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
-- Palm Sunday, March 20, 2016
-- Good Friday – March 25, 2016
-- Easter - Sunday, March 27, 2016
-- Pentecost - Sunday, May 15, 2016
The 50th Quadrennial Session of the
General Conference, July 6-13, 2016
-- Massacre of Emanuel 9, June 17
1. TCR EDITORIAL –
WORSHIP IS A BIG DEAL AND EASTER IS THE BIGGEST DEAL:
Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III
The 20th Editor of The Christian
Recorder
Palm Sunday, also
referred to as Passion Sunday, and Easter are upon us. Pentecost Sunday, fifty days after Easter
will be here “in a flash” and less than two months later, the 50th
Quadrennial Session of the General Conference in Philadelphia will be in
session. This is a busy season for the church.
When I was a student
at a prestigious academic institution, some of the students would jokingly say
about the program, “It’s a lot of reading - if you do it.” The inference was that the reading
requirements were unreasonable and there was no way a normal person could do
all of the required reading.
Sometimes it seems to
many AMEs that the AME Church has so many requirements and so many things to
get done before the General Conference and there is no way all of the tasks
will get completed; and that has been the case with all of the previous General
Conferences, but somehow every thing gets done, i.e., delegates get elected,
financial obligations, hotel accommodations, travel arrangements, special
events planned, accommodations made for the physically challenged and a myriad
of other things completed.
It’s a lot of work if
the General Conference is going to run smoothly, but in the case of the General
Conference, the work has to be done.
Kudos to those who do
it – The Bishop and staff of the 1st Episcopal District, the bishops
of the church, the Treasurer, the General Secretary, the general and
connectional officers, the pastors and laity and lot of other people.
I started this missive
with Palm Sunday, Easter and Pentecost Sunday, considered by many to be,
collectively, the holiest season of the Christian year and this sacred season
is what I want to address. The presupposition is that every Sunday is a
“little” Easter Sunday.
In the same way that
the leadership of the AME Church prepares for the General Conference, so should
pastors and local church leaders prepare for Palm Sunday, Easter and Pentecost
Sunday; and every Sunday.
Let’s stick to the big three
Please don’t let Palm
Sunday be just another mundane worship service.
Hopefully churches
have not forgotten the palms and preachers will tell the story of the triumphal
entry of Jesus to Jerusalem and the significance of that event; even if a
pastor has to preach the same sermon every Palm Sunday. Hopefully, pastors will
find new and fresh ways to retell the story.
Easter Sunday is a
“big deal!” People, even marginal
parishioners, attend church on Easter Sunday. Pastor, if your church is near
empty on Easter Sunday, you might need to have a conversation with your bishop
about a reassignment to another pastoral charge.
Please select
appropriate hymns and gospel songs for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. I will
address Pentecost Sunday in another editorial.
The first hymn is
always a hymn of adoration of God. The hymns of adoration are found in the
first one hundred pages of the AMEC Hymnal or one can go to the back of the
AMEC Hymnal under “Topical Index of Hymns and Service Music” and the hymns of
Adoration are listed under Number 810.
Select hymns and ask
the music ministry to select special numbers that are appropriate to Palm
Sunday and Easter Sunday.
If churches do Easter
Sunday right, there is a better opportunity that some non-parishioners might
return.
Everyone working in
the worship ministry needs to understand why we do things and understand the
importance of coordinating the worship liturgy.
Coordinate, but let
the Holy Spirit move. Sermons should be appropriate for the season.
An Easter Sunday
sermon tells the story of the Resurrection, not a sermon about Samson and
Delilah.
Churches should “put
their best foot forward” and get off to a “jump start” and churches can do so
if everyone understands the “whys” of worship.
The first part of
worship is kind of like AME protocol where preachers give honor to God, then to
bishop, supervisor, general officer, and so on.
God should always be
given the honor in the first part of the worship service.
A call to worship
honors God and lifts up our relationship to God. We know that the traditional
AME Call to Worship liturgy comes from the Bible.
All of the hymns in
the AME Hymnal are based upon scripture and there are hymns for most biblical
passages. To find a hymn appropriate to the biblical text, go to the "Index
of Scripture References in Hymns” beginning with number 806.
For instance, Bless
the Lord, O My Soul is based upon Psalm 103:3; the Doxology is based
upon James 1:17; Father, I stretch My Hand to Thee is based upon Psalm
88:9; the Gloria Patri is based upon Philippians 4:20; and the
Offertory, "All things come of thee O Lord," is based upon
Matthew 6:10.
Hymns can be based
upon more than one scriptural text. Many
praise songs are based upon the Psalms and some of those listings are found on
Number 805 in the back of The AME Hymnal.
As an aside, Presiding
Elder Anne Henning Byfield, a presiding elder in the 4th Episcopal
District explains, “All music is vitally important in Christian worship.
Singing is one way worshippers, with one voice, praise God. The first hymn
should be a burst of praise that has a definite motion towards God as it offers
up the sacrifice of united, common words.”
The Easter opening hymn should “raise the roof” off the building!
The hymn of praise
should be selected with care and with prayer.
“Pass me Not O
Gentle Savior” is a beautiful hymn and a great hymn of invitation or
prayer, but it is not appropriate for the opening hymn.
The gospel song, “I
won’t Complain” is a beautiful song, but it shouldn’t be the opening hymn
of praise.
The prayer or
invocation comes before the scripture because we seek God’s presence before
reading the Word.”
On every Sunday, but
particularly on Easter Sunday, the scripture should be read by best
readers. Churches shouldn’t embarrass
themselves by having poor readers to read the Word of God. The Bible requires
our best service.
Every worship movement
should be executed perfectly, no stumbles and no mistakes. Easter Sunday is a
big deal.
Choirs should know
what they are going to sing before the worship service begins. Musicians and
choir members should not be sending signals and making decisions about what to
sing during the worship service.
The sermon should be
excellent! The music and singing should be excellent! The ushering should be
excellent and everything should be done excellently to the Glory of God.
Worship is a big deal!
Easter is the biggest deal!
Local churches should
get it right!
TCR Editor’s Note: Glad to share that I
finished Challenge IX of my reading the Bible from cover to cover on March 7,
2016. I started on July 12, 2015 and
planned to finish before the 2016 General Conference, but changed from the
365-Day plan to the 180-Day plan; it took a bit longer than 180 days. I will
now move back to the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer.
2. AME NEWS:
-- Emanuel AME Church plans event to feed the
homeless...
-- FBI, Town of James Island offering reward for
information on church vandalisms...
-- DC Church: District has no respect for religious
holiday...
Read more: http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/dc/dc-church-district-has-no-respect-for-religious-holiday/87216355
-- Charleston airport unveils plans for Emanuel
shootings memorial...
3. THE WAY IT WAS:
*Jamye Coleman Williams, Ph.D.
TCR Editor's Note: Dr. Jamye Coleman Williams delivered the
speech appended below at Harvard University on March 2, 2016. It is my hope
that everyone will read this great tribute written by a living icon!
--
You have the responsibility to do what you can, where you can, to erase the
last vestige of racism... “It’s Up to You.” It truly is. It really is!
It “sure enough” is!
As I look out at you Harvard scholars I
cannot resist making my usual recruitment commercial: “If you have not already
committed yourselves to a career in academe, please do so. It really, surely, ‘sure enough’ needs you.”
Please don’t everyone crowd around me at once when this session is over.
That out of the way, let me do what I know
is proper: Dr. Counter, Other
Distinguished Harvard Professors, Dedicated Students, and Others from this
educational community and elsewhere.
There is an old adage which says “Blessed is the woman who has a
friend.” I want to paraphrase it tonight
and say, “Blessed is the teacher who has a former student introduce her. Thank you so much, Dr. Counter.”
Let me say at the outset that I do indeed
consider it an honor to be invited to this time-honored institution to be a
part of a much needed conversation on one of the problems that continues to
face our nation.
Whenever the opportunity presents
itself, I speak with great pride about my many former students over 48 years
of teaching in five HBCU’s—four of my denomination, the African Methodist
Episcopal (AME) Church, the oldest African American denomination in our nation
which will in this year of 2016 celebrate its Bicentennial. We will return to Philadelphia, where when in
1787 the fathers of our country were drafting the US Constitution, a few blocks
away Richard Allen, a former slave, and others, were establishing the AME
Church.
It was a most unexpected surprise to receive
a letter from Doni Lehman, an intern at the Harvard Foundation, inviting me to
come to Harvard for this occasion.
Doni’s mother, Ellen Lehman, is the President of the thriving Community
Foundation of Middle TN, which was organized in 1991. I was pleased to be a member of the first
Board of Trustees, and I have continued to be a supporter through the
years. It is a case of connecting the
dots, according to Doni’s mother, that Doni would become an intern at the
Harvard Foundation, where Dr. Allen Counter is the distinguished President and
just happened to have been one of my students at Tennessee State
University. Is this a coincidence or
something else?
You have no idea how much pride I take in
having been a part of their educational experience. But there is one more—a more recent addition
to Harvard—a graduate of Wilberforce University, my alma mater—in the person of
Dr. William Julius Wilson, distinguished professor in the John F. Kennedy
School of Government. Now all that being
said you can perhaps understand my opening commercial. A teacher’s life is so enriched by the
achievements of the students who have passed her way. I am blessed also that
not only was I invited to your institution but that I was able to respond in
the affirmative. But let me hasten to
tell you that I could not be here today if my husband of 72 years, 2 months,
and 3 days had not been able to accompany me—and neither one of us could have
come had our daughter not traveled with us.
Please stand up—Dr. McDonald Williams and Donna Williams. They
mistakenly think I’m too old to travel alone.
Having just celebrated Black History Month
we have heard many discussions about the state of America today—not only as it
concerns race relations but also the multiplicity of other problems that
confront our nation and the world. It is
indeed relevant that you want to look back on a major event in our
democracy—the Civil Rights Movement—and look ahead to your participation as a
new generation of thinkers who must also want the best for America.
As a background to my discussion of the
1960’s, let me take you back with me to the year 1956. From 1942 to 1956 our family lived in the
quiet and peace of an Ohio community, the home of Wilberforce University,
founded in 1856, the oldest private coeducational institution of higher
education owned and controlled by African Americans. Of interest to you, perhaps, is the fact that
one of the early teachers at Wilberforce University was W.E.B. DuBois, the
first African American to be awarded the Ph.D. from Harvard University. Living in Ohio and rearing our young daughter
in relative freedom was all I could ask for.
Then my husband, with his recently granted Ph.D., was offered a position
as Head of the Department of English at Morris Brown College. This was 1956. The place was Atlanta, GA, where segregation,
despite Brown v. Board of Education, was the de facto law of many southern
states. That then was the beginning of
my involvement in civil rights.
Atlanta was the home of 5 HBCU’s—Spelman,
Clark, Morehouse, Atlanta University, and Morris Brown. I became active with the NAACP, and worked
with the Youth Councils of the colleges.
I became a member of the Executive Committee of the NAACP and had the
opportunity on more than one occasion to volunteer to pick up Atty. Thurgood
Marshall at the airport when he was coming to speak. Now the reason for my volunteering was that I
was in the process of writing my doctoral dissertation on “A Rhetorical
Analysis of Thurgood Marshall’s Arguments Before the Supreme Court in the
Public School Segregation Controversy.” (Brown v. Board of Education)
Other involvement included attending the
court presided over by Judge Durwood Pye, where Atty. Donald Hollowell, who
secured Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, release from Reidsville Prison, would
represent the NAACP, which was under fire because of the failure of the
president, John C. Calhoun, to register the organization with the Secretary of
State. I recall another dramatic case
when Judge Pye cross-examined Mrs. Eunice Cooper, the NAACP secretary,
concerning her refusal to turn over the membership roll of the Atlanta
Branch. To do so would have endangered
the jobs of many of its members. When
the trial ended Judge Pye, a diehard segregationist, fined the Atlanta Branch
$25,000. Interestingly the State’s
highest bench ruled in support of the NAACP, which resulted in the NAACP not
having to pay the fine nor surrender its membership roll.
Fast forward to 1958 when my husband and I
were invited to join the faculty of Tennessee A. & I. State College, as it
was then called. Because I had just been
granted a Danforth Fellowship to complete my dissertation at The Ohio State
University, I was given a year’s leave of absence.
When I returned to Nashville in 1959 it was
on the eve of the 1960 Civil Rights Movement.
Actually the Nashville Movement had its inception in December, 1959,
when after training in nonviolent techniques by James Lawson, the students of
Fisk, TN A&I, Meharry, and American Baptist College quietly tested the
status quo by sitting-in at Harvey and Cain Sloan Department Stores, the
Greyhound and Trailway Bus Stations, and Woolworth and McClellan Ten Cent
Stores. This action took the community
by surprise; so there was no violence.
The decision was made to continue the demonstrations upon returning from
the Christmas holidays.
Meanwhile in Greensboro, NC, four freshman
students on February 1, 1960, staged a sit-down at the lunch counters at the
Woolworth Store. The students in
Nashville then on February 6 staged a sympathy sit-in. The major players in the Nashville Movement
were Diane Nash, Marion Barry (Fisk), Fred Leonard, Leo Lillard, Lucretia
Collins, Catherine Burke, William Barbee (TN A&I), John Lewis, Bernard
Lafayette, and James Bevel (ABC). James
Lawson, a graduate student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, along with Rev. Kelly
Miller Smith, Sr., pastor of First Baptist Church and Associate Dean at
Vanderbilt Divinity School, Rev. C.T. Vivian, Rev. Andrew White, Rev. Joseph L
Lowery, were mentors and supporters. They represented the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC), the NAACP, and local churches.
We as adult activists in the community
attended weekly mass meetings, held at various churches where we sang freedom
songs, prayed and contributed funds for bail for the jailed students, provided
transportation, and were a part of the civil rights marches. I will mention one example of an event that
solidified the community. On April 19,
1960, at 5:30 a.m., the home of the leading lawyer for the movement—Z.
Alexander Looby—was bombed. One hundred
and forty windows at nearby Meharry Medical College were broken. Our family,
living several miles away, was awakened by the blast.
This cowardly act mobilized the black
community. A massive march of some 1500 persons
left the TN A&I community, joined by others from the Fisk and Meharry
communities until there were more than 3000 marchers who reached the courthouse
to confront Mayor Ben West. Let me add that there had been no plan to include
high school students in the demonstrations, but on this day some college
students when marching past Pearl High School barged in and called them
out. Mr. John Hull, the Principal, stood
at the door and, according to our daughter, Donna, asked her what her parents
would say, and she assured him they would expect her to be in the march.
Upon reaching the capitol Rev. C.T. Vivian
read a statement setting forth the position of the demonstrators. Diane Nash,
the real leader of the group, spoke up and asked the Mayor to use the prestige
of his office to end segregation and then asked the pointed question: “Do you recommend that the lunch counters be
desegregated?” To his credit and to our
amazement he said “Yes.” These
courageous student leaders included John Lewis, now a member of Congress; Dr.
Gloria Powell Johnson, first black female to become a tenured full professor at
Harvard Medical School; Dr. Rodney Powell, a doctor in Hawaii; Curtis Murphy,
an educator in Chicago; and Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a former President of American
Baptist College. The bombing, the
massive march, the Mayor’s response struck a death knell to the continued white
opposition to the desegregation of public accommodations. In addition, the Movement used a selective
buying technique—couldn’t call it a boycott—just before Easter, urging African
Americans to stay out of town. Dr.
Vivian Henderson, a noted economist at Fisk, announced that in the month of
March downtown stores lost $250,000 and noted that the overall purchasing power
of the black community was $40 million.
But the sit-ins were not the only activity
that caught my attention. Nashville also had two other movements requiring
citizen involvement. In April, 1967, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and Senator Strom Thurmond were invited
to speak at Vanderbilt University’s Annual Impact Symposium. Stokely Carmichael delivered a speech that
stressed the significance of the Movement but was not controversial. Interestingly the Nashville Banner had tried
to prevent his appearance, claiming he would incite violence. By contrast,
several days later he spoke at Fisk University and TN State—reluctantly agreed
to by the administrations—and his inflamed rhetoric generated such a response
that it ignited trouble in the North Nashville Community. A riot broke out between students and the
police, resulting in Governor Buford Ellington dispatching National Guardsmen
with tanks and firearms to the intersection of the street at the main entrance
of the TSU campus. Students, in turn,
assembled, kept running toward the troops and taunting them. The TSU administration arranged for a
conference with Governor Buford Ellington at his mansion. Dr. W.N. Jackson,
Vice President of Academic Affairs; Dr. Joseph A. Payne, Vice President of
Student Affairs; James Montgomery, SGA President; and I, as Chairperson of the
Student Faculty Advisory Committee, met with the Governor and apprised him of
the gravity of the situation with students taunting armed troops. The Governor listened and promised to
withdraw the troops if we could persuade the students to stop
demonstrating. Relative peace ensued as
a result.
The Nashville Community faced other
challenges. On one occasion the KKK announced that it planned to march in the
streets of Nashville. The Nashville Panel,
an integrated group of which I was a member, sought to work across racial
lines. We decided on a course of action
to stop the march. On April 10, 1980, Rabbi Marc Tannenbaum of New York, a
leading ecumenist and Human Rights Rabbi of America, accepted our invitation to
speak at a mass meeting. Three panelists were to react to his strong supportive
statements for justice—I was the woman on the reaction panel. As a result of this event, the Klan did not
march!
That is a snapshot of some of the dramatic
events of the 1960’s movement. But the
times demanded citizen participation in other ways to help America become of
the people, by the people, and for the people.
Political activity was another area in which we chose to be
involved. We continued our activity with
the Nashville Branch, NAACP, 40 years as members of the Executive Committee, my
husband was a first Vice President. I
for some 20 years served as Chair of the Life Membership Committee.
Then there was the Tennessee Voters Council
(TVC), a State-wide political organization, chaired by Senator Avon Williams,
first black elected to the Tennessee Senate, and for which I served as
Secretary for 19 years. One of the main
functions of the TVC was to interview candidates for state-wide and national
office and give our endorsement. Interestingly legislative as well as
presidential candidates sought our endorsement.
That was the way it was. It was truly a gratifying moment when on
April 19, 1995, exactly 35 years after Diane Nash posed that crucial question
to Mayor West on the morality of segregation another Mayor—Philip Bredesen—on
the same spot in front of the courthouse in the presence of civil rights
activists, including an older Diane Nash, dedicated a plaque commemorating that
historic day with the words from the Old Testament prophet Joshua: “And the
people shouted with a great shout so that the walls fell down.”
All that having been said, what can I say to
you? As future leaders of the 21st
Century, as individuals who are more privileged than many others who are denied
access to education and a better life, you have the responsibility to do what
you can, where you can, to erase the last vestige of racism which negates the
words of the Declaration of Independence being a creed to live by: We hold
these truths to be self-evident that we are endowed by our creator with certain
inalienable rights and among these are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
What I want you to keep in your remembrance
is a simple message. It is simply this,
“It’s Up to You.” It truly is. It really
is! It “sure enough” is!! You, the
millennial generation, with more advantages than many in prior centuries. You who live in a highly sophisticated,
technological, advanced society with far more advantages than many of your
ancestors. I urge you to take seriously
all of the crucial problems of a hurting world.
Look at them carefully. The
writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that “for everything there is a season, and a
time for every matter under heaven.”
This is a time to evaluate with an unprejudiced, objective eye, and act
in the best of interest of everybody.
It’s up to you.
The Southern Poverty Law Center urges us to
“fight against the far-right extremists who want to divide our country; seek justice
in the courts for victims of racism and discrimination, whether it is ethnic,
cultural, religious, or class; be examples for children with lessons of
tolerance and understanding before the seeds of hate can take root in their
lives.” Somebody should have reached Dylann Roof, the misguided young man, who
on June 17, 2015, murdered nine Christian women and men in Bible Study at
Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston—because he wanted to start a race war.
I was able to attend the funeral of the
pastor of Mother Emanuel, the Reverend Clementa Pinckney. There were in fact
two funerals—the AME Church’s at 11:00 o’clock, and the second at 1:00, at
which President Obama gave a moving eulogy, concluding by singing “Amazing
Grace,” with the large audience joining in.
What was a source of inspiration was the presence through both services
of the Mayor of Charleston; the Governor; Senator Graham; and former Secretary
of State, Hillary Clinton; and Congressman James Clyburn.
I would also remind you not to be overly
concerned with the pursuit of things. We
should not live with only the concern for that which brings us pleasure,
comfort, and security. Being products of
a materialistic culture, we find ourselves primarily interested in things. We even measure success in terms of what a
person has—houses, land, and money. We
are often too concerned with power, prestige, and portfolios.
Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian
humanitarian who was born into privilege, died with fewer than ten possessions
including a watch, spectacles, sandals, eating bowl and plate, and a few
clothes. Gandhi said, “You may have
occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in
never missing them.”
Your generation is confronted with a
multiplicity of crucial problems and issues.
Tentacles of racism still permeate every facet of our society. Benign neglect and insensitivity still exist
in high places. Obstacles to parity are
in many aspects of American life.
It’s up to you to do what you can, where you
can.
Edmund Burke in the 19th Century reminded us
that evil prevails because men of goodwill are silent. Martin Luther King, Jr., in our day, declared
that we may have to repent in this generation not only for the vitriolic words
and acts of the bad people but also for the appalling silence of the good
people.
Let me close as I began with a plug for my
introductory commercial. Do please
consider a career in academe! If you do, you will have my heartwarming
experience of having my life so enriched by so many of my students. In addition to the three distinguished ones
whose names I’ve already called (Allen, David, and Julius), there are others: the late Wilma Rudolph, winner of three gold
medals in the Rome Olympics; Oprah Winfrey, the television personality; Dr.
Bobby Jones, renowned Grammy Award gospel singer; Dr. Karen Dunlap, first
female and first African American to be President of Poynter Institute of
Journalism; Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover, President of Tennessee State University,
the late Dr. Hazo Carter, President of West Virginia State University for 25
years—all TSU students. From
Wilberforce, eight young men became bishops in the AME Church; two became
President of Payne Theological Seminary; two became college presidents—Kittrell
and Allen, and Leontyne Price, the operatic diva, whose name will be engraved
in the paving stones on the famous Lincoln Center’s plaza in New York.
I rest my case for “It’s Up to You.”
Let the words of the familiar poem be your
challenge:
I am only one,
But I am one
I cannot do everything
But I can do something
And what I can do,
I ought to do
And what I out to do,
By the grace of God, I will do.
May God bless each of you.
*Dr. Jamye Coleman Williams is a retired
General Officer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
4. WE HAVE THE POWER:
Shirley A. Waters White, PhD.
Big Bethel AME Church, Atlanta
As the primary elections continue across
America, some voters may be repelled by the negative and often hostile and
violent scenes enacted each night on the national news. It is my prayer that these disagreeable
antics will not result in the avoidance of the entire political process by many
Americans, who might avoid going to the polls completely either in the primaries
or the national election in November.
The danger that this attitude may well lead to disengagement when it
comes time to vote in the national election is very real. It is understandable that we are perplexed, confused,
and repelled by what we see. Our political system may be flawed, but that may
be all the more reason we need to stay engaged and make every effort to make a
difference.
In January 2013, just a few weeks before
President Obama was sworn in for his second term, columnist Robert Schlesinger
wrote an article titled: “Conservatives Can’t Win at the Negotiating Table What
They Lost at the Ballot Box”.
Schlesinger was referring to the continuing efforts by Republicans to
block the President at every turn, no matter what the cost to the country. He reminded them –- and us –- that despite
having control of the Congress through numbers, their efforts do not reflect
the will of the people. The voters selected Obama and his vision over Romney
and his, Schlesinger wrote, and they did it decisively. Here are some key
statistics about President Obama's victory cited in the article: Barak Obama got 51.1 percent of the popular
vote to Mitt Romney's 47.2 percent, the first president to exceed 51 percent
two elections in a row since Dwight D. Eisenhower. Obama won 26 states and the District of
Columbia, 332 electoral votes. No state
won by Obama would have swung the election to Romney had Romney won it. There
were only four especially close states in the 2012 election; Florida, North
Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia were decided by less than 5 percentage points, the
smallest number of close states in a presidential election in nearly 30 years.
No matter how you interpret the 2012 election results, the people made their
choice very clear.
Many voters don’t know that Democrats gained
seats in the U.S. Senate and in the U.S. House of Representatives; and although
the GOP kept control of the House, nearly 1.4 million more people voted for
Democratic House candidates than for Republicans. 1.4 million—remember that figure the next
time the Republican Party uses its numbers to block the President’s
agenda. We have the numbers. We have the power. We can determine the next
President of the United States.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was quoted
by columnist Steve Benen as saying that the fiscal fights of 2013, over raising
the debt ceiling and funding the government, would be "one hell [sic] of a
contest about the direction and vision of this country." What Graham and
his allies seemed to forget, Benen remarked, is that we already had "one
hell [sic] of a contest about the direction and the vision of this
country." It was the 2012 election,
and the Republican direction and vision lost the contest.
Voters were told repeatedly that the 2012
election would be the most important election ever. It would determine the
direction of the country for a generation, so it was time to fight like there
was no tomorrow. Although Barak Obama won the election, Republican members of
Congress, have taken the idea of “sore loser”
to new heights in their campaign to undermine the president and subvert his
agenda for the nation. They realized very well that their “tomorrow” was in
serious jeopardy. The recent efforts by Republicans to interfere with our right
to vote is a glaring example of their strategy to win back some of the power
they lost.
As of February 2016, 33 states have enacted
voter identification requirements. Eighteen states require voters to present
photo identification, while 15 require other forms of identification. But
getting a photo ID has been made more difficult in many states, including
Georgia. But thirty-one of Alabama’s
county driver's license offices were closed, prompting the head of the state’s
American Civil Liberties Union to say that the people of this nation should be
very worried. These closures took place
in eight of the ten counties with the highest share of registered voters of
color, including all five of the counties that voted most strongly Democratic
in the 2012 election. Hillary Clinton
warned that these closings were designed to make it harder for people to vote,
and called them “a blast from the Jim Crow past.” Closing offices where voters can get the
required voter I.D. would have been reviewed by federal officials enforcing the
Voting Rights Act. But the Supreme Court overturned a key provision of that law
that required advance approval of state actions that affect elections. In Georgia, studies found that in the areas
with the greatest concentrations of rural black voters, no state driver’s
license offices are open more than two days per week, and many of the state’s
part-time offices are in the areas with the highest concentrations of black
voters. In 21 contiguous “black belt” Georgia counties, all state driver’s
license offices are open two days per week or less.
Citizens can be denied the right to register
and vote if they cannot produce an acceptable birth certificate. This is problematic for some who may have
voted for decades, especially if they were born at a time when hospitals were
segregated and they were born at home.
There are many stories on the internet about
citizens who have been unable to register to vote because of these bureaucratic
glitches. A woman who could not produce
a marriage license was denied because her name on her ID was different from the
name on her birth certificate. A student
from out of state, even with a valid student photo ID, can’t vote. Veterans of the U.S. armed forces have been
denied in some states because their military ID was not considered an
acceptable identification. This is both
unbelievable and outrageous. There was
even a case of a black elected official who could not vote because she lacked
“acceptable” ID. She, too, was born at a
time and in a place when black babies had no birth certificates issued. These and other voting restrictions across
the country have resulted in more than half the population of the United States
finding it harder to cast a ballot.
Such repressive measures represent a sharp
reversal for a country whose historical path has been to expand voting rights
and make the process more convenient and accessible. But they are all too
familiar to a people who fought long and hard – often at the risk of our very
lives – to participate in this democracy. Party politics plays a key role. But
race has been a significant factor. In 2008, voter participation among African
Americans and certain other groups increased dramatically. But the more a state
saw increases in voter turnout by the previously disenfranchised, the more
likely it was to push laws cutting back on voting rights, according to a
University of Massachusetts study. The
push to shut down Sunday early voting in states where African-American churches
organized successful “Souls to the Polls” drives is a glaring example of
racially-motivated efforts to restrict the vote.
The Brennan Center for Justice at the
University of New York found that seven of the 11 states with the highest
African-American turnout in 2008 passed laws making it harder to vote. Nine of
the 12 states with the largest Hispanic population growth in the 2010 Census
have new restrictions in place. And nine of the 15 states that were once
required to be monitored closely under the Voting Rights Act because of a
history of racial discrimination in elections passed new restrictions after
oversight were removed by the Supreme Court.
Laws restricting voter registration drives
are another tactic of repression. African Americans and Latinos register
through drives at twice the rate of whites, and, as in our past history of
struggle, voter registration drives have been used to help close the racial
registration gap. In response to these efforts, Florida and several other
states passed laws that made it difficult for groups to help voters register.
The result was a significant drop in registrations. In December 2011, the League of Women Voters
of Florida, Rock the Vote, and the Florida Public Interest Research Group
Education Fund (PIRG) filed suit in federal court challenging Florida’s new
restrictions on community-based voter registration drives. These restrictions were so unnecessarily
harsh that they forced groups like the League of Women Voters and Rock the Vote
to shut down their voter registration programs in Florida. The Court agreed,
and after initially blocking enforcement of most of the law, in August 2011, an
order was issued permanently removing restrictions on community-based voter
registration drives on the grounds that they violated the U.S. Constitution and
federal law.
Experts say the move to restrict voter
participation in the U.S. is the worst it’s been since Reconstruction – and it
is not just on the legal front. The Brennan Center for Justice cautions us
about politically motivated attacks on groups that register voters, last-minute
attempts to purge names off voter rolls, and voter harassment by vigilante
groups. These acts are eerily
reminiscent of the vigilante and Ku Klux Klan attacks on black voters during
the era of Jim Crow. All of these
tactics were used for decades to prevent African Americans from registering and
voting.
Watch also, these experts say, for
widespread confusion and mistakes as a result of all these voting rules
changes. Even officials and those who staff the polls often get it wrong and
deny citizen their right to vote because of all the changes and conditions that
have been enacted. And watch out for long lines at the polls, especially in
communities of color. All these will have a significant effect on the numbers
of voters in these communities.
We are and always have been a strong,
resilient people; we survived the worst that could be done to us – from the
Middle Passage and enslavement, to Black Code and Jim Crow laws, to deadly
attacks on our people from lynching by mobs, to attacks by law enforcement for
exercising our rights, unequal sentencing and imprisonment, and recently the
widely publicized killings by law enforcement. We have survived the Klan,
brutal attempts at voter suppression by both white supremacists and the
government sworn to represent and protect us, and modern-day hate crimes. With God as our help, surely we will not
allow this latest attempt to undermine our rights as citizens to succeed. Psalms 91:1, 2 reads: “He who dwells in the
shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, my refuge and my
fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Just as our forefathers did when they
resisted enslavement-- from Gabriel Prosser to Denmark Vesey; just as we have
fought to call attention to and defeat the purposes of the murder, mayhem, and
indignity heaped upon our people -- from Ida B. Wells to Rosa Parks; just as we
continued to fight to gain the full rights of citizenship over decades -- from
W.E.B. DuBois to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., we will meet this challenge
as well.
We will continue to pray that those who have
malice in their hearts, and are trying to harm us through their actions, will
turn from their wicked ways. But in the
meantime, while we continue to pray, we have work to do. We can remember that we
have the power, no matter what others may say, no matter what others may do. We
can remember that we enjoy both the full and inalienable rights of citizens of
the United States of America, and the protection and blessings of Almighty God. But while we pray, and wait upon God, we have
work to do. We know the right of it, and
we know the wrong. I believe God would
expect that–- while we are praying -- we put our shoulders to the wheel and
work to right this wrong that is being committed against us.
What can we do about a Republican-dominated
Congress that threatens to stall any nomination the President makes to fill the
Supreme Court vacancy? Let our voices be
heard! Let elected officials know they will be held accountable for their
obstruction and delaying tactics. Get out and vote, and elect representatives
that will do what is best for you and what is best for the nation! What can we
do about a hate-filled, negative primary campaign? Speak up! Remember that the
loud, angry and violent crowds you see on the nightly news at these rallies
actually represent only a fraction of the eligible voters in these states. Millions are staying home out of disgust and
disappointment. We need to encourage
those voters to become active, to vote, to make their voices heard.
The primaries are just the first phase. We must not grow weary of doing good and
continue to fight for what is right and good for all people. We can campaign,
work for a candidate, and most importantly, and vote in every election.
5. CONCERNS FOR OUR YOUTH IN THE BALTIMORE:
Our youth is crying out for our help. When the youth begin to question where is God
outside of the church and outside of church school, what is the response? Furthermore, whether we adults choose to
acknowledge it or not; our young people are also weighed down by our adultish
mess which also contributes to the reality that our youth are unable just to be
youthful. Our mess has become their
mess; our depression has become their depression. How we adults handle one another helps to
show our youth how to treat one another, and, unfortunately, spill over as to
how a young person will or will not respect adults, each other and so on.
Question: When our youth becomes challenged
with their individual trials, are they prepared to know how to respond and who
to trust that would have their best interest at heart? What can we, the AME Church do for our
youth? Church, the unfortunate reality
is that our youth is either violated or the violators and in either regard are
crying out for the AME church's help.
The school is the one place where most of
our youth spend most of their time; while trying to discover self, self with
others, self with self, and how to accept self.
Too much on the television, magazines, and social media still attempt to
strip the beauty and the intelligence from our young and beautiful black
minds.
How are we to project to our young people
that they are Kings and Queens if we support television shows that demise black
fraternities and sororities? What are we
saying when we support the media who continues to portrays our black men as
baby-makers/thugs/rappers/and athletic superstars. What are we adults saying, when we disregard
and allow others to disregard our Black history? What are we saying when we choose to kill
each other with sugar/weapons/ drugs/ and hate--when others races and cultures
STILL in 2016 make sure living is harder for Black people every day? Ask our young people and hear the responses.
Listen:
Take the time to hear those young voices
connected to those souls who too are thirsty and in need of Christ. Church, it
is time to stop acting as though our young, "do not know" or "do
not need to know", because, in most cases, our youth know more than we
give them credit. It is time now to
listen to these young minds and find out what is on their mind. Take the time to initiate person-to-person
communication. Find out what are their
dreams, goals, interests, and their perspective on life. More importantly, know what or who are their
challenges; take the time to hear their hurt in their words and be whom they
need most--their person God created as their parent, guardian, mentor, teacher,
counselor, minister, steward.
Respond:
To clarify, to respond and to react are not
the same in regards to our youth.
To react is to provide an answer or returned
action on impulse due to an initial feeling or thought. In this regard, a
person would not reflect on the aftermath of such a response, which would have
the potential to make matters worse. However, to respond is to allow all
information shared a time to process and to allow self to look past immediate
urges and take in how God would like for you to proceed forward. Please keep in mind, “that if a parent loves
his child, he will correct him when he is out of line. A loving parent will
guide and teach their children. The Bible adds that if you neglect to train and
teach your child, you don’t love your child (Proverbs 13:24)".
If our youth is uncomfortable to seek help
from family, the community, or the church--our future is in trouble. As a Minister of the Youth, it troubled my
heart when I learned from a few High Schoolers; first, that the bathrooms and
various sections within the schools smell of marijuana on a daily basis. Since
the smell of this drug is blatant, both students and teachers detect and are
aware of the activities that transpire; however, it appears no one of the
school administration has said or have done anything to stop such activity to
occur on/within school grounds.
Second, several students are faced with
bullying on a daily basis. Although,
reported to teachers and/or vice principals/principals with the requested
written bullying reports again, it appears no one of the school administration
has collectively addressed this issue to either the student body or
faculty. Unfortunately, it also seems no
school administrative action is in place to discipline the young people who are
doing the bullying. Furthermore, it was
revealed that some if not most of the teachers- are too in fear to speak up
about/or speak to those who are the "bullies"--for fear of becoming
threatened or the ones included as the victims of bullying.
No more shall children go to school and
remain in doubt, threatened, and or feel that that if truly faced with a
problem, no one will listen. It is
important that our youth knows that their lives are significant and of value
wherever they go and with whoever is in their company. No longer should suicide or homicide be an option
as a solution. If a child feels in
danger, a child should have confidence within those who vow to cultivate,
encourage, teach, and aspire to excellence--would also serve as those same
persons make sure each child knows they are valuable, and treatment unto them
and from one another SHOULD be in excellence.
If we do not consider them as valuable
rather than anything glamorized negatively; the legacy of our people and our
church will die. It is time to take back
our youth; from depression, thoughts/ attempts of suicide, drugs,
unprotected/underage/unmarried sex, insecurity, mom's and dad's mess, the wrong
crowds, neglect, and manipulation. It is
time, to make the change to preserve our future as Black people, restore our
community as one in Christ; not as enemies and not as thieves but as brothers
and sisters in Christ making investments into the younger brothers and sisters
in need.
When asked by a younger person, "Where
is God?" Make sure that each of
them knows God is wherever they are because Christ lives within them and they
are never alone or apart from a reliable provider of comfort, power, love, and
safety--Jesus Christ.
Assignment:
Be the church and minister unto our youth--Young lives matter!
The Reverend Miesha Osborne, Minister of the
Youth at Mount Calvary AME Church in Towson, Maryland
6. CONGREGATIONS ‘STRIP THE LORD’S TABLE:
In Lent, the Lord’s Table is decorated
normally, using purple altar cloths—during Holy Week may be changed to Some
congregations remove everything from the Lord’s Table after Maundy Thursday,
and leave it bare until Easter Sunday.
The starkness of the empty Table reminds us
of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. Similarly, the Gospel Reading for the third
Sunday of Lent, the story of Jesus driving the moneychangers from the Temple,
calls us to contemplate what matters most in worship.
Excerpted from the United Methodist News
Service and used with permission
7. EPISCOPAL BISHOPS ISSUE A WORD TO THE CHURCH:
"We
reject the idolatrous notion that we can ensure the safety of some by
sacrificing the hopes of others.”
The House of Bishops of The Episcopal
Church, meeting in retreat, unanimously approved the following Word to the
Church.
A Word to the Church
Holy Week 2016
"We reject the idolatrous notion that
we can ensure the safety of some by sacrificing the hopes of others.”
On Good Friday the ruling political forces
of the day tortured and executed an innocent man. They sacrificed the weak and
the blameless to protect their own status and power. On the third day Jesus was
raised from the dead, revealing not only their injustice but also unmasking the
lie that might makes right.
In a country still living under the shadow
of the lynching tree, we are troubled by the violent forces being released by
this season’s political rhetoric. Americans are turning against their
neighbors, particularly those on the margins of society. They seek to secure
their own safety and security at the expense of others. There is legitimate
reason to fear where this rhetoric and the actions arising from it might take
us.
In this moment, we resemble God’s children
wandering in the wilderness. We, like they, are struggling to find our way.
They turned from following God and worshiped a golden calf constructed from
their own wealth. The current rhetoric is leading us to construct a modern
false idol out of power and privilege. We reject the idolatrous notion that we
can ensure the safety of some by sacrificing the hopes of others. No matter
where we fall on the political spectrum, we must respect the dignity of every
human being and we must seek the common good above all else.
We call for prayer for our country that a
spirit of reconciliation will prevail and we will not betray our true selves.
The Episcopal Church House of Bishops met in
retreat March 11 – 15 at Camp Allen Conference Center in Navasota, Texas.
8. HELP WANTED: QUEEN LEADERS:
*The Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith
Sometime between 486 and 465 BCE, the Bible
tells us, a disagreement arose between a husband and wife on the way the wife
should be presented at a banquet. The disagreement resulted in the wife losing
her title of queen. The wife’s name was Queen Vashti, and her husband was King
Ahasuerus of Persia. King Ahasuerus decided to find another wife. Esther, a
disguised Israelite teenager, was chosen as the new queen.
Queen Esther, like Queen Vashti before her,
also ended up disagreeing with her husband. Esther’s objection was the unjust
laws and customs directed at the Israelite people. She also risked losing her
crown and being sentenced to death. Both queens had felt that it was their time
to reject unjust, discriminatory laws and customs based on gender,
racial-ethnic identity, and class.
March 2016 is a time to remember women like
these and to advance a vision of justice for all people. This year is an
opportune time for selecting leadership for and by all people. The reigns of
Esther and Vashti saw the “Israelite Lives Matter” and “Women’s Lives Matter”
movements arise, despite the dominant rule of the Persian Empire. In similar
fashion, younger and older men and women today are risking their lives in the
“Black Lives Matter” movement while affirming an “All Lives Matter”
principle.
Queens Vashti and Esther were change agents
of the systems and structures of the Persian kingdom for all the people when
they took their stances. They promoted dignity and challenged the unjust
treatment of the Israelite people while the dominant culture benefitted from
their oppression. Today all of us benefit in some way from the privilege and
wealth of our great country, the United States of America. Still, many are left
behind because of hunger and poverty, just like in the days of Queens Vashti
and Esther. Women and people of African descent are disproportionately
affected.
We, like Queens Vashti and Esther, are
called to stand up for all and not just the few. This means changing public
policies so all are fed and living lives of dignity. This year we have a
responsibility to ensure that the right leaders – those who will stand up for
all people here and abroad - are elected. Now is the time to determine who you
will vote for and hold accountable if they are elected. Bread for the World has
resources to assist you with your discernment. Visit our elections page at
www.bread.org/elections.
Also, for a special global Women’s History
Month prayer calendar that you can use to pray for and with global women, go to
http://lottcarey.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2016-3PrayerEditionForWeb.pdf.
Finally, Bread for the World will host an
international consultation with pan-African women of faith that will address
these issues June 9 to 11, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Contact me at
awalker-smith@bread.org for more information.
*The Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith is
senior associate for Pan-African church engagement at Bread for the World.
9. THE TRUTH IS THE
LIGHT:
*The Reverend Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr.
Based on Biblical Text: Psalm 118:26a: Blessed
be he that cometh in the name of the Lord. KJV
Palm Sunday just may be the most ignored among the main events in Jesus'
life. However, if Palm Sunday has
something to say about the history of our faith, and has anything to do with
the greatest act of obedience and worship in the life of our faith then it
deserves our attention. If Palm Sunday has something to do with the great
revival that we are praying to be a part of, has something to do with Jesus’
greater glory and is about the praise and prayer that eventually served to
transform entire cities then it certainly deserves our attention.
Palm Sunday is about Jesus! It represents the beginning of a long week of
changing emotions. Palm Sunday is about the most incredible highs and the most
devastating lows. Because of Jesus our hope has an anchor, is grounded in truth
and is rooted in righteousness. What happened on Palm Sunday was arguably the
most public hour of Jesus' life.
Palm Sunday is important as the events are recorded in all four gospels.
The Christmas story is found in only two of the gospels. The donkey ride by
itself is enough to show us that it was intended for, and even planned by Jesus
Himself. Jesus sent two of His disciples into the village and instructed them
to find the donkey and the colt, turn them loose and “bring them to me.” Jesus
said if anybody asks you anything; tell them the Lord needs them.
Palm Sunday was a day of great joy, and yet we find Jesus openly weeping. It
was a time of great reception, of great favor, and yet Jesus ends the day with
an angry outburst clearing out the Temple. “It is written, my house shall be
called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” This recorded
act of violence moved Jesus’ enemies to form an alliance against him.
Jesus knew very well that the praise was directed toward him and that the
people recognized him as God's chosen Messiah. However, the Palm Sunday
celebration clearly indicated that Jesus’ followers really didn’t understand
the enormous significance of the event. The Bible says “These things His
disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then
they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done
these things to Him" (John 12:16).
This verse reminds us that Palm Sunday was a time when things had been
done to Jesus.
We think we know Jesus when we can explain what He came to do for us.
However, Palm Sunday sometimes gets lost because a closer look reminds us that
it is not about us, it is about Jesus. On Palm Sunday something wonderful took
place for Jesus.
Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. The Bible talks about the Coming King.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” As Jesus enters Jerusalem the crowd shouted
and sang from Psalm 118 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
The truth of the matter is Jesus was doing more than fulfilling
prophecy. On Palm Sunday Jesus was
prophesying. He combined the truths and imagery of the prophecy in Zechariah 9,
other scriptures and what had been written hundreds of years before Palm Sunday
to let folk know He was this majestic king that the leaders talked about. He
wanted the people to know that He was the king that the leaders would turn on
and convince them to have killed.
"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord." The
crowd shouted their recognition that God had given them a messiah. This crowd
was not trying to force him to be king, or elect him as king by a voice vote.
Jesus had seen that kind of mob before (John 6:15) and had disappeared almost
instantly. This was not a king-making crowd. This crowd recognized that Jesus
came to them "in the name of the Lord."
Palm Sunday is a day for Jesus. Jesus is looking toward the day when God
would redeem us from evil. Jesus is looking forward to the day that churches,
families, and entire cities would be transformed so that the promised kingdom
of God on earth would be a reality.
God transforms us through a leader. Jesus is that leader. Jesus took the
abuse and endured the cruelty that we might be transformed. Jesus was wounded
for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Jesus’ work beginning on
Palm Sunday transforms us. On that Palm Sunday when Jesus triumphantly rode
into Jerusalem there was no longer any doubt as to who the leader would be. The
questions that day and the questions today are,
will God’s people know Him and will they recognized Him? Will God’s
people welcome their Messiah?
On this Palm Sunday will our hearts be open to welcome the king of glory,
“That the King of glory may come in!” “Who
is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. Who is this King of glory?
The Lord mighty in battle. The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.”
*The Reverend Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., is the pastor of Morris Brown
AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina
10. GETTING TO ZERO: THIS AND THAT IN THE WEEK OF PRAYER
FOR HEALING OF HIV/AIDS:
*The
Rev. Dr. Fuller is currently on Sabbatical leave from the University of
Michigan and will submit her column as her schedule permits.
11.
iCHURCH SCHOOL LESSON BRIEF FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2016 - STRUGGLING FAITH - MARK 14:26-31, 66-72:
*Brother
Bill Dickens
Key Verse: Jesus saith unto [Peter], verily I say unto
thee, that this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt
deny me thrice. — Mark 14:30
Introduction
-- March 20, 2016
is Palm Sunday.
In
a few weeks major league baseball will begin in the USA. Fans from around the country will have
optimistic hope that their team will dethrone the current champions, Kansas
City Royals. Baseball is a sport where
patience and struggle are tied together.
The sport is long (162 games) so patience is needed. The sport also is characterized with
struggle. The best players have hitting
slumps. The best pitchers experience
periods where their pitching prowess falters.
How you manage these struggles will determine whether you succeed or
fail over the 5.5 month season. The
Adult Church school lesson for March 20, 2016 tackles the issue of how we struggle
in our faith. Do we, like a slumping
baseball hitter, allow the events to overwhelm us and give up? Or, do we recognize struggle as a temporary
set-back and get up to do the will of God?
The answers are below.
Bible Lesson
Decision Time - St.
Mark 14:27-31
The
events in St. Mark, Chapter 14 are important features in Passion Week. Jesus has concluded the Last Supper with His
disciples and proceeds to the Mount of Olives for prayer. Jesus makes a bold declaration. Roman authorities will soon come to apprehend
Him. In the midst of this crisis his
close confidants, i.e. His disciples, will deny and disown knowledge about
Him. Predictably, Peter responds that
when that decision comes he will emphatically not engage in cowardly
denial. Jesus corrects Peter by stating
that before the rooster crows twice he (Peter) will deny Him three times. All of the other disciples provide similar
anti-denial confessions (v 31). The
reactions by the disciples reflect men who are confused, scared and deeply disappointed
about the loss of their beloved leader.
They are struggling with their faith simply because they are now faced
with an outcome they have not previously experienced. This uncertainty is the core of their
struggle.
Denial Time St.
Mark 14: 66-72
As
Jesus is escorted away by Roman authorities an interesting dialogue occurs
between Peter and a young female observer.
The young woman identifies Peter as one of the followers of Jesus. Peter rebukes the young girl's public
comments three times. His responses are
swift and filled with anger. Like a
boxer backed up into the corner of the ring, Peter engages in verbal haymakers
to support his denials. He even resorts
to verbal harassment by engaging in a profanity-laced tirade. At the end of this tirade Peter hears the
rooster crow twice. Upon hearing the
rooster, he is reminded that his decision coincided with his three-time denial,
precisely as Jesus had predicted. Now
all Peter can do is weep in great agony.
His faith struggle had not only led to fear but denial of his
Savior.
Bible Application
In
a speech given in 1857 Frederick Douglass commented about the value and benefit
of struggle. Mr. Douglass opined that
struggle is a necessary condition of social progress. The struggle for black
American civil rights for over 250 years has resulted in hardships and
disappointments, but the fight continues.
The root cause of struggle is seen in the perception of unwanted stress.
People struggle to pay their personal bills due to a perception, real or
imagined, about a lack of financial resources to meet bill payments. Many
struggle to lose weight because of the perception that diets and special
medication simply don’t work. We struggle to make a commitment in marriage or
career choice because we don’t like the thought of being “locked-in” to a
person or a particular job. When the struggle intensifies we must confront the
problem and seek ways to overcome the stress. This means we all must become
adept and skilled in the art of “crisis management.” Worry leads to stress and
stress fosters personal crises.
We
will struggle with life choices, but the key is not allowing the struggle to
lead to defeat. When we sing "We Shall Overcome" this is affirmation
and conviction that in the end victory will prevail over struggle and
defeat. QED
*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
12. MEDITATION BASED ON ROMANS
8:28-39:
*The
Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Darby
A relatively mild South
Carolina Winter is quickly giving way to early signs of spring.
Springtime in South Carolina is a joyous explosion of color - clear blue
skies, brown lawns and barren trees turning a brilliant green, azaleas,
camellias and other flowering plants and flowers in their full, multicolored
glory - and vehicles of all colors turning yellow.
Those yellow vehicles are the result of the thick pollen produced by
pine trees that are abundant in South Carolina. All plants produce
pollen, but pine pollen is big enough to cover sidewalks and streets and is
only welcomed by car-wash owners, who do great business this time of year.
Pollen can be an aggravation, especially for those with allergies and
those who aren’t fond of the “dive bombing” bees and wasps that are fond of
pollen. Those pesky insects, however, transfer pollen to other plants and
flowers, and that leads to reproduction, new growth and new explosions of
color. Without the aggravating pollen, there would be no new growth.
Remember that example from nature as you face life’s greater
aggravations. All of us encounter problems, concerns and troubles that
stick to our spirits like pine pollen sticks to cars - things that can demand
our attention, cloud our minds, confuse our spirits and bring us anxiety,
heartaches and headaches.
When we understand, however, why the Apostle Paul said, “All things
work together for good to them that love God,” we’ll have a new perspective on
life’s most aggravating times. We’ll remember that God knows what’s best
for us and how much we can bear, and that life’s greatest aggravations
sometimes lead to life’s greatest blessings - without life’s aggravations, we
couldn’t fully appreciate life’s blessings.
Face life’s aggravations not with fear, but
with the faith that tells us that when we’re in God’s hands, new blessings are
right around the corner. You can then see that your good days outweigh
you bad days and say with the writer of a beloved gospel song, “I count
everything a joy in Christ Jesus, I count everything as joy in the Lord; all
the victories I share, all the burdens I bear; everything in Christ is joy.”
*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
13. UPDATE ON THE EPISCOPAL FAMILY PRAYER
REQUEST:
Please
continue to prayer for Mother Beverly Thomas, former Episcopal Supervisor. Mother Beverly Thomas had knee surgery on
Tuesday, March 8, 2016 and has been discharged from the hospital for
rehabilitation.
Greetings
cards can be sent to:
Mother
Beverly Thomas
17751
Hamilton Road
Detroit,
MI 48203
Telephone:
(313) 345-9823
Get-well
wishes can also be emailed to: ArtxAME@gmail.com,
Mother Beverly Thomas.
14. PLEASE BE IN
PRAYER FOR MR. BOBBY RANKIN OF RANKIN:
Please
be in prayer for Mr. Bobby Rankin of Rankin’s Securities, who handles security
details for the African Methodist Episcopal Church conferences, conventions and
meetings. Mr. Rankin is in the hospital undergoing a follow up procedure, from
a previous hospitalization.
15. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
- Former
Connectional Officer’s Family Bereavement, Service Update:
Passing
of the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Gregory Vaughn Eason, Sr., former president,
Connectional Council, AME Church
A
life well-lived! Celebrate the life, cherish the memories.
It
is with sadness that we announce the passing of Sister Carmen Jovonne Eason,
Immediate Past 2nd Vice President for the Sixth Episcopal District Y.P.D.
Carmen was a graduate of Mays High School and a student at Georgia State
University in Atlanta, GA. Carmen is the Daughter of Former Connectional
Officer, the Rev. Dr. Gregory Vaughn Eason, Sr., Senior Pastor of Saint Paul
AME Church in Atlanta, GA and Mrs. Linda Tyson Eason. She also leaves to cherish
her memory, her brother, Gregory Eason, Jr.
Funeral
Arrangements
Visitation
Hour:
Friday,
March 18, 2016, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Smith,
Dennis-Smith Funeral Home
3047
Campbellton Road SW
Atlanta,
Georgia 30311
Celebration
of Life:
Saturday,
March 19, 2016, 11:00 a.m.
Saint
Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church
1540
Pryor Road SW
Atlanta,
Georgia 30315
The
Rev. Dr. Gregory V. Eason, Sr., Senior Pastor
Interment:
Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, GA
Cards,
letters of condolence or resolutions may be forwarded to:
Saint
Paul AME Church,
1540
Pryor Rd SW
Atlanta,
Georgia 30315
Email:
news@stpaulameatl.org
Office
telephone: (404) 622-9711
Fax:
(404) 627-4188
16. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We
regret to inform you of the passing of Reverend Bernard A. Brown, Sr., the
beloved husband of Mrs. L’Tanya Brown and brother of the Reverend Dr. Richard
A. Brown, Jr. The Reverend Brown served faithfully as the loving shepherd of
Cumberland AME Church in the Sampit Community of Georgetown, South Carolina,
Georgetown District, Palmetto South Carolina Annual Conference of the Seventh
Episcopal District AME Church.
Please
note the following:
Wake
Service & Viewing:
Thursday,
March 17, 2016
6:00
p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Cumberland
AME Church – Sampit Community
7650
Pennyroyal Road
Georgetown,
South Carolina 29440
Telephone:
(843) 546-1926
The
Rev. Dr. Sandy W. Drayton, Presiding Elder
Georgetown
District
The
Celebration of Life Services:
Friday,
March 18, 2016
12:00
PM
Morris
Brown AME Church
13
Morris Street
Charleston,
South Carolina 29403
Telephone:
(843) 723-1961
Fax:
(843) 723-6320
Bishop
Richard Franklin Norris, Eulogist
The
Rev. Dr. Juenarrl Keith, Presiding Elder
Mt.
Pleasant District
The
Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., pastor
Interment:
Carolina
Memorial Gardens
7113
Rivers Avenue
North
Charleston, South Carolina 29406
Repast:
Mt.
Moriah Missionary Baptist Church
7396
Rivers Avenue
North
Charleston, South Carolina 29406
Funeral
Services Entrusted to:
Hilton's
Mortuary, Inc.
1852
Montague Avenue
North
Charleston, SC 29405
Telephone:
(843) 619-7130
Fax:
(843) 554-2119
Email:
hiltonc58@aol.com
Website:
http://hiltonsmortuary.com
Expressions
of Sympathy:
The
Brown Family
2829
Gluster Street
North
Charleston, South Carolina 29240
17. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We
sadly announce the death of the Reverend John W. Robertson Jr, husband of Mrs.
Floretta Robertson on March 3, 2016. He
was the brother of the Reverend Mary R. White, Local Elder at Quinn Chapel AME
Church in Lexington, Kentucky; the Reverend Kenneth J Golphin, pastor.
Saturday,
March 12, 2016
Visitation:
11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
Funeral
Service immediately following
New
Birth Church of Christ
1690
Russell Cave Road
Lexington,
KY 40505
Telephone:
(859) 294-9325
Expressions
of sympathy may be sent to:
The
Rev. Mary White
1429
Dale Drive
Lexington,
KY 40502
Telephone:
(859)272-8506
Professional
services are entrusted to:
Smith
and Smith Funeral Home
340
East 3rd St
Lexington,
KY 40508
Telephone:
(859) 255-6273
18. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We
regret to inform you of the passing of the Reverend Dr. Lena Flowers, Itinerant
Elder and member of Big Bethel AME Church Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Flowers served
as former pastor of Cobb Bethel AME Church in the North Atlanta District of the
Atlanta North Georgia Conference. She was the mother of three children. Dr.
Flowers was an educator in higher education. She also authored several books.
Service
Arrangements are as follows:
Funeral:
Wednesday
March 23, 2016, 11:00 am
Big
Bethel AME Church
220
Auburn Avenue
Atlanta,
Georgia 30303
Telephone:
(770) 827-9707
The
Rev. John Foster, Ph.D., Pastor, Officiant and Eulogist
Professional
Services are entrusted to:
Willie
Watkins Funeral Home
1003
Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.
Atlanta,
GA 30310
Telephone:
(770) 909-8800
Condolences
and expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
Big
Bethel AME Church
220
Auburn Avenue
Atlanta,
Georgia 30303
Telephone:
(404) 827-9707
19. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We
regret to inform you of the passing of the Reverend Iola Bridges Gardner, Local
Elder and member of Galilee AME Church in Memphis, Tennessee. The Reverend Iola
Bridges-Gardner served as a supply pastor at the following churches: Wyman
Chapel AME Church, Spring Chapel AME Church and Cleo Hickman AME Church, all in
the West Tennessee Annual Conference of the 13th Episcopal District.
She
was the mother of five children and the sister of Ms. Lovie Jacocks, President
of the West Tennessee Conference Lay Organization.
The
Reverend Bridges-Gardner was a substitute school teacher in the Shelby County
School System, Shelby County Tennessee and was a member of Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority.
Service
Arrangements
Funeral:
Saturday,
March 19, 2016, 11:00 am
Galilee
AME Church
1460
Oaklawn Street
Memphis,
Tennessee 38114
The
Rev. Perry Herman, pastor, officiant and eulogist
Professional
Services are entrusted to:
Singleton
Funeral Home
Memphis,
Tennessee
Condolences
and expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
Ms.
Helen Draper
2323
Imogen Street
Memphis,
Tennessee 38114
20. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We
regret to inform you of the passing of the Reverend Vara Burns, the beloved
wife of the Reverend Harry Burns, pastor of Orangehill African Methodist
Episcopal Church, Wedgefield, South Carolina. The Reverend Vara Burns died on
Monday, March 14, 2016.
Please
note the following:
Services
Saturday,
March 19, 2016
Orangehill
AME Church
3035
South King Highway
Wedgefield,
SC 29168
Wake:
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
The
Celebration of Life: 10:00 a.m.
Interment:
York
Memorial Park
5150
South Tryon St.
Charlotte,
NC 28170
Expressions
of Sympathy may be sent to:
The
Reverend Harry Burns
2117
Merimac Drive
Charlotte,
NC 28273
21. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
It
is with heartfelt sympathy that we announce the death of and the funeral
services for the Reverend Celestan Vaughn, a retired Itinerant Elder of the
Louisiana Conference. The Reverend
Celestan Vaughn retired at the Louisiana Annual Conference in 2014. He was married to Mrs. Lou Edna Vaughn.
The
following arrangements have been provided.
Visitation
and Celebration of Life Service: Saturday, March 19, 2016
Visitation:
9:00 a.m.
Celebration
of Life Service: 11:00 a.m.
Allen
Chapel AME Church
6175
Scenic Highway
Baton
Rouge, Louisiana 70805
Telephone:
(225) 356-0719
The
Reverend Bland Washington, pastor
The
Right Reverend Julius H. McAllister, Sr., Eulogist
Arrangements
have been entrusted to:
Halls
- Davis & Sons Funeral Home
Scenic
Highway
Baton
Rouge, Louisiana
Condolences
and Expressions of Sympathy may be sent to:
Mrs.
Lou Edna Vaughn
6832
Sumrall Drive
Baton
Rouge, LA 70812
Telephone:
(225) 356-9443
Email:
louednaf@aol.com
22. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
Mr.
Anthony Charles Slater, the stepson of the Reverend Lynda Slater (pastor of
Barton Circuit/East Arkansas Conference) and son of Brother Charles Slater
passed away on Friday, March 11, 2016.
Celebration
of Life Services:
Saturday,
March 19, 2016
1:00
p.m.
Keith
Matthews Funeral Home
5665
Virginia Beach Blvd
Norfolk,
Virginia 2350
Condolences
can be sent to:
Brother
Charles and the Reverend Lynda Slater
923
G Street
North
Little Rock, Arkansas 72114
23. CLERGY FAMILY
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
Mrs.
Johnnie M. Williams Plant, mother of Mrs. Dwana Williams-Cleaver and
mother-in-law of the Reverend Reginald Cleaver Sr. (pastor of Ward Chapel AME
Church in Little Rock, Arkansas passed away on March 9, 2016.
Arrangements
have been entrusted to:
Ruffin
and Jarrett Funeral Home
1200
South Chester Street
Little
Rock, AR 72202
Telephone:
(501) 372-1305
Family
Hour will be held:
Saturday,
March 19, 2016, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
The
Church of the Living God, Mother Temple
15010
Highway 365
Wrightsville,
AR 72183
A
Celebration of Life will follow at 11:00 a.m. at the church.
Condolences
may be shared with the family:
The
Reverend and Mrs. Reginald Cleaver, Sr.
2810
Dorchester Street
Little
Rock, AR 72204
Or
P.O.
Box 1036
Little
Rock, AR 72203
24. BEREAVEMENT NOTICES AND CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED
BY:
Ora L. Easley,
Administrator
AMEC Clergy Family
Information Center
Email: Amespouses1@bellsouth.net
Web page: http://www.amecfic.org/
Telephone: (615)
837-9736 (H)
Telephone: (615)
833-6936 (O)
Cell: (615) 403-7751
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMEC_CFIC
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-AME-Church-Clergy-Family-Information-Center/167202414220
25.
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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