called to wear black and buy black
on Fridays. What will be the outcome of this campaign?
1) We can demonstrate the economic power of
Blacks in this country. If Blacks in the United States were a nation we would
rank twelfth in the world in gross national product, with revenues over one
trillion dollars. We would acquire financial discipline to be savers and not
just consumers.
2) We would help to recirculate our dollars,
supporting black businesses and causing money to stay in our community.
Currently black dollars stay in our community two hours and is gone. In other
communities money stays days before it leaves, creating jobs and strengthening
those communities.
This Black Friday Campaign will also demonstrate
that “Black Dollars” matter.
“Good Friday” will kick off this eight week
campaign. On Fridays, from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M. from Good Friday until Memorial
Day, everyone is asked to “Fast.” This will help us spiritually to be stronger
as we begin this initiative. On Fridays, everyone is also asked to wear black
and also to buy from Black owned businesses.
For information regarding Black businesses in
your communities, tell your congregants to go to the USBC (United States Black
Chamber) App and they can see the black businesses in their communities. The
local Black Chambers of Commerce and Merchant Association also provide
directories and access information. Inform shoppers to tell the business owners
that they are supporting the “Black Friday Campaign.”
This Sunday, Palm Sunday, as we begin “Holy
Week”, every pastor is asked to announce the “Black Friday Campaign.” As
reminders weekly, ask shoppers to spread the word and set calendar alarms. THEME: For next 8 weeks, Wear black, buy
Black, and shop Black!
We will make history and get the attention of the
nation. More importantly, we will be empowered, spiritually and
economically.
For assistance and information contact:
Bishop Reginald T. Jackson: reginaldtjackson@verizon.net.
For additional information contact: jdupontw@aol.com
Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, Chair, AMEC Social
Action Commission
7. THE COLLEGE CORNER: WHAT TEACHING SUNDAY SCHOOL IS TEACHING ME:
*Ms. Kandace Taylor
I was ecstatic when I officially became a Sunday School
teacher at the beginning of this year. I
had wanted more of a leadership role within a Christian Education context and I
was finally getting it.
I was excited to come in every week and discuss
biblical concepts with my students. The
youth at my church weren’t always the most talkative when it came to group
discussions, but I was sure I would change all of that.
Do you see anything wrong with this picture? I was viewing myself as some sort of
Christian Education crusader; one young woman out to (figuratively) conquer the
world and ignite young people’s fire for Christ.
Well, that didn’t exactly happen. And it still
hasn’t happened, even three months later.
But now, I know that that is okay.
The high school kids that I “teach” every Sunday
are an amazing group of young people.
They’re funny and silly and easily distracted, but they also have good
minds. They’re thinking - all the
time! I can’t always follow their line
of reasoning, but they are in their own way grappling with the big questions of
faith and what it means to be a Christian.
I have to admit that at first I wasn’t always so understanding of their
ways of approaching the Bible; mostly because at first it didn’t seem to me
that they were approaching the Bible at all.
I would ask questions and get no response. I would ask if anyone had any thoughts or
comments and they would shake their heads.
In the beginning, I would leave our Sunday School
class frustrated and sometimes downright angry.
“How could they not be more excited,” I thought. “This is the Word of God!” Then I would get insecure: I would go to God
asking Him if I were truly cut out for this.
Maybe I wasn’t the right person to teach high school kids.
I went around and around like this for a while
until two things happened.
First, I read a blog post by one of my favorite
authors, Emily Freeman that literally talked about things to remember when
working with high school students and second, I talked to my younger sister,
who also happened to be in my class.
From those two experiences I learned one very important
thing: to trust the presence of God that is already in my students just by
virtue of the fact that they are made in His image*. They are His children already. Whether I “teach” them or not, even before
they make an official profession of faith, God is in them, simply because they
exist. This idea has kept me humble and
serves as a constant reminder that I am merely a helper to the Almighty. God is ultimately the one who does the
teaching, the changing and the transforming.
I’m just the one privileged to watch some of it happen.
*The blog post referenced here is entitled “12
Things Your Daughter Needs You to Say,” originally published on Emily P.
Freeman’s blog, Chatting at the Sky (www.chattingatthesky.com)
*Ms. Kandace Taylor is a member of St. Stephen
A.M.E. Church in Jacksonville, Florida
8. REFLECTIONS ON THE BLACK METHODIST YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT CONSULTATION:
Lynn Hargrow (CME Church)
-- Write-up from the Black Methodist Youth
Meeting in Atlanta in February
There is great potential in ecumenism today. In
an international context, the prominence of individual Christian denominations
has fallen substantially from the shibboleths of unquestioned power they had
this time a century ago. Thus, the need for working together to accomplish
tasks is even more pressing now than it was then. Billy Graham might have said,
“This is a big world; we need all the help we can get.” The sentiment holds
significance still today, yet from a different vantage point.
A small ecumenical body gathered in Atlanta,
Georgia at Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church February 20, 2015 to
assess the value of Black Methodist cooperation among youth and young adults.
Convener John Thomas of the World Methodist Council noted, “Our bishops talk to
each other all the time, our missionaries talk to each other, here’s a space
for us to do the same.” Initially, I wondered, “Does anything relevant come out
of those talks?” My question about the efficacy of those talks is certainly one
of relativity; the answer is likely yes – for those persons involved, the
interdenominational conversation is relevant. The burden for THIS encounter,
however, was being relevant beyond just those involved.
The meeting began with introductions from the
various youth and young adult auxiliaries of the African Methodist Episcopal
(AME), African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ), and Christian Methodist
Episcopal (CME) churches. As we warmed up to each other, we saw commonalities
and differences. We were frustrated with bureaucracies, the political economies
of our respective groups, and the ambiguous relationships each of our churches
had to social justice issues.
Social justice immediately emerged as the
thematic thrust of the meeting. There seemed to be a need for this kind of
generational cohesion across black Methodism because communities of color
within the U.S. in particular (though our discussions were hardly limited to
the U.S.) have been calling us to redirect our churches’ attention and
resources in meaningful ways. A month prior to this meeting, a group of black
Methodists met with community leaders in Ferguson, MO to discuss what black
churches could do to assist in struggles against systemic racism in Missouri.
Out of that meeting, emerged a commitment to education with scholarships to
various HBCUs associated with the denominations. In the Atlanta meeting, young
adult leaders discussed the need to verify that all scholarships were
legitimate after many raised concerns that we were giving scholarships to some
institutions struggling with accreditation and financial stability. Though,
beyond that, we devised no other plans to address the choir stand of concerns.
Of course, there were calls to be more involved in the community. There were
suggestions to partner with other organizations that were already doing the
work. This suggestion, for me, was most significant given the difficulty we all
shared with trying to reorient our various denominations towards a genuine
comprehensive ethic of social justice. There were even debates about the nature
of our outreach: whether we reach out to communities because we want them in
the church or if we do so because we believe black lives matter (or somewhere
in between those two). One certainly hopes, however, that in future meetings,
we can mobilize a concrete plan of action to do something beyond what our
denominations are doing and not doing.
Significant, and mildly related, was a discussion
on representation. Many youth and young adult groups across the three
denominations struggle with being represented in the leadership of their
respective churches, both locally and connectionally. Though representation is
important, there was an uneasy question lurking in our discussions about the
ability of young adults to actively direct their denomination’s agenda, moving
beyond mere representation. Again, the bureaucratic and hierarchical structures
have been a historic hurdle for these groups, but I left the meeting with the
understanding that there may be hope outside those structures to indirectly
lead the church.
The tangibles, as it were, from the meeting are
as follows: we have committed to support each other’s’ youth and young adult
meetings and to make space for ecumenical and cooperative ministry. We are
exploring solidifying this group as an ecumenical body. We committed to support
the event “Truth to Power” an event sponsored by Churches Uniting in Christ. Mr.
John Thomas the third will be reaching back out with more details about the
proposed structure of a potential black Methodist young persons’ organization.
9. REPORT OF THE
WINDWARD ISLANDS ANNUAL CONFERENCE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO/GRENADA AND BARBADOS DISTRICTS:
*The
Rev. Gail Meridin
--
11th to 15th March 2015.
The
conference was held at the Barbados Beach Club Hotel where folks were able to
enjoy the ambience of the sandy beach and tropical sunshine. Bishop and
Supervisor White received a warm welcome to Barbados on Tuesday evening with a
dinner. This took place at Sealy Memorial in Christ Church under the patronage
of Presiding Elder Anthony Parris and Host pastor Rev. Carlene Sobers.
It
was their first visit to Barbados since accepting the mantle to lead the 16th
District after the unexpected departure of Bishop Sarah Davis in November 2013.
A
Spirit-filled WMS Convention was held at the hotel on the 11th March at which
Rev. Ruth Phillips preached. The Annual Conference began on Thursday 12th
March with a worship service at 10 a.m. The Rev Roy Francis preached a
soul-searching sermon entitled “Don’t Nail Me Down.”
The
Business sessions began with a word from Bishop White who added to the
adjectives to describe the 16th District; “The Sizzling, Sensational, Startling
and Exciting 16th Episcopal District. He reminded the conference of the
connectional theme for this year ‘Fulfilling the Great Commission” He said that
it is a new season for growth, expansion and witnessing to others of the great
things God has done for us.
The
Annual Conference also celebrated Ecumenical Night in which the participants
came from various Christian persuasions including Anglican, Methodist and
Baptist with the sermon preached by a Methodist Youth leader.
The
Windward Island Conference is happy pleased to receive Rev. Osbourne who was
transferred from the 8th Episcopal District, eager to work in this part of the
vineyard.
The
Conference is also thrilled to endorse and support its candidate for
episcopacy; Rev. Dr Wayne Johnathan Anthony, Presiding Elder of the Trinidad
and Tobago/Grenada District. He heads the delegation to the General Conference
in Philadelphia from July 5th to July 13th 2016.
As
God continues to bless the AME Church in the 16th District, Rev. Kurt Luckie of
Barbados was successful in starting a new congregation as assigned by Bishop
White at the last annual conference. In addition, the conference created a
Health Commission, with a Health Awareness Month which starts in February 2016
and set aside the month of May as FRAN month, an evangelical drive.
Our
16th District Planning &Education Meeting shall be held in
Guyana from May 26-29 2015.
The
conference concluded on Sunday with Bishop White preaching a sermon taken from
Philippians 3:12-14 and told the congregation that they must press on because
the best is yet to come. He also said that too many people spend more time
majoring in the minor and "minoring" in the major.
The
86th Session of the Windward Island Conference concluded with the
issuing of certificates and pastoral appointments.
*The
Rev. Gail Meridin is the Reporter for Windward Island Conference
10.
CELEBRATING THE AME DIFFERENCE: CONNECTING CHRIST, CHURCH, AND COMMUNITY THE
THREE DAY CELEBRATION - APRIL 16-18, 2015:
-- The Formal dedication and laying of the
cornerstone of the Daniel Payne Community Plaza on April 16, 2015
Birmingham,
AL - -The time-honored tradition of the laying of a cornerstone will take
center stage in all of the grandeur and high ceremony for which the tradition
is noted when the Ninth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal
Church (AME) officially dedicates its new complex, the Daniel Payne Community
Plaza in Birmingham, Alabama.
The formal Dedication and Laying of the Cornerstone
will be held on
Thursday, April 16, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. The
public is invited to witness this rare auspicious ceremony, one of the few
public ceremonies conducted by the free masons. In the age of technology and
instant messaging, the laying of the cornerstone is a reminder that some awe
inspiring experiences still exist outside of a smart phone or tablet. A
spiritual ceremony unlike any other, it is sight worth witnessing as it will
officially mark the historic acquisition of the Plaza by the AME Church.
The
laying of the cornerstone is a part of a three-day observance, celebrating the AME Difference: Connecting
Christ, Church, and Community, which will take place April 16-18, 2015. The Daniel Payne
Community Plaza (the former Daniel Payne Middle School) is a 60,000 sq. ft.
building located on nineteen acres of land. The property was purchased by the
Daniel Payne Foundation of the Ninth Episcopal District in August 2014 as a
$2.5 million cash-sale. This property plus the 140 acres owned by the
foundation just across the street from the Plaza, makes the AME Church one of
the largest land-owners as an African American institution in the state of
Alabama. The Plaza is named for the sixth Bishop of the AME Church. Bishop
Daniel Alexander Payne was one of the founders and former presidents of
Wilberforce University in Ohio as well. It is a complex serving the greater
Birmingham community and members of the AME denomination throughout the state.
The
African Methodist Episcopal Church has always been a trailblazer in ministry,
education, publishing, civil and human rights, and social justice. The Daniel
Payne Community Plaza is a part of its storied 200-year history. The Plaza is a
shining example of how the AME Church makes a difference by using its human and
financial resources and by following the gospel of Jesus Christ. To that end,
the three-day celebration invites the community at-large to see the facility
first-hand and to make plans to take advantage of the space. Conferences,
corporate retreats, weddings, banquets, sports tournaments, educational
programs, college satellite classes, arts programs, and activities for senior
citizens are just some of the ways the Plaza will be used.
--
Schedule of Events and Worship Services:
The
Daniel Payne Community Plaza
1500
Daniel Payne Drive
Birmingham,
Alabama 35214
Thursday,
April 16, 2015:
9:45
a.m. Workshop - “Let’s Talk,” featuring Ethicist and Scholar, Dr. Monica Coleman, Associate Professor
of Constructive Theology and African American Religions, Claremont School of
Theology, Claremont, California.
3:00
p.m. Formal Dedication and Laying of the Cornerstone
4:15
p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Public tours of the Plaza Complex
6:30
p.m. – Evening Worship Service
Guest Preacher: Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Prelate
of the 10th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal.
Bishop McKenzie made history in the year of 2000 as the first woman elected as
a Bishop in the AME Church. She is internationally renowned as a leader,
preacher, and author.
Friday,
April 17, 2015:
11:30
a.m. Hour of Power Worship Service
Guest
Preacher: Bishop Philip R. Cousin, Sr.,
retired Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Bishop
Cousin was elected to the Episcopacy in 1976.
6:00
p.m. An Elegant Soiree Event
Donation:
$25.00
Guest
Speaker: Dr. Jamye Coleman Williams retired
General Officer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1984, Dr. Williams
became the first woman elected as a general officer in the AME Church, as the
editor of “The A.M.E. Church Review,”
the oldest African American literary journal.
Enjoy
an evening of beautiful, soul-stirring music and delicious food in an elegant setting.
Saturday,
April 18, 2015:
10:00
a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Basketball
Tournament – Youth 10+ years of age and adults may participate.
Daniel
Payne Community Plaza Gymnasium
The
Daniel Payne Community Plaza is operated by the Daniel Payne Legacy Village
Foundation, a 501(c) 3 organization. For more information about the Daniel
Payne Community Plaza, call (205) 326-4499 or visit www.ninthamec.org.
The
mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is to minister to the
spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all
people by spreading Christ’s liberating gospel through word and deed. At every
level of the Connection and in every local church, the African Methodist
Episcopal Church shall engage in carrying out the spirit of the original Free
African Society, out of which the AME Church evolved: that is to seek out and
save the lost, and serve the needy.
**Submitted
by Ms. Alvelyn Sanders
11. MILITARY CHAPLAINCY,
THE REAL ITINERANT MINISTRY: A UNIQUE PLACE TO EXPERIENCE ABSOLUTE DIVERSITY:
I
am Chaplain (Captain) Samuel Doty Siebo, Squadron Chaplain, 3rd
Squadron, 6th Calvary Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, First
Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
The
purpose of this article is to provide a highlight on the position and functions
of chaplains serving in the United States Military.
Military
chaplaincy is a diverse religious body that reflects the diversity of the
military and our nation. Each chaplain ministers according to the tenets of his
or her faith community. Unlike most officers in the military, a chaplain begins
immediately, as do medical doctors and lawyers, serving as a special staff
officer upon assuming the position as chaplain.
The
military chaplain is a position constituted by the United States Congress, to
protect and provide for the Free Exercise of Religion for Soldiers and their
families, Department of Defense (DOD) Civilians and their families, including U
S contractors, working with the military in an area of operation. Chaplains
also provide ministry for retired military personnel and their families.
The
educational requirement for becoming a chaplain in the United States Army is
very high, for that reason, many persons come into the chaplaincy older than
his or her battalion commander and many of his or her fellow military officers.
A
person seeking to be accessioned and commissioned as a chaplain in the United
States Army must have an earned Master of Divinity (M.Div), Master of Theology
(Th.M) or an equivalent theological degree from an accredited theological
seminary, along with at least two years of Professional Ministry Experience
(PME), following graduation from seminary. The candidate must meet the
ministerial requirement of his or her faith group and be endorsed by his or her
denomination or an endorsing agent for service in the United States Military as
a chaplain. For persons endorsed by the AME Church, the candidate must be a
seminary graduate and an ordained Itinerant Elder in good and regular standing
within his or her annual conference.
After
being accessioned and commissioned by the President of the United States of
America, the new chaplain must enroll in and successfully complete the Chaplain
Basic Officer Leader Course (CHBOLC), at the United States Army Chaplain Center
and School or one of the other two chaplain schools (Air Force and Navy) at
Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
In
the military, chaplains serve many functions, but I want to focus on two very
important functions that the chaplain serves: (1) the chaplain is a special
advisor to the battalion or unit commander and the unit’s senior religious
leader. The chaplain advises the battalion/unit commander on issues of religion,
moral, ethics and morale, affecting the battalion/unit.
The
chaplain is the prophetic voice of the unit; the chaplain is fearless as it
relates to defending the soldiers’ constitutional rights to the Free Exercise
of religion.
As
the unit’s senior pastor, the chaplain provides pastoral care and oversight,
such as, worship services, religious activities, religious sacraments and rites
for the unit. The chaplain provides pastoral care and counseling and many other
spiritual fitness and resiliency activities, so as to enhance the unit’s
spiritual readiness for mission accomplishment. Religious ministrations are
also provided by the chaplain during deployments, in combat, as well as in the
field and in garrison. The chaplain advices the commander on counseling trends
in the unit and the overall command climate of the unit.
The
chaplain devises plans, coordinates and executes the commander’s Master
Religious Program (CMRP). The chaplain is the military unit’s director of
religious programs and the leader of the Unit Ministry Team (UMT).
A
chaplain is a much respected individual in the unit. The chaplain has direct
access to the Unit’s commander without interference from anyone in the unit’s
chain of command.
A
chaplain is a special staff officer in the unit and an integral part of the
Unit’s Military Decision Making Process (MDMP).
The
chaplain formulates the religious plans for his or her unit’s tactical
operations.
Chaplains
conduct critical care for Soldiers and staff and prepares for memorial service
to honor a fallen warriors if necessary. The chaplain also highlights any
foreseen or unforeseen issues that could potentially affect mission
accomplishments, as it relates to religious support.
The
military chaplaincy models the real itinerant ministry, in that chaplains are
constantly on the move for God and country.
A
chaplain is assigned to a unit generally for two to three years, but for
special operations and schools, a chaplain could be assigned for one year, six
month or whatever length of time the Army deems necessary.
The
Army, through the Chief of Chaplains, Regional Personnel Manager, and the
Division and Brigade chaplains can change a chaplain’s assignment to meet the
needs of the Army. A chaplain could be removed from a unit to join another unit
for a special operation, as the Army deems appropriate.
I
experienced an example of the “reassign as needed” model is in my own ministry.
Following my accessioning and commissioning as an active duty chaplain in the
United States Army, I received a call from my Accessioning Officer
congratulating me as a new chaplain and informing me of my orders being
prepared for me to do a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, from South
Carolina (my home) to Fort Steward, Georgia. I got packed and ready to PCS.
When I received my orders, I was rerouted from Fort Stewart, Georgia to Fort
Bliss, Texas, the home of America’s First Armored Division. I was sent to the
Third Infantry Brigade Combat Team (3IBCT), and subsequently moved to the First
Battalion, Forty-First Infantry Regiment to train, prepare and subsequently
deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XIV.
In
Afghanistan, my battalion of almost 600 Soldiers was spread across the country.
From January to July 2014, my soldiers were in twenty locations. It was my duty
to coordinate, perform and provide religious support, pastoral care and
counseling to all of my soldiers in country. I had to fly for long hours and
travel in ground convoys for long hours, through some of the world’s most
dangerous places to perform religious services for my soldiers and coordinate
with chaplains from other faith groups to provide religious services outside my
faith tradition. This is one of the key pastoral care functions of a chaplain;
to perform and provide religious services, sacraments and rites for the unit.
The chaplain is constantly moving from one place to another. The military
chaplaincy is a model for the Itinerant Ministry.
As
an Itinerant Elder in the AME church and an active duty chaplain in the United
States Army, I have had the honor to serve the AME Church and the U.S. Army on
four continents.
I
have served in Africa and North America as a church pastor and chaplain. I also
served in Europe and Asia as a United States Army chaplain. I have gone across
the world to provide pastoral care and counseling to soldiers, DOD civilians
and their families.
The
military chaplaincy is real Itinerant Ministry. Providing ministry from this
global perspective afforded me a unique perspective on humanity and on
divinity. Doing ministry from this universal context enhances wealth of
knowledge that can be compared to or even supersedes the experiences of any
pastor anywhere in the world.
Being
a chaplain in the U.S. Army gives me the opportunities to provide ministry to a
diverse population. This position offers me a unique place to experience
inter-denominational, multiracial, multi-ethnicity influence and multi-cultural
understanding of humanity.
A
military chaplain is a well-rounded and world class minister. Chaplains
endorsed by our beloved Zion, the African Methodist Episcopal Church are
automatic delegates to the General Conference of our Church.
*Chaplain
(Captain) Samuel Doty Siebo is originally from Liberia in the 14th
Episcopal District. He serves in the 7th Episcopal District (South
Carolina) and represents the AME Church in the United States Army as a
Chaplain.
12. INSPIRED BY THE
WOMAN AT THE WELL:
Come meet a man
Who took me by the
hand
He said,
"No matter what you've done
For your
restoration, I am the one.
With grace, mercy
and love
God showers you
with Glory from above
The blind, the
deaf, broken and lame
His message remains
the same
I come to make the
wounded whole
And heal your body,
mind and soul.
Dr.
Pam DeVeaux. 2015
13. RICE UNIVERSITY OFFER FREE ONLINE COURSE 'RELIGION
AND HIP-HOP CULTURE' LAUNCHES TODAY:
HOUSTON
– (March 24, 2015) – Religion
and Hip-Hop Culture, a new free edX
online course being offered by Rice University’s Center
for Digital Learning and Scholarship, launched today. The class features
Religious Studies Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Engaged
Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) Anthony Pinn and the center's
Distinguished Visiting Lecturer and Grammy nominee Bernard “Bun B” Freeman.
Students still have time to sign up for the course by visiting the edX course
page here.
"The
number of enrolled students climbs every day," Pinn said. "With over
100 countries represented, we are looking forward to the rich and global
conversation. We believe this six-week course will mark an important
development in the study of religion and hip-hop."
The
Religion
and Hip-Hop Culture course, or RELI157x, is the first massive open online
course (MOOC) for Pinn
and Bun
B. The online course is built upon and expands the popular class they have
taught together at Rice University.
"Our
classroom course at Rice went so well that people off campus were contacting us
and asking us about the course and how they could take it," Pinn said.
"Working with Bun in the classroom, it became clear that there were ways
of learning and teaching that we hadn’t tapped. The MOOC gave us a way to be
even more creative and innovative in terms of how we link the rest of world
with the cultural richness and diversity of Houston to get information
across."
The
Religion
and Hip-Hop Culture course will explore questions such as, What is religion?
What is hip-hop? Are they the same thing? Do they overlap? Over the six-week
course, Pinn and Bun B will provide the tools necessary to let students
critically engage the world in which they live and answer these questions for
themselves.
"This
course takes two important cultural developments in human history and looks at
their points of commonality and their differences," Pinn said. "The
idea is to do that in a way that gives students a vocabulary, grammar, ideas
and concepts that will allow them to think about and work on related issues
within their own context."
The
course will start with some basic assumptions, the most important being a
willingness to think about hip-hop and religion as cultures that wrestle with
the huge questions of human existence. Pinn and Bun B said that students will
also need to be open to the possibility of hip-hop as a language through which
complex questions, including some about religion, are presented, explored and
interpreted.
"This
course gives me the opportunity to let people see a side of hip-hop that isn’t
always discussed," Bun B said. "We’ve started a conversation that
cannot end until people have a better understanding of who we are and what we
do."
The
Religion
and Hip-Hop Culture course will use a mix of videos, readings, music,
images, stories and behind-the-scenes insider perspectives. Pinn and Bun B
are leading collaborations between Rice University and local institutions to
engage the Houston community in conversations inspired by topics in the course.
This
is the 23rd MOOC offered by Rice’s Center for Digital Learning and
Scholarship.
"This
course reflects the university's commitment to experimental teaching and
research that engages dynamically with Houston arts partners," said
Caroline Levander, Rice’s vice president for strategic initiatives and digital
education. "The result is a course that showcases the cultural innovation
for which Rice and Houston are known."
"We
have been honored to work with Rice University on MOOCs ranging from high
school- to college-level courses," said Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX. "With
Religion and Hip-Hop Culture, together we are enabling the global learning
community to examine the intersection of two vital areas — religion and music —
that are so deeply rooted in cultures around the world."
Media
who want to interview Pinn or Bun B should contact David Ruth, director of
national media relations at Rice, at david@rice.edu
or 713-348-6327.
Rice
University has a VideoLink ReadyCam TV interview studio. ReadyCam is capable of
transmitting broadcast-quality standard-definition and high-definition video
directly to all news media organizations around the world 24/7.
Anthony Pinn is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and
professor of religion at Rice University, where he is also the founding
director of the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning. Pinn is
also the director of research for the Institute for Humanist Studies, a
Washington, D.C., think-tank. His interests include the intersections of popular
culture and religious identity and nontheistic trends in American public life.
He is the author and editor of over 30 books, including “Noise and Spirit: The
Religious and Spiritual Sensibilities of Rap Music” (2003) and “The Hip-Hop and
Religion Reader” (2014).
Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, who rose to fame in the
influential rap duo UGK, has won numerous awards and has been nominated for a
Grammy. Bun B has also been featured on albums with several other well-known
artists. His most notable guest appearances were on the Jay-Z hit single “Big
Pimpin” and Beyonce’s chart-topper “Check on it.” Bun B’s solo projects include
“Trill” (which opened at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 200 and also peaked at No.
1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-hop Album chart) and “Trill O.G.,” which was
released in 2010.
14. FAITH AND CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS LAUNCH
NATIONAL #BEBRAVE CAMPAIGN TO MEMORIALIZE TRAILBLAZING CIVIL RIGHTS HEROINE:
-- “Home
of the Brave” reveals the inspiring life of Viola Liuzzo, the Detroit housewife
and mother of 5 killed in the civil rights movement
Detroit,
MI - The family of civil rights heroine Viola Liuzzo and the filmmakers of the
documentary Home of the Brave announced today that they will launch a national
campaign, joined by faith and civil rights leaders, to tell the story of the
unsung heroes of the civil rights movement. The campaign, #BeBrave, will
feature 50 screenings in 50 states, kicked off today with a screening of the
film in Detroit, Michigan, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Viola Liuzzo’s assassination. She lived in Detroit with her husband and
five children, and was a congregant in the church.
Directed
by Oscar-Nominee Paola di Florio, Home of the Brave tells the story of Viola
Liuzzo’s role in the Civil Rights Movement. The only white woman killed in the
movement, Viola was murdered on March 25, 1965, just hours after her
participation in the Selma to Montgomery marches. She was shot by members of the Ku Klux Klan
while shuttling civil rights protestors to the airport following the historic
marches.
Today’s
screening will be followed by another Detroit screening at Wayne State
University on April 9th. Wayne State is honoring Viola Liuzzo with a posthumous
honorary doctorate on April 10th, the day before what would have been her 90th
birthday. She was enrolled in classes at Wayne State at the time of her
assassination.
In homage
to this 50th anniversary year of Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights Act of
1965, the campaign will host 50 screenings in 50 states and the District of
Columbia, where there will be a premiere screening on Capitol Hill hosted by
Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), who represents communities in the
Detroit area.
“As a
native Detroiter who recently commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Bloody
Sunday in Alabama, I believe Mrs. Liuzzo is rightfully honored by this film,
and I look forward to sharing the documentary of her extraordinary sacrifice
with my colleagues in Congress,” said Representative Conyers. “Viola Liuzzo’s
story is the embodiment of the civil rights movement, which joined together
people from all colors and walks of life, and whose courage and sacrifice
propelled Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and countless civil
rights legislation.”
Representative
John Lewis, who is featured in the film, said this about Viola: “Every so
often, we are called upon to ‘get in the way.’ Viola Liuzzo got in the way.”
Even many
years after her murder, civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson began all of
his speeches by paying tribute to the everyday heroes of the movement, naming
Viola and Jimmy Lee Jackson, another young martyr, by name.
Viola’s
story was recently highlighted in the Oscar-nominated film Selma. A mother of
five from a Teamster family and a member of the Detroit NAACP, Viola’s belief
in equality for all motivated her to travel to Alabama at a critical moment in
the civil rights movement.
“She was a
beautiful, silent force to be reckoned with,” said Viola’s daughter Mary Liuzzo
Lilleboe. “She wasn’t a leader, a speaker, an organizer, or a motivator,
although she could have done all of those things. She took her place among the
25,000 on March 25, 1965, and then took her place in history forever.” Viola’s
martyrdom directly helped pave the way for Congress to pass the Voting Rights
Act of 1965.
Fifty
years after the Selma to Montgomery marches, our nation is once again in a
critical moment of reexamining race, power, and protest. In honor of the continued leadership of
everyday heroes, Viola’s family and the Home of the Brave filmmakers have come
together under the #BeBrave banner.
Working with traditional civil rights and faith groups, the campaign
will engage a new generation of concerned citizens and activists to contribute
their unique voices to the national discourse about Voting Rights and the Black
Lives Matter movement.
To learn
more about the #BeBrave campaign please visit - www.homeofthebravemovie.com/
15. IRS IMPOSTER
TAX SCAM: ARE YOU NEXT:
Last
year during tax season, unsuspecting taxpayers lost more than $1 million to a
massive scam which swept the country, with fraudsters posing as IRS agents.
The
scheme goes like this: The IRS imposter calls claiming you owe taxes, and
demands immediate payment using a prepaid debit card or a wire transfer. Refuse
and you're threatened with arrest or the loss of your business or driver's
license. What you need to know:
The
IRS does NOT:
•
Call to demand immediate payment about taxes owed;
•
Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone;
•
Threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement to arrest you for
nonpayment.
If
you think you've spotted a tax scam or if you or a loved one has been
victimized, contact the Fraud Watch Network for advice and guidance at (877)
908-3360.
16.
THE TRUTH IS THE LIGHT:
The Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr.
Based on Biblical Text: Ecclesiastes 1:9
and 12:13: “The thing that hath been, it is
that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and
there is no new thing under the sun.”
“Let
us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; fear God, and keep His
commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.”
In order to understand our text we must
first understand the intent of the writer, and his own state of mind at the
time of this writing. The text is believed to have been written by King Solomon
in his later years. We witness the bitter melancholy the moment he expresses
his first thought, “Vanity, vanity, all
is vanity!”
That is this King turned preacher’s
starting point. It is, of course, a point not necessarily true except that he
seems to have been made cynical by his own excess. His excess has brought him
to a point where, for him, all of life appears to be out of line. Solomon, now
the preacher continues arguing his points of observation for twelve chapters,
until he finally ends the matter and says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter; fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty
of man.”
I think that once we have a better
understanding of Solomon’s motivations for writing the book of Ecclesiastes,
and we come to the conclusion that his cynicism does not represent his ultimate
convictions, but rather they are notions that he addressed as he journeys from
folly to truth, we are prepared to take a closer look at the key verses of the
text.
First, the thing that hath been, it is that
which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there
is no new thing under the sun. This I think begs the question, “Are we to
believe that a drained and disobedient monarch, who is discontent with his own
performance as a leader, can speak for all the saints who live righteous
lives?”
I submit that there are two possibilities.
One, if we are to believe Solomon’s statement from the perspective of a
materialistic, unprofitable philosophy, then there is no hope that our efforts
to evangelize will have any significant impact on the unsaved. Why, because
according to Solomon, if it hasn’t happened yet, it is not going to happen,
because there is nothing new under the sun.
On the other hand, if we believe that
salvation causes a great transformation to come in the life of the repentant
sinner and that truly their soul is changed from corruptible to incorruptible,
we become aware that while outward tasks remain the same, there can be a
profound and radical difference in the matter in which they are performed.
Hallelujah, then “that which has been done is not that which shall be.” It is possible, for that person there just
may well be something new under the sun!
Solomon says that what has been is the same
as what will be. Perhaps from a physical perspective that remains true.
However, there is another perspective that would clearly argue against
Solomon’s position. I submit that none of our tomorrows could ever be like our
yesterdays because no matter how well traveled and beaten our paths of daily
life, none of us can ever relive yesterday. It is impossible for us to bring
back that which is already spent, whether for good or for evil. It is as
irretrievable as the four seasons, and as used up as the fragrance of last
season’s flowers. Some may argue but I contend that it is utterly impossible
for us to ever be as we were yesterday.
Yesterday we were young, and now we are
older. Yesterday we were physically strong, and now we are weaker. Yesterday we
were truly brown headed and now underneath the coloring we are grayed. Yesterday
we were a little thinner and now we are, well not so much. Yesterday many of us had a head full of hair,
and now we are balding. Though we have found ways to fool folk, what we had
yesterday can never really be regained.
Let me point out that not all of what
changes - is negative. We witness many positive changes in our ever evolving
lives. For example, yesterday we were a lot more naïve, and now we are wiser.
Yesterday we were unschooled, and now we are educated. For many of us yesterday
we were unsaved, and now we are saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy
Ghost! Quite frankly, we may not be able to relive our yesterdays, but after
careful consideration, a lot of us wouldn’t really want to anyway.
Let us consider it is true that the
physiological powers that shaped our yesterdays are the same that shape our
tomorrows and the spiritual structure of our world does not change, God is the
same, yesterday, today and forever. However, it is also true that when our soul
coincides with God’s wisdom, a wonderful change comes over us. In that case
that which has been is no more!
We must be careful to consider that this
remarkable change does not guarantee a brighter, better, fuller, and freer
tomorrow at least not in the carnal sense. God’s changes cannot be contained
within some announcement or proclamation claiming some tangible improvement to
be looming on our every horizon. We are challenged to understand that the only
change that really makes a difference is the change in our soul. Therein lays our
contentment. We are content, but it is not life that makes us content! We are
content as our soul is released from the chains of life and we find sweet peace
even in the midst of our storms.
In our text, we see that the battle between
this preacher’s carnal and spiritual man is the same for every one of us. We
can look at our own lives and we can draw the same initial conclusion that
Solomon did, “there is nothing new under the sun.” However we have a choice! We
can chose to remain in that dreary and cynical place until we depart this earth
or we can chose to make the transformation from the physical to the spiritual,
from complete folly to complete truth.
The truth, we will discover is that folk
who settle too wholeheartedly on social or political advancement for
contentment run the risk of missing the greater opportunity to feed their
souls. The truth, we will discover is when we allow our soul to serve the Most
High God true contentment and peace are found.
This begs the question; will we allow our
spirit to “hear the conclusion of the whole matter” as Solomon finally did?
Will we “fear God, and keep His commandments”?
Our reconciliation to God through Christ “is the whole duty of man.”
*The Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., is
the pastor of Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston, S.C.
17.
GETTING TO ZERO: HIV EPIDEMIC REVEALED IN INDIANA:
Dr. Oveta Fuller
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the State Health Department of Indiana report that Scott
County, Indiana is in the midst of “the worst HIV outbreak in the state’s
history.”
Since December, health officials report 80
new HIV positive diagnoses among residents of Scott County in southern central
Indiana. The majority of the newly detected HIV positive persons live in the
small town of Austin, population of 4,200. Austin appears to be the epicenter
of the revealed HIV infections.
In 2014 a total reported of 420 persons
were newly diagnosed with HIV infection for the entire state of Indiana.
Compare this to 80 new HIV infection diagnoses in only three months. Seven
cases were first detected in January in Austin, 57 by Friday mid-March and up
to 80 with 7 possible more as of Wednesday March 25.
The numbers in Scott Country alone may
reach the 420 new detections for the entire state in 2014. Note that a total of
420 new HIV infection diagnoses were made in 2014. Chances are high that many HIV infections
existed in Indiana in 2014 that remained undiagnosed. We will return to this
point.
What
is happening?
The epidemic in Scott Country is associated
with sharing needles in injecting a prescription drug, opana. Opana is an
opioid painkiller that contains oxymorphone. It can be ingested in pill form
or, for a higher quicker high, made liquid and injected intravenously.
The town of Austin sits on the I-65 route
from Florida (where high volumes of pills are made or imported) to Chicago (one
street market site). This transport corridor location combined with depressed
economics of southern Indiana counties, drug availability and lack of health
care or HIV awareness have provided fertile ground for HIV/AIDS to thrive,
likely for years. Note that this newly revealed epidemic is not in Indianapolis
which for years has had a known high prevalence of HIV infection.
Once the virus is in a population, sexual
engagement (under drug influence or not) amplifies its spread. In Austin,
contact through blood or sexual fluids likely occurs from shared, used or
“dirty” needles as the major vector (agent of transfer e.g. like mosquito with
malaria).
Reuse or sharing of an intravenous needle
(for some a sign of camaraderie and trust) allows small droplets of blood of a
person with HIV in their blood to be deposited from the needle directly into
the blood stream or tissues of another person. Reports from various media
sources indicate that discarded used syringes are easily spotted in trash or on
the ground in Austin.
As typically accompanies towns on major
transportation routes, sex work (prostitution, as referred to more often in the
U.S.) must be included in the mixture of factors fueling the southern Indiana
epidemic.
The CDC has deployed a specialist team to
Scott County. Their investigative strategy is similar to what would occur in
any infectious disease outbreak. It includes tracing known or possible contacts
of people who have tested HIV positive. In this epidemic, contacts are not
those who have had casual contact in touching, who breathe in the same room or
car, or who eat or drank from the same utensils. A contact at risk for HIV is
anyone who has sexual engagement or shares a needle for direct exposure to the
blood, semen or vaginal fluid of an HIV positive person.
A rapid test HIV screening test is given to
each known contact to determine their status. Results of rapid screening tests
in contact tracing provide newly diagnosed HIV case numbers. The numbers will
increase from southern Indiana.
Back to the numbers
This explains why detected new HIV
infection cases increased in 2015 from 7 in January to over 80 on March 25.
Newly diagnosed HIV infections may not
represent new infections. They represent only new detection of infection.
Exposure may have occurred in the last 3-6 weeks, or may have occurred 3-6 six
years ago, maybe more or less.
How does this epidemic happen? HIV is not
like Ebola or measles viruses that cause acute illness where a person has
symptoms within a short time of <1-3 3-6="" a="" acute="" after="" antibodies="" appear.="" are="" be="" before="" cause="" detects="" does="" exposure.="" first="" for="" forever.="" gone="" hiv="" if="" illness="" infection.="" infection="" infections="" is="" it="" know="" made="" may="" not.="" not="" o:p="" of="" only="" or="" present="" rapid="" signs="" survive="" test="" that="" the="" to="" virus="" way="" weeks="" within="" years="" you="">
The detected 80+ HIV new infection
diagnoses is likely the tip of the iceberg. Much of the glacier of infected,
but undiagnosed cases in southern Indiana is underwater still. The media
reports that two pregnant women are among the newly diagnosed. This means that
mother to child transmission is operative also in an area of poor access to
pre-natal care and other routine health care.
Dr. William Cooke who runs the Foundations
Medical Clinic in Austin states that, “many of the people seen in the clinic
can barely afford the $10 co-pay for government supported healthcare.”
About
Scott County
Scott Count’s population is just under
24,000 with 19% of its residents living below the poverty line. $20,481 is the
per capital income recorded in 2013. Dr.
Cooke explains that there is no nearby place to get free HIV testing. Of the 93
counties in Indiana, 23 counties have centers where people who are on Medicaid
or who have no health insurance can get no-cost HIV testing. Scott Country is
not one of the 23. Thus HIV testing is not one of the services offered by the
Scott County Department of Health.
As thought of frequently for developing
countries, when people must focus daily on how to survive, they are not
considering HIV infection. When an opiate like drug is available to allow
escape from reality, they are not concerned about HIV or other sexually
transmitted or blood-bourn infection. Dr. Cooke states that many of the
patients the clinic treats have a drug habit and also are positive for
hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is another blood and sexually transmitted virus like
HIV. Sexually transmitted infections
usually increase in high drug use clusters or populations.
Where are we?
Governor Mike Pence is scheduled to
announce a health disaster declaration for the five-county southern Indiana
area. This will activate eligibility for certain kinds of emergency funding to
help address the HIV epidemic.
This epidemic is in Indiana. Demographics
from 2013 show that of the ~24,000 person population of Scott County, there are
97.8% white, 0.4% black, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Hispanic and 0.8% as a
mixture of 2 or more races. The detected cases seem to be centered in five
counties, Scott, Clark, Perry, Jackson and Washington counties, in southern
Indiana.
An HIV epidemic looks like this if it is
revealed while it is occurring. More often with HIV/AIDS, the outcomes appear
as HIV or AIDS prevalence years after the clusters of infections have occurred.
By then no patterns of transmission are easily discerned. The increasing
numbers during the early transmission process typically are not seen for
HIV/AIDS.
Virus spread and the resulting HIV positive
numbers within a cluster of interacting persons will be similar no matter the
location, race, or predominant socio-economical level. HIV testing, and
intentional prevention or treatment are the only entities that can change
progression of virus spread.
Once a pathogenic microbe is present within
a cluster of people who interact in ways to allow transmission of a given
microbe, there must be purposeful intervention to prevent spread. Without such,
the numbers infected will increase- exponentially.
Location of initial infection and a cluster
of interacting persons could be anywhere. It could be on a small college campus
as with students on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It
could be in a small rural town in Arkansas, South Carolina or Indiana. The
location could be in communities of a major urban center like Chicago, Atlanta,
Newark or Washington, D.C.
Race does not matter. Age does not matter.
HIV is an equal opportunity pathogen that simply wants to reproduce itself.
Given the opportunity, it will reproduce to high virus numbers to spread to new
people exposed to any one of the four transmitting protective body fluids.
In
the HIV/AIDS mix
This breaking news is about an outbreak
detected in a small town in Indiana. However, the same type of news with
differing specific circumstances (e.g. not drug use, but tourism as a business)
could easily be revealed for other areas in the U.S. As over half of HIV/AIDS in this country is
among people of color (African American, Hispanic, Native American, mixed),
demographics of most epidemics would substantially differ from the 0.4% black
of the Scott County population. While our prevalence is low for HIV in southern
Indiana, people of color are in the HIV/AIDS mix for most locations in the U.S.
What to do to prevent or stop an HIV/AIDS
epidemic
The CDC recommends that everyone gets an
HIV baseline test to know their infection status. This should be followed by
routine tests annually thereafter. Along with pre-natal screening that includes
HIV testing, to prevent HIV exposure or infection, follow the tips listed
below.
Diligence especially is required for those
living in or near an affected area that has known high HIV prevalence (see
www.AIDSvu.org/map to explore your location). This applies especially in higher
prevalence counties in any one of the states reporting HIV/AIDS data for the
AIDSvu project.
Assistance with HIV test locations or HIV
care can be found by calling 866-588-4948 or calling the national HIV Services
Hotline at 800 662-HELP (4357).
To reduce risk of contracting HIV infection
use the ABCs of prevention that also is stated as:
- Avoid injection drug use (except under
medically approved conditions)
-Avoid sharing or re-using needles or
syringes
-Avoid engaging in unprotected sex
-Avoid engaging in sex with commercial sex
workers, or with a partner whose current HIV status you do not know
Further reading about the HIV infection
epidemic that is being revealed in southern Indiana can be found at: http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/articale/p2p-83143733.
*Dr. Oveta Fuller is an 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. An
Itinerant Elder in the 4th Episcopal District, she conducts HIV/AIDS
prevention research in Zambia and the USA. She lived in Zambia for most of 2013
as a J. William Fulbright Scholar.
18. iCHURCH SCHOOL LESSON BRIEF FOR SUNDAY, MARCH
22, 2015 - PEACE, POWER & PRESENCE - ST. JOHN 20:19-23:
Bill Dickens. Allen AME Church, Tacoma, WA
Bill Dickens’ column will return next week.
*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
19.
MEDITATION BASED ON ROMANS 7:14-25:
*The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Darby
Being a Presiding Elder rather than a
Pastor means maintaining my family’s residence instead of leaving the
maintenance of a parsonage to the Trustees of the churches I served. I can handle most of that maintenance on my
own - no matter what my wife and sons say about my “handyman” skills - but I
did bring someone else in for one recent “spring cleaning” chore.
Our home is in a shaded area, where the
natural growth of mold and mildew tints three of our home’s exterior walls an
interesting shade of green during the fall and winter. That mold and mildew is easily removed by
pressure washing, but my better sense and my fear of heights led me to have
someone who knew what he or she was doing to come over and wash that stuff
away. The person who took care of the
mold did an excellent job, and our home’s exterior is now as clean as can be.
I offer that bit of “homeowner maintenance
experience” to you in this Lenten Season, as we reflect on what the Lord Jesus
Christ did for all humanity by giving His life for our sins and then rising
from the dead to assure all who believe in Him of everlasting life.
We live in a world where our sin, stress,
missteps and mistakes can easily tarnish our lives, in spite of our best
efforts to do the right thing. We’re all
imperfect beings, and while there’s good in the worst of us, there’s also bad
in the best of us. Living in this world
makes all of our lives tarnished, moldy and unattractive sooner or later, and
that’s why it’s good to know the Lord Jesus Christ and allow Him to direct our
lives.
We all end up in situations that we can’t
clean up on our own, but when we have the faith and humility to realize and
confess our sins and limitations and invite Christ into our lives, He’s show
up, step in, wash away our sins and make us brand new.
Take the time - in this season of Lent and
every day of your existence - to invite Jesus into your life. He’ll clean you up, enable you to find
healing, renewal and recovery, and empower you to reflect on God’s grace and
mercy and say with one hymn writer, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin
has left a crimson stain, but He washed it white as snow.”
This Meditation is also available as a Blog
on the Beaufort District’s Website:
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
20.
CLERGY FAMILY CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENT:
--
Brother Carl Jackson and the Reverend Karen Jackson Celebrated their 30th
Wedding Anniversary
Brother Carl and the Reverend Karen
Jackson, pastor of Bethel AME Church, Eudora, Arkansas, celebrated their 30th
wedding anniversary on March 26, 2015.
The Jackson's give all praise to God for
the years He has blessed them with and they look forward to many more
anniversaries.
Congratulatory well wishes can be emailed
to: revkarenjackson@yahoo.com, Reverend Karen & Bro. Carl Jackson.
21.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to inform you of the passing of
the Rev. James Edward Rose, a retired Itinerant Elder, in the Tennessee Annual
Conference. He is survived by his wife of more than fifty years, Mrs. Martha
Ann Rose and their six children and their families. The Rev. Rose passed away
on March 19, 2015.
Arrangements have been entrusted to:
Terrell Broady Funeral Home
3855 Clarksville Pike
Nashville, TN 37218
615-244-4755
Public viewing: Thursday, March 26, 2015 at
the Funeral Home.
Family Visitation: Friday, 10 a.m.
The Homegoing Service will be held on
Friday, March 27, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.
Temple Baptist Church
3810 Kings Lane
Nashville, TN 37218
Condolences may be sent to:
Mrs. Martha Ann Rose
105 Haynes Park Drive
Nashville, TN 37218
Home Telephone: (615) 876-3028
Mobile: (615) 554-3510
22.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to announce the passing of Sister
Marian Wright, the mother of the Rev. Ella Brandon, pastor of Greater Bethel
AME Church in Harlem, NY (Manhattan District).
The following information has been provided regarding the funeral
arrangements.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Viewing: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Homegoing Service: 1:00 p.m.
Bethel AME Church
1605 Highway 261S
Wedgefield, SC 29168
Professional care entrusted to
Job’s Mortuary, Inc.
312 South Main Street
Sumpter, South Carolina 29150
Telephone: (803) 773-3323
Fax: (803) 775-4297
Condolences may be sent to:
The Rev. Ella Brandon
3320 Hone Avenue
Bronx, NY 10469
23.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We extend deepest sympathy to Mrs. Verna
Goodam, daughter, and grandchildren in the death of the Reverend Jerome an
Associate Minister at Mt. Zion AME Church in Crestview, Florida.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday,
March 28, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Mt. Zion AME Church.
Mt. Zion AME Church
502 McDonald Street
Crestview, Florida 32539
Telephone: (850) 398-6985
The Reverend D. Sinclair Forbes, II,
Officiant
The Reverend Cecil B. Williams, Eulogist
Professional Services are entrusted to:
Parks Funeral Home
76 S. Park Street
DeFuniak Springs, Florida 32433
Telephone: (850) 892-5324
24.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to announce the passing of Mr.
Robert Wayne Hearst, the brother of the Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst, Sr. pastor of
Bethel AME Church in Moorestown, New Jersey (Camden/Trenton District), which
occurred on March 21, 2015.
The following information has been provided
regarding the funeral arrangements.
Homegoing Service: Tuesday, March 31, 2015
East Star Baptist Church
1000 Cherokee Avenue
McAlester, Oklahoma 74501
Telephone: (918) 426-0505
Condolences may be sent to:
The Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst, Sr.
188 Rockland Ave.
Moorestown, NJ 08057
25.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We are sorry to announce the passing of Mr.
James Robert Black, Jr., father of the Reverend Brigitte Black, pastor of
Bethel AME Church in Des Moines, Iowa.
The
arrangements for Mr. Black are as follows:
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Viewing: 10-11 a.m.
Funeral: 11:00 a.m.
First African Methodist Episcopal Church
2045 Massachusetts St.
Gary, IN 46407
Telephone (219) 886-7561
Email: famegary@gmail.com
Condolences may be sent to:
The Rev. Brigitte Black, Pastor
Bethel AME Church
1528 E. University Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50316
26.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
It is with sadness in our hearts that we
announce the earthly transition of Mother Florence Ross on March 18, 2015. Mrs.
Ross was the mother of Mrs. Helen Boykin, the mother-in-law of Rev. Ronald
Boykin and the grandmother of the Rev. DeLishia Boykin and Rokisha Reynolds.
The Rev. Ronald Boykin serves as the pastor of Seaton Memorial AME Church in
Lanham, Maryland.
The homegoing service will take place on
Friday, March 27, 2015 at 11 a.m.
Seaton Memorial AME Church
5507 Lincoln Ave
Lanham, Md
The Rev. Ronald A. Boykin is the pastor of
Seaton Memorial AME Church.
Messages of condolences can be sent to:
The Rev. and Mrs. Ronald Boykin
14521 Penderlea Court
Gainesville, VA 20155
Email: Mrshelenboykin@aol.com
27.
CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
This communication comes to inform you of
the passing of the Rev. W. T. Erby, pastor of Bethel AME Church in
Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The Reverend
Erby died on Saturday, March 21, 2015.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Dyers
Funeral Home, 1610 East Apache, Tulsa, OK
74106; 918-425-5549.
Public Viewing: Friday, March 27, 2015 at
the Funeral Home.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held
on Saturday, March 28, 2015, 2:00 p.m. at St. John A.M.E. Church, 1845 North
Peoria, Tulsa, OK.
Condolences should be sent to his wife:
Mrs. Cleva Williams
1313 East 51St Place, North
Tulsa, OK
74126
Telephone: (918) 425.5477
Online Guest Book: http://www.dyermemorialchapel.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=3014454&fh_id=13927
28.
BEREAVEMENT NOTICES AND CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
Ora
L. Easley, Administrator
AMEC
Clergy Family Information Center
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
29. 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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