The Global Digest
PREMIERE EDITION
JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM
B GLO AL
“A Global Paper, with a Global Editor, for a Global Church” And the LORD answered me: ‘Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.’ — Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV)
Moving Into the Third Century of African Methodism By John Thomas, III, 13th Episcopal District
The
U.S. POSTAGE
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Permit No. 74
Nashville, TN 37203-4181
50TH QUADRENNIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE of the African Methodist Episcopal Church celebrates a remarkable milestone: 200 years of the Connectional Church. The theme of this historic General Conference, “An Extraordinary History. An Incredible Future,” sets the stage for members of the AME Church to enter into their third century and beyond. The theme embodies the familiar Akan (West African) concept of sankofa— reaching back in order to move forward. Delegates, alternates, observers, and friends should be proud of the rich legacy of the AME Church and excited about its continued ministry. Never forget the radical proclamation of faith the founders displayed and the purpose that brought them together. The principal mission was to build a spiritual organization dedicated to preaching the Christian word while addressing the physical and social needs of the community. Never take for granted the achievement of Black people establishing a Connectional Church in an era when African-Americans were still openly bought and sold on the slave auction blocks. The story of the AME Church is powerful and inspiring. Since July 1, 1852, The Christian Recorder has played a critical role in telling its story. I present this publication as an example of the ical which records the voices of the denomination. work that will be produced if I am given the oppor- This sample publication features a diverse group of tunity to serve as the next Editor of The Christian writers from across the Connectional Church and Recorder. The Editor has the privilege and responsi- beyond, who each shares unique reflections and bility of producing a relevant and appealing period- desires for this 50th Quadrennial Session of the ...continued on p3
A Young Adult’s Hopes for the General Conference
A Moment to Reflect on Our Past, Present, and Future
By Jamesha J. Williams,
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TH
By Rev. Mycal Brickhouse,
Episcopal District
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With its historical landmarks, food carts along every corner, diversity and distinctive personality, Philadelphia welcomes the 50th General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church! Like a pilgrimage to Mecca, thousands are excited to return to Philadelphia to visit the birthplace of African Methodism and to attend the Bicentennial events that have been so thoughtfully planned and prepared by Bishop Gregory Ingram, Supervisor Rev. Dr. Jessica Ingram, and the First District family. Delegates, first-timers and visitors will see the denomination in action through election ...continued on p7 GENERAL CONFERENCE EXPECTATIONS…
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MY EXPECTATIONS: 50TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE… p2
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Episcopal District
As we celebrate 200 years of service to God and community, we the members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church must never become so complacent in our legacy that we neglect the importance of our future. Since conception, the African Methodist Episcopal Church has sought to minster to the social, spiritual, and physical needs of God’s people. This mission has led the Church to create a global movement focused on spiritual uplift displayed through social and economic development. History has validated the success of the ministry of African Methodism, and its influence is still evident today. Even so, the AME Church must still ...continued on p3
THE UNDERREPRESENTED IN AFRICAN METHODISM … p3 p3
BLACK LIVES MATTER AND THE AME CHURCH… p5 p5
The Global Digest
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JT34EDITOR2016.COM — VOTE #273
General Conference Expectations from the Eyes of the Small Church By Rev. Randall Webster, 13TH Episcopal District
There is great excitement in the AME Church as we rapidly approach the 50th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. During this session, many topics will be discussed and many legislative bills will be presented for approval. In the midst of discussion and approval, there will be an impact on small churches. And it is with this thought, I write this article. As a pastor of a small church and having grown up in a small rural church, I have a great passion for the future of small churches. As I prepare to attend the General Conference, I have high expectations from the leadership and delegates in relation to small churches. I classify a small church as a rural and suburban church with 100 members or less. Within the AME Church, there has been much informal and formal discussion about the future of and need for smaller churches. Some have suggested mergers, while others have even requested closure. But very few suggestions have been offered as to why some small churches have gotten in the state that they are in. And even with the suggestions of mergers and closures being on the table, this will not be an easy process that will occur overnight. In the meantime, I pray that the AME Church, in its discussions, will assess and evaluate the vitality of smaller churches. I suggest that while small churches have lasted for years and continue to exist in the AME Church today, pastors must keep watch over their congregation as men or women who must give an account. Training and accountability are critical in equipping pastors for small church leadership and ministry. Churches that have remained small for some time are not simply miniature large churches.
Smaller churches have a different character altogether. The major difference lies in the interpersonal relationships that are developed. In smaller churches there are no strangers. Everyone knows everyone else. The social situation is predictable and therefore comfortable. Preserving this value by maintaining the status quo becomes a very high priority in the lives of many churches members. Smaller membership churches are different from large churches in ways other than size. They live differently. They grow differently. And because of these differences, committed and creative pastors should seek ways of doing ministry that are appropriate and effective in their own church and community situation. The ministry of the small church stands or falls, not by the programs, but by the character of the church. I would suggest that great consideration be given to implementing a process that would make pastors more effective in leadership and ministry. There is a need for a shepherding approach for pastors of small churches. Ezekiel 34:1-10 gives us a biblical perspective on the shepherding responsibility of pastors and what God requires of leaders. In this text, God pronounces judgment on the faithless shepherds of Israel for being selfish, non-caring for the needs of the people, and allowing the people to be scattered. The key thought in this passage is the responsibility of leadership. The AME Church got its start as an organization with a small group of individuals led by our Founding Father, the Right Reverend Richard Allen. When we consider the grassroots of small churches and its leadership in the AME Church, it is the model of Allen’s strong leadership that fostered a change towards a better relationship between clergy and laity.
So the question remains, will smaller churches go away? In the 13th Episcopal District, made up of Kentucky and Tennessee, smaller churches outnumber large churches 2 to 1. This has been consistent since 1936, when the mantle of the “Thirteenth” was established. I have high expectations of the 50th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. I look forward to the discussion and legislation that will affect the future of small churches in our denomination. Will we appeal to reexamine the task to which we are called and reassess how we measure success in ministry? Will we summon pastors of small churches back to the simplicity of ministry, to reestablish the importance of caring for the flocks we serve by loving the people we serve; proclaiming God’s Word in a relevant, life-changing way; and setting a godly example? Knowing that merging and closure of smaller churches is not an easy task that will occur overnight, I will be listening attentively, during this session, to hear what leadership and delegates will implement to ensure the vitality of smaller congregations. The Reverend Randall Webster, M.Div., is the Pastor of Woodfork Chapel in Shelbyville, Tennessee. He retired from the United States Air Force in 2007 after 26 years of honorable service with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (the highest enlisted grade). ❏❏❏
My Expectations: 50TH Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church By Presiding Elder Albert D. Tyson III, 4TH Episcopal District
The General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is the supreme and sovereign governing body of the Church. It is responsible for enacting governing legislation; making determinations on matters before it rules or overrules decisions made in lower bodies; allows debate on matters before it; examines, retires, elects, and assigns Bishops; elects General Officers; and generally serves as a forum for conversation, debate, and discussion of matters great and small that have the possibility of affecting the life of the Church. This General Conference, the 50th Session, will celebrate 200 years of an organized denominational structure which has extended across the world. I expect that this General Conference will follow the format of its predecessors with the addition of several commemorative moments helping us to rejoice oover the 200 years of service God has given through our Zion. God
has been good to us, and He is always worthy of our praise, especially as we look backward and wonder how we got over. It is my hope that the General Conference will be disciplined as well as deliberative and will not allow anyone or any group to hijack its processes, authority, or responsibilities. I pray that the pretense of transparency will be replaced with authenticity and disclosure. It is my hope that the Lord will have His way and that we will depart, after all the time and resources spent in historic Philadelphia, knowing that we have accomplished something good and meaningful for the Kingdom of God and the people called by His Name. I further pray that future generations will look back and declare that it was good for us to have sojourned for this period of time. I’m not looking for a revolution, but I am hopeful that this will be a place for the ...continued on p7
John Thomas, III • 2016 Candidate for Editor, The Christian Recorder • FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM
VOTE #273 — JT34EDITOR2016.COM
The Global Digest
The Underrepresented in African Methodism
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contend with the rising tide of complacency by never allowing its legacy to be the focal point of its current ministry. We have a calling to fulfill, which requires us to utilize our resources to do God’s present will. This is our call as a global ministry; to meet the needs of the world in a relevant way. Given this call, the AME Church must pause and sit in a moment of reflection and analyze the effectiveness of its local congregations in ministering to the needs of the surrounding communities. Therefore, as we approach General Conference, I hope that we begin having intentional moments of meditation that reflect on the challenges we face in order to ensure that clergy and congregations are healthy and equipped to perform effective ministry in the 21st century. Through these intentional moments of meditation, I pray that we will be led to intentional dialogues that develop effective ways of ministry that reaches the needs of God’s people. Our history teaches us that our past success extended beyond the pulpit. Clergy and congregations were dedicated to be engaged in the community to ensure that God’s love was a tangible reality for those who needed to experience the affirming power of God. The Church’s ministry could not be fulfilled without the clergy and the laity working together in the communities in which they lived. Given this reality, it imperative to note that the African Methodist Episcopal Church would not be the church that it is today without the presence of the Church performing ministry outside the four walls of the edifice. We must ask, are we equipped to effectively engage our communities? If not, what improvements must we make?
...From A Moment p1
By Jamye Coleman Williams,
Retired General Officer
I recently attended the Inaugural Worship Service for Dr. Edward L. Wheeler as the Tenth President of the Interdenominational Theological Center at which Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie was the guest preacher. I was struck by her assertion that “change terrifies” and her suggestion that the Church is facing a crisis because it does not consider the difference between yesterday and today. As I look back over my years of activity in the AME Church, I have from time to time expressed my concern over some of the issues facing us. My concern at this significant moment in our history is the underrepresentation of women and of the laity in our hierarchy. Because of the difference between yesterday and today, I agree that change terrifies. Yesterday the best qualified persons in our communities were the teachers, doctors, and ministers. In the Church, members looked to the pastor for guidance and leadership. Today many of our churches have representatives from every profession and strata of society. In many of our larger churches one can find persons to provide any service needed by the Church—lawyers, business persons, architects, teachers, doctors, nurses. This body of individuals—these church members—represent the laity of the Church. These are the men and women who contribute 93% of the financial contribution to our church treasuries. The Church moves not only on the treasure of the laity but also on their time and talent. Although women by and large are the majority in our memberships, it is incumbent upon us to accept the fact that in the 21st Century the Church will have to continue to move from a male-dominated leadership. It is well known among my AME sisters and brothers that I have been a strong advocate for inclusion— particularly as it relates to women. I do not need, then, to review the argument I have set forth in 2000 and 2004. More recently I again reminded the Church that unless we elect a woman to the episcopacy in 2016, we will have an all-male bench of Bishops in 2020. That is totally, unequivocally unacceptable. The Episcopacy can only include ordained clergy—men and women—but there are general officerships available to non-clergy persons. It is the hope of many individuals that at the historic Bicentennial General Conference the delegates will embrace the vision of today, moving away from the routines of yesterday. If one reviews the history of the lay representation among the General Officers, some interesting facts emerge. Between 1896 and 2016 eleven laypersons have been elected to general officerships: 1896-1908 H.T. Kealing—Editor, AME Review John R. Hawkins, Secretary of Education 1908-1936 John R. Hawkins, Financial Secretary A.S. Jackson, Secretary of Education Ira T. Bryant, Secretary-Treasurer, Sunday School Union 1936-2016 E.A. Selby, Secretary-Treasurer, Sunday School Union A.S. Jackson, Financial Secretary A.G. Gaston, Secretary of Church Extension Robert Mance, Treasurer Joseph C. McKinney, Treasurer Richard Allen Lewis, Treasurer Jamye Coleman Williams, Editor, AME Review Paulette Coleman, Editor, AME Review
The Reverend Mycal Brickhouse is a preacher and advocate for social and economic justice. He is graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke Divinity School. Rev. Brickhouse is an ordained Itinerant Deacon in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. ❏ ❏ ❏
General Conference. The contributors examine a variety of issues such as: The Black Lives Matter Movement, gender inclusivity, small church growth, making Connectional ministry work locally, and the international future of our Church. The thread that binds these articles together is the desire of the writers for African Methodism to continue to live up to the ideals and goals that were set by Richard Allen, Daniel Coker, and their contemporaries. My sincerest gratitude is extended to all of the contributors for their willingness to share their thoughts and to the staff at the AMEC Sunday School Union for their invaluable support in layout and production. I express my appreciation also to my campaign donors for their generosity in ensuring the production of this publication and the work of the overall campaign. Through this sample publication I hope the readers will see the best of African Methodism and feel inspired to move forward. Here’s to the Third Century of African Methodism! ...From Moving Into p1
...continued on p8 John Thomas, III • 2016 Candidate for Editor, The Christian Recorder • FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM
The Global Digest
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JT34EDITOR2016.COM — VOTE #273
Challenges in the Zambia AME Church By Westone Mutale Bowa, 17th Episcopal District
I question if there will be a time when the splinter groups coming up, questioning the ership should not Church system and leaving the Church with a turn a blind eye Church would come out of ‘Mother Church’ dependence thinking. What is surprising is that this number of members. The Third Stage—a violent to the murmurwave that saw the Church being challenged in dependence syndrome has erroneously birthed ing voices in the the spirit of separation from the ‘Mother Church’ courts and the breakaway of large numbers. Church because in the United States of America (USA). Since the dependence The turbulence of breakaways has in parthe start of appointments of bishops to the Third ticular disturbed the coherence in the memsyndrome is deepWorld, a dependence spirit evolved and has not rooted and has bers’ perception of the Church and its leaderbeen arrested. Some people think that there is ship, resulting in movements to and from the potential to derail meaningful development for a ‘Mother Church’ in the USA that must provide Church. This spirit of separation started about the Church in Africa. The Laity needs to stand financial resources to the African AME Church. up against the idea of depending on the clergy 18 years ago, has seen the formation of other This notion has manifested in the breakaways churches out of the AME Church in Zambia alone to drive the Church. The Laity must stop that have rocked Zambia because the ‘Mother as well as a loss of membership. In 1998 ‘Lift thinking that the Clergy are the ones who are Church’ to them has failed to provide financial Him Up’ was formed. In 2002 ‘High Dimen- called to manage the Church while the people support to the in the pews are merely partakers of members. the Sunday Service messages. The Truth be told, AME Church in Zambia needs to The turbulence of breakaways has in particular the AME Church rid members of the dependency is supposed to be disturbed the coherence in the members’ perception syndrome mentality to make mema dynamic and exbers depend on themselves rather of the Church and its leadership resulting in movements panding entity in than the ‘Mother Church’ that does Zambia. However, not exist. to and from the Church. the story has been The Bishops and the Clergy have different. The tried their best to speak into the Church in Zambia lives of the Church members but it sion’ was formed and in 2004 ‘Redeemed Afhas of course gone through three (3) significant is now ‘Time’ for the Laity—particularly those in rican Methodist’ was birthed. The leaders of stages of growth and development since its forthe Lay Organisation—to destroy this dependence these breakaways left with a good number of mation in the 1930s, but little has happened to syndrome so that the church can be saved. members of the Church drawn from confermove the church into a place of positive change ences across Zambia. These breakaways have and expansion. The First Stage—the early formaMr. Westone Mutale Bowa is the Immediate Past left holes in the Church whose negative impact tive years under the founding fathers of Rev. JLC President of the 17th Episcopal District Lay Organicontinues to stalk the Church. At the heart of Membe, Rev. Wakunguma and Lay members zation. He is the Technical Director for Programmes the ‘breakaways’ is the erroneous thinking that like Philip Nhekairo, Harare, and Emmanuel at Afya Mzuri—a health services non-profit based the ‘Mother Church’ was not providing for the Besa saw the birth of the Church. The Second in Lusaka, Zambia. Mr. Bowa is also an accomneeds of AME Church in Zambia. Stage—the ‘Mother Church’ thinking in the 1980s plished poet. ❏ ❏ ❏ At this General Conference, the Church leadinto 2000s that raised havoc in the Church with
Thoughts From a First-Time Delegate By Presiding Elder Nomgando Matyumza, 19th Episcopal District
As I look forward to attending the General Conference for the first time as a delegate, I cannot help looking back to when I first attended as an observer: the excitement, confusion, and sometimes misunderstanding of my daily experiences. I now struggle with one specific question: What difference will be made by my attendance as a delegate this time around? This is to most—if not all of us—an historic event which we would not dare to miss. Yet the question remains: Have we done enough as the AME Church in the past 200 plus years? It is my hope that the General Conference as the supreme body of the African Methodist Episcopal Church will take significant strides in eradicating “unintentional” yet structural or systematic discrimination. As brothers and sisters in Christ, it is never our intention to treat any other person as a lesser being with less value than we have, yet through policy formul
lation, rules, practices that favor the majority the minority, in this instance, not as individuals but as a group, may experience the negative impact of such policies and practices. The AME Church, as I know it, is one Connectional church, yet as I experience it, it is Districts 1-13 and Districts 14-20. I do not believe for a moment that this separation was born of ill intent, yet the consequences at times are less than pleasant. The question remains as I am getting ready to go and vote to pass legislation some of which have no bearing nor meaning in my circumstances: Am I doing this hoping I can truly influence these or simply legitimizing the process that will continue to structurally ...continued on p5
John Thomas, III • 2016 Candidate for Editor, The Christian Recorder • FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM
VOTE #273 — JT34EDITOR2016.COM
Black Lives Matter and the AME Church By Jenn M. Jackson, University of Chicago
As we approach the Bicentennial Celebration of the African Methodist Episcopal Church this July, members around the country and globe are gearing up to meet in Philadelphia. Given the social climate involving Black Americans and people of color around the world, it is no wonder why this year’s celebration will prominently feature social justice concerns and reform efforts as central focuses of the AME Church’s ongoing goals. But, how exactly will the Church leverage its position - politically and socially - to fix the issues facing Black people in the United States? The celebration began in April as the very first General Conference was in April 1816. In the spirit of Black Lives Matter, Mother Bethel AME Church hosted a Social Justice Forum with a reenactment of the first General Conference. According to the General Conference Ecumenical Relations page, “Given the social challenges we yet face in and far beyond the United States, it is necessary to look forward and back at the same time. Our social witness as African Methodists cannot simply be a relic of our incredible history, but must be a technology of our extraordinary future. In this spirit, we will come together for a day to reflect back and to plan forward, especially with respect to the following thematic pairs: ‘Slavery’ and ‘Mass Incarceration’; ‘AME History of Women in Ministry’ and ‘Gender and Sexuality’; ‘Yellow Fever’ and ‘Poverty, Race and Illness,’ and ‘Black Churches and Justice,’ viewed from historical and contemporary perspectives.” Invited guests included scholars Michelle Alexander, Anthea Butler, Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, and
The Global Digest Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. While this forum highlights the need for dialogue regarding social justice in African American communities, it also raises the question: How will the AME Church address issues of mass incarceration, police violence, and disinvestment from Black communities in the 21st century? This year’s general conference comes at a time when Black people, especially those in the United States, need advocacy and leadership on the very real challenges they are facing. Young activists in Chicago have been engaging with political leadership about transparency in the criminal justice system and public education reform. Organizers in New York City have been working for fair minimum wages. Meanwhile groups in the Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area have been engaging in direct action, even blocking the S.F. Bay Bridge in January, to hold police authorities accountable in the killings of young Black people. Cities like Minneapolis, St. Louis, Houston, Los Angeles, and Baltimore have all seen their share of public action on issues like these over recent years. At a national level, the United States still boasts the highest rate of incarcerated people in the world. Young people of color continue to face disproportionate amounts of aggression at the hands of police while those convicted of crimes experience harsher sentences than their White counterparts. Economic disinvestment in this country’s most impoverished communities remains a central component of conversations around unemployment and social mobility. The AME Church is uniquely poised to speak to, rally around, and elevate these socio-political issues in ways which change the agenda in Washington and hold political leadership accountable to their constituents. Yet, while many of these issues have national implications, they are also local issues. As such, the hope is that Church members and officials
PAGE | 5 will spend time at this year’s General Conference, and back in their home churches, working through strategic initiatives to address the future of Black lives. If so, we can be confident that these issues will gain even more traction in the mainstream for years to come. What is most important about the Church’s role in this movement is moving beyond the deployment of the popular “Black Lives Matter” phrase when it is convenient without real action. Every time another Black person is taken from us, namely Trayvon Martin, Rekia Boyd, Renisha McBride, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, and so many others, we are reminded that it’s more than a phrase, it’s an imperative. Addressing and repairing these longstanding, deeply historically-rooted obstacles facing Black people today can start in forums and performances but it necessarily requires follow-through in Black communities. What does this look like? It’s setting up meetings with local officials, showing solidarity with youth-led activists groups, staging formal acts of resistance against corrupt police authorities, and establishing outreach efforts to communities of Black people who are typically excluded from electoral politics. In essence, it’s time for the AME Church to take action in a highly visible way. We have come such a long way but we’ve got much further to go, together. Jenn M. Jackson is a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago, a mother of three, and a writer at the intersection of politics, parenting, and pop culture. Learn more about her at her website: www. jennmjackson.com. ❏ ❏ ❏
discriminate against the Districts that are outside of the continent of the I am looking forward to a General Conference that will help the ConnecUSA? If Districts 14-20 collectively felt strongly that one piece of legislation tional Church understand the challenges of being represented in 39 countries should not pass, what significance will their votes make? I know that with different cultural norms and values, and appreciate that with the best policies, rules, and even practices which may affect the minority negatively of intentions, Equal treatment does lead to inequality; and therefore seek to can be passed legitimately. Does this act in itself mean they are legitimate? advance the Kingdom of God in a manner that indicates we are fully aware of The obvious answer would be YES, but is it? who we are as AMEs and how we relate as brothWhen we tick all the boxes and yet end up with ers and sisters in Christ. Looking forward to the a less desirable outcome, maybe it is time we next 200 years… Have we done enough as the AME start looking at the questions preceding the tick boxes. Ministerial delegates from our Episcopal Church in the past 200 plus years? Presiding Elder Nomgando Matyumza is the District might have to vote on compensation of Pastor of Umlazi Grace AME Church and Presiding pastors and presiding elders, including issues of Elder of the uMkhanyakude District—both in the pension, housing, medical, etc. and most might Natal Annual Conference of the 19th Episcopal even pass a “yes” vote yet none of what is voted on applies to them. District. She has held senior financial management and executive positions in various organisations, including Transnet, Eskom and currently serves as NonAs AMEs we are proud to be represented in 39 countries by 20 Episcopal Districts, this is no mean achievement! What does this actually mean to Executive Director in a number of listed companies, Sasol Limited being the most recent.. ❏ ❏ ❏ those in the Districts themselves? John Thomas, III • 2016 Candidate for Editor, The Christian Recorder • FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM
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Never Forget By Rev. Dr. William H. Lamar, IV,
2nd Episcopal District
JT34EDITOR2016.COM — VOTE #273
What Does It Mean to Be a Member of the Black Methodist Community if You Don’t Go to Meetings? By Lynn Hargrow, University of Chicago, CME Church
This nation never intended for the African Methodist Episcopal Church to survive for two centuries. A cursory glance at the laws of many states buttress this claim. The Virginia Revised Code of 1819 declared: “… all meetings or assemblages of slaves, or free negroes or mulattoes mixing and associating with such slaves at any meeting-house or houses, &c., in the night; … shall be deemed and considered UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY.” Never forget. White Methodists never intended for the African Methodist Episcopal Church to survive for two centuries. Bishop Richard Allen wrote, “J- S- was appointed to take charge in Philadelphia, he soon waked us up by demanding the keys and books of the church, and forbid us holding any meetings except on orders from him, these propositions we told him we could not agree to.” Never forget. We dare not tread the hallowed halls of the 50th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church blissfully unaware of the warfare that secured our existence. We have descended upon Philadelphia from Africa, Asia, South America, Europe, and North America. We have come to worship, fellowship, celebrate, legislate, and elect. All of this is good and necessary work. But the seminal question that must animate our deliberations and decisions is this, “What is God calling the African Methodist Episcopal Church to co-create (with God) in our third century?” Creation groans for the revelation of God’s spirit-filled, justice-seeking, mercy-giving daughters and sons. We shall leave Philadelphia deployed to every corner of the globe, aflame with agape, to bear witness to the liberating and reconciling gospel of Jesus Christ and to bend the universe toward justice. This General Conference must be about ecclesiology as much as it is about elections. What is our distinct theology as a church at this hour? What does it mean to be a Black Church in the 21ST Century? How shall we keep the ancestral flames of liberation and justice burning in the hearth of African Methodism? This General Conference must be about love as much as it is about legislation. We must have the courage to love, not the sentimental love that rises and falls on the wings of emotion. We must love ourselves and our neighbors and embrace God’s beloved community where poverty, hunger, homelessness, the exploitation of labor and land, racism, and sexism are purged from the world in the name of the true and living God. Only such love and such an embrace can free us from the theological, economic, and political folly of rugged individualism. Finally, if we eschew sectionalism and factionalism during this historic General Conference, we shall surely usher in a future as bright as our glorious past. God is with us! The ancestors are with us! Up, you mighty church! You can accomplish what you will!! The Reverend Doctor William H. Lamar, IV is the Pastor of Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, DC. He has served in several pulpits in the 2nd and the 11th Episcopal Districts. He is a former managing director at Leadership Education aat Duke Divinity School. ❏ ❏ ❏
Before I begin my thoughts, let me thank my friend and colleague, Mr. John Thomas, III, for inviting me to share in the deeply meaningful display of church-love that is his candidacy for Editor of The Christian Recorder. That is to say, if you’re not connectionally-minded or conference-minded, what does it mean for you to be a member of a local African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church or Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church or an African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church? Let me ask it a different way. I often make memes out of funny images and share them with my CME friends who attend a lot of the CME meetings. They see them, we laugh. But in that shared laughter, community is reinforced—as is identity. The various happenings of CME meetings that become fodder for funny memes represent the ways we build identity. Now, what happens when I show those memes to folks at my local church who don’t go to our meetings? Well, they can’t relate. This wouldn’t be a problem if so much of who we are wasn’t based on meetings. Wesleyanism seems to have become synonymous with “conferences.” But everyone doesn’t go to conferences. In fact, most people don’t. So in what ways are they in community besides believing in God, grace, taking communion on first Sunday, and contributing to apportionments? Those things aren’t uniquely Methodist or Black. I’m raising this question because I wonder often how Black Methodist traditions are to survive in a world that increasingly becomes averse to meetings, especially long ones. How do we continue to inculcate in people an appreciation for a unique Methodist identity, when that identity doesn’t seem to have any prominent way of presenting itself outside of the big international bureaucracies and obsessions with meetings we all seem to have? It was in Washington, D.C. where AME Senior Bishop John Bryant told the Black Methodist Coalition (Sept 2015) that we had to come together and get our marching orders before we went out to face the world to demand justice. He was defending the need to have a worship service the night before our press conferences. But injustice doesn’t consult our denominations’ calendars to wreak havoc on the lives of our communities. It’s ever-prevalent. It’s cultural. It’s good at being pervasive, second nature to what people do. It’s connected to people’s identities and systemic forces that are ubiquitous and persistent. I gladly await the day when our churches get on that level. I hope we find ways to inculcate within all the community stakeholders—not just the “leaders” of the church—an identity that rests comfortably in a common purpose. I want us to figure out what we offer the world, what we offer our communities as Black Methodists so that everyone can take pride in this particular brand of Christianity. But until then, I hope that we find some time in our conferences to connect ourselves to our parishioners and the world. Mr. Lynn Hargrow is a Ph.D. candidate and Teaching Assistant in the Department of History at the University of Chicago and correspondent to The Christian Index of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. His research focuses on the African American Church in the South. ❏ ❏ ❏
John Thomas, III • 2016 Candidate for Editor, The Christian Recorder • FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM
VOTE #273 — JT34EDITOR2016.COM
The Global Digest
of Bishops, General Officers, and the debate and adoption of new and revised legislation. This year, expectations are exceptionally high and the anticipation is building! All roads lead home to the “City of Brotherly Love.” I look forward to learning more about the African Methodist Episcopal Church, experiencing “Philly,” and enjoying the city’s rich cultural diversity. I was excited to learn that technology will be a major part of the 50th General Conference. All the talk of “Going Green” finally has come to fruition and tablets will be utilized by all delegates to view reports and legislation. Will the implementation of tablets encourage the advance of technology in our local churches? Will this action create a new movement to save money and join the rest of society in positive progression towards a technology based system? Whatever the case may be, the results of this initiative will change how we do business in the AME Church. During this General Conference, every worship service and meeting will be filled with unpretentious praise and adoration to God, instead of nonsensical deals and hollow promises in the name of Christ and the AME Church. Our discipleship efforts will impact more lives and resound louder than the cacophony of chatter, china, and silverware in all of the Episcopal District meals. I know for sure this year we will implement all passed legislation at each level, instead of developing selective amnesia when it comes to certain bills that limit or curtail personal agendas. The 50th General Conference will influence all in attendance to adopt a personal ideology to proactively progress in the growth of God’s kingdom and African Methodism, instead of reactively seeking answers to questions concerning the decrease in membership. My optimism may be mistaken for naivety, but I dare to dream. Dreams may one day become a reality. I have attended several General Conferences; none has matched that which preceded it. I ponder about how great an influence the African Methodist Episcopal Church could have on the world, if we would just tap into our greatness for proactive progression instead of reactive regression. After two hundred years of freedom fighting, church building, meeting and eating, have we lost our way? That AME’s have become overtaken by thoughts of personal grandeur, instead of unadulterated Great Commission work, halting the development of our children, the ideas of our founder and the impact of African Methodism on a world that desperately needs to know Christ more intimately. Do we seek to be a church that is transforming lives in Christ, or is conforming to society’s standards of Christianity? Unlike the General Conferences that preceded the 50th, this year change will be fervently sought after, leaving an impact to last two hundred more years. ...From A Young p1
Ms. Jamesha J. Williams is the Young Adult Representative of the 7th Episcopal District (South Carolina) Lay Organization. She is a licensed clinical therapist with a practice specializing in family and marriage counseling. ❏ ❏ ❏ revolutionaries to express their ideas and know that they will receive a fair hearing. I want my children and grandchild to be proud of what we did, for God to be pleased with us, and for the world to be put on notice that African Methodism is a force to reckon with, and “The Church Is Moving On.” ...From My Expectations p2
The Reverend Albert D. Tyson III, is Presiding Elder of the North District of the Chicago Annual Conference. He is a widely recognized and accomplished civic activist serving on a variety of boards including the City Colleges of Chicago and the Public Building Commission of Chicago. ❏ ❏ ❏
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A Charge to Keep I Have By Rev. Renita Lamkin,
5th Episcopal District
Reflecting on the General Conference, I think about my recent assignment to St. James AME Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The church is 153 years old—last year we were designated a national historic landmark. Some time ago, this church was one of the stronger ones in our conference. Now, only a remnant of faithful believers is holding on. Their determination keeps the congregation alive, functioning and visible throughout the community. The once trendy orange and brown interior design of the building is now faded. Banners, trophies, pictures, and plaques from glory days gone by occupy the vestibule walls. Gutters and downspouts are missing and the roof is rotting out. The parsonage has also seen better days. What happened to this once thriving congregation? Did people stop caring? There are people in this community who would not know and/or be concerned if St. James AME Church disappeared. There was an offer to purchase our building—not to invest in ministry. Our building matters to ‘them’—not our congregation and not our Church. The historical relevancy of an edifice is trivial when the mission of the Church has all-but vanished. Status in a connection or community is meaningless without presence in either. I wrestle between rage and grief—it is as if both the building and mission are eroding in slow motion before our very eyes. How do we stop the erosion? Pastoring is work—hard work. It includes the 4 “C’s”: Congregation, Community, Conference and Connection. • What is the role of the Connection in relationship to sustaining the AME presence in a community? • What is the role of the Pastor in relationship to giving life and meaning to the mission of the Church? • What is the role of the Church in relationship to insisting on Connectional connection? • What is the role of Community in relationship to investing in an historic congregation? I hope that that this General Conference will be a starting point for us to work on the day to day struggles that we face in our churches. I don’t know the answers, but I do know that many others are asking the same questions. All I can do now is continue to pastor the people that have been committed to my care. The following refrain echoes in my ears:
A charge to keep I have; a God to glorify. A never dying soul to save and fit it for the sky. To serve this present age; my calling to fulfill; O may it all my pow’rs engage to do the Master’s will. Help me to watch and pray and on Thyself rely. Assured if I Thy trust betray I shall forever die. The Reverend Renita Marie Lamkin, M.Div., has served as a pastor in the AME Church for the past 15 years. She is currently enrolled at Eden Theological Seminary as a Doctorate of Ministry student with a focus in Social Justice. Pastor Renita has contributed writings to the Huffington Post, The Christian Recorder, CNN, St. Louis American and the local Patch.com blog site. Her favorite role in life is being mom to Chrissi and Darren (Danielle). ❏ ❏ ❏
John Thomas, III • 2016 Candidate for Editor, The Christian Recorder • FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM
The Global Digest
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JT34EDITOR2016.COM — VOTE #273
Meet the Candidate
John
was born on January 28, 1982 in Nashville, TN to Dr. John and Mrs. Harriett G. Thomas. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) in 2004 from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia with double majors in International Studies and Spanish. Upon completing his degree, he was awarded a 2004-2005 U.S. Student Fulbright Fellowship to Peru where he conducted research on the evolution of Afro-Peruvian Civil Society from 1980-2004 and interned at the Center for Ethnic Development in Lima. John enrolled in the Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School Master of Public Affairs program in Fall 2005 in the Development Studies Field. While a student, he served as a consultant for the World Bank and led a training workshop for Garifuna and Indigenous legislators in Honduras. After completing his MPA, he started the Ph.D. program in Political Science at the University of Chicago. His dissertation focuses on Black Politics in Peru and Ecuador from 19802013. John has authored several papers and presentations in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
From 2010-2011, John served as a consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank and led a key study on Afro-Peruvian Civil Society. In 2011 at the 20th World Methodist Conference in Durban, South Africa, he was elected to a five-year term as the Youth and Young Adult Coordinator of the World Methodist Council. John’s home church is St. John AME, Nashville. He won the Connectional YPD Self-Denial Essay Contest in 2000 and was a WMS Sojourner to the Dominican Republic in 2002 and 2009. He spearheaded translating church materials into Spanish. John was a delegate to the 2004, 2008 and 2012 General Conferences and was elected to serve on the General Board at each session. He currently serves on the following General Board Commissions: Statistics and Finance, Publications, Global Witness and Ministry. From 2009-2013, John was the Young Adult Representative of the Connectional Lay Organization. Since 2004, John has served as a stringer for The Christian Recorder and has been assigned by the Editor to travel across the Connectional AME Church (and indeed the world) in the interest of the paper. Additionally, he periodically contributes Op-Eds and Feature pieces. He also has served as Assistant Editor for the Journal of Public and International Affairs and a news reviewer for the World Methodist Council’s First Friday Newsletter.
The Vision
F
OR OVER A DECADE, John has been privileged to work for the The Christian Recorder as a writer and operations consultant on language translations and e-mail database management. He currently serves on the Publications Commission of the General Board, which supervises the operations of the newspaper. This extensive experience of The Christian Recorder’s operations gives John a unique insight into how the paper can evolve and continue to serve the denomination in this era of rapid technological shifts. Here are parts of John’s vision to make A Global Paper, with a Global Editor, for a Global Church: COVERAGE ❖ Work with the Council of Bishops to establish designated Episcopal District reporters responsible to the Editor ❖ Host writing workshops in the various Episcopal Districts to encourage persons to contribute articles ❖ Fund a Field Representative of the Editor on the Continent of Africa and in the 16th District per the Discipline ❖ Partner with the Publisher to identify a costeffective means of providing timely print subscriptions to AMEs who reside outside of the United States
CONTENT ❖ Employ columnists to write on various issues including: Professional Advice for Pastors, Praise and Worship, Health Issues and other concerns ❖ Establish an editorial board ❖ Provide stronger integration of online and print content ❖ Expand exchanges with other religious periodicals outside the AME Church
Scan here to see videos and read more of John’s writing or visit JT34EDITOR2016.COM. I urge the delegates to the forthcoming General Conference to realize that some opportunities present themselves only once. It is the now that we have—our time to act in the best interest of the Church. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967 when he was criticized for his stand on the Viet Nam War, de...From The Underrepresented p3
CAPACITY ❖ Coordinate with other General Officers and the Council of Bishops to provide better access to news from Connectional meetings ❖ Reformat the electronic delivery system ❖ Enhance the technological footprint of the publication (i.e. website, mobile device applications, etc.) ❖ Create an online faith-sharing blog
Endorsed by the Connectional Lay Organization, the Connectional Richard Allen Young Adult Council, the 13th Episcopal District and the 4th Episcopal District
clared: “Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question ‘Is it popular?’ But Conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’”
I close with my familiar admonition—“Always do the right thing, and be on the right side of history.”
Jamye Coleman Williams, Ph.D. served as Editor of the AME Review from 1984-1992. She is a distinguished educator in the field of Communications with a career spanning over four decades at various public and private institutions of higher learning. Now retired, she currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and daughter. ❏ ❏ ❏
John Thomas, III • 2016 Candidate for Editor, The Christian Recorder • FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: JOHN@JT34EDITOR2016.COM