The Rev. Dr. Stephanie N. Taylor, MD Appointed to the NIH Advisory Council

“I am excited and honored to lead the Atlanta office and to have the opportunity to help build and expand our local team,” said Selby. “I look forward to supporting the continued success our lawyers achieve for our clients here and around the world.”

Selby joined the firm in 1995. He received his undergraduate business degree from Howard University, his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University, and his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. Special Announcement of Our Son and Daughter-In-Love as the New Co-Pastors for Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Virginia

The Pastor Hiring Committee and the full Session are thrilled to announce Grace Covenant’s new copastors, Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor IV and Joanna Wells Sydnor!

Please plan to join in the Informational Gathering after worship this coming Sunday, November 14, to hear more about the Sydnors from the Pastor Hiring Committee and how powerfully the Holy Spirit was moving in this search process and the connection with the Sydnors as our new covenant pastors. You can also read a bit more about the Sydnors from the bio below.

While the Sydnors’ first day will be Wednesday, December 1, they will be able to worship alongside us on Sunday, November 21, and after worship there will be a reception in the Social Room to meet and greet the Sydnors. Light refreshments, punch, and coffee will be served. Please come offer a warm GCPC welcome to the Sydnors!

UPCOMING DATES

12 noon Sunday, November 21, Reception in Social Room Come meet and greet the Sydnors!

Wednesday, December 1:

The Sydnors’ first day! Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor IV & Joanna Wells Sydnor High School sweethearts and life-long helpmates Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor IV and Joanna Wells Sydnor are called by God to a clergy-couple and co-pastor ministry. Both Calvin and Joanna are from Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg, respectively. They met in Woodbridge, VA, where, providentially, their families relocated for job opportunities in the early 1980s.

Calvin and Joanna have a love for education. They are graduates of Hampton University, where Joanna received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Calvin received his Bachelors of Science in Biology and continued his education at Temple University School of Podiatry following his commissioning into the U.S. Army. Calvin and Joanna married in 1987 and enjoyed life as a military family before relocating to Hampton, VA, in 1994, where Calvin established his podiatry medical practice.

They answered God’s call graduating from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, where they received their Master of Divinity in December 2019. Until their call to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Joanna served as pulpit supply in the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia while also extending her ministry training as a chaplain resident at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, VA. She completed her training in May 2021. Calvin preached regularly in his home Presbytery, PEVA, and both currently participate in the Pastor as Disciple through the Lilly Foundation (PCUSA).

Joanna answered God’s call to the ministry in 2015, devoting her life to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ wherever God leads. Her favorite scripture is John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

For Calvin, God has called him to the ministry where he seeks to serve God with all his heart, soul, and mind and love everyone around him. His favorite scripture is 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.

...From Congratulatory p18 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Calvin and Joanna are blessed with three adult children, Calvin V and daughter-in-love Kyndall, Corey, and Ayanna, and four grandchildren, Kamryn (2), Aiden (2), Kalyse (1), Ace (nine months), and one due in December of 2021. Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III 20th Editor, The Christian Recorder chsydnor@bellsouth.net Congratulations to YPDer Anthony Reed II on the occasion of becoming a Charter member of Top Teens of America Southern Pearls Miami-Dade Chapter. Top Teens of America (TTA) provides all teens regardless of their ethnic or socio-economic status, the opportunity to receive extra-curricular support, career, and character development training, along with key community volunteer opportunities. There are currently 108 TTA chapters with over 5,000 Top Teens located throughout the United States making a difference in the community in which they live. To learn more about TTA, please check out their website at https://www.tlodspmd.org/topteens-of-america He is a proud member of The Purple Church Miami, in the “Nurturing” North Orlando District, Central Annual Conference of the Eleventh Episcopal District. Anthony Reed II is the son of the Reverend Dr. Anthony Sr. & the Reverend Karen Reed, pastors of Martin Memorial AME Church, Miami, FL. To God be the glory for the great things he is doing. #miamiflorida #YPD #TopTeen Congratulatory messages may be sent to: The Reverend Dr. Anthony & the Reverend Karen Reed Martin Memorial AME Church 14700 Lincoln Blvd. • Miami, FL 33176 Email: martinmemorialchurch@gmail.com

On behalf of Publications Commission chair Bishop David R. Daniels, Jr., president/publisher of the AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) the Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, and editor of The Christian Recorder Mr. John Thomas III, we celebrate and applaud your achievements.

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSV)

To share or receive information about Connectional clergy family bereavements and congratulations, please contact the AME Church Clergy Family Information Center. Mrs. Ora L. Easley, administrator • 5981 Hitching Post Lane • Nashville, TN 37211 • 615.833.6936 (CFIC Office) • amecfic.org • facebook.com/AMECFIC.

The Rev. Stephanie N. Taylor, MD, the administrative pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, was introduced by Dr. Anthony Fauci as a new member of the 18-member National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health (NIAID/NIH) Advisory Council. The Council is the chief advisory committee of the NIAID, and Dr. Taylor is one of five members of the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) Subcommittee. The NIAID Council advises on policy, clears concepts, and reviews programs, and NIAID often seeks the Council’s advice before changing policies for training, health information dissemination, administration, budget, and long-term planning of potential future NIAID initiatives.

Dr. Taylor is professor of Medicine and Microbiology in the Section of Infectious Diseases at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. She is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, and her clinical practice and research are focused on sexually transmitted infections, STI-related diagnostic trials, and STI clinical drug trials. In addition, she has authored several book chapters and 80 journal articles, including one as lead author in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Taylor is also medical director of the LSU Infectious Diseases STI research program and laboratory, the LSU-CrescentCare Sexual Health Center, and the Louisiana Office of Public Health STD/HIV Program. She was a recipient of a Distinguished Career Achievement Award presented by the American STD Association, and she is an associate editor of Clinical Infectious Diseases, the flagship journal of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“Dr. Taylor is one of our most talented physician-scientists,” says Dr. Steve Nelson, LSU Health New Orleans interim chancellor and School of Medicine dean. “This appointment reflects the excellence of LSU Health New Orleans faculty and the enormous contributions they make to Louisiana and the nation.” ❏ ❏ ❏

...From Methodist p20 not judge the different decisions made by African American worshippers at St. George’s, who were unable to freely use spiritual practices that were different from those of white congregants and reflected beliefs some had brought with them from Africa.

“I think people left because of feeling uncomfortable and unaccepted in one place,” he said. “So the split could be celebrated now because of what has become of the split, but people didn’t split out of privilege. People split out of pain. They split because they were hurting.”

The emotions arising from the divisions transcended the centuries.

Tyler, whose church has more than 700 members today, recalled the 2009 service when congregants of Mother Bethel worshipped at St. George’s for what was believed to be the first joint Sunday morning service since the 1700s. As the preacher for that day, he said the gathering was a “cathartic moment,” prompting many of his church’s members to weep.

Salvacion and the clergy of the other churches say occasional joint gatherings have continued since then, such as some of the congregations sharing Easter sunrise services and the annual Episcopal Church observance honoring Absalom Jones.

St. George’s currently has about 15-20 worshippers and a membership of about 50. It expects dozens of United Methodists and invited guests from other churches to attend the Oct. 30-31 commemoration.

Its pastor also expects exchanges and shared events will continue in the future among the congregations whose first members left his church building. “We all view this history as being common history that we share,” said Salvacion, an Asian man who is one of St. George’s first pastors of color. Tyler said the ongoing connections between St. George’s and Mother Bethel probably weren’t envisioned by anyone two centuries ago. “The current relationship of these two congregations is, in some ways, a sign of hope for what’s possible,” he said. “If it can happen in these two congregations, maybe it’s possible for us as a country and as a world. I have to take it for what it is — just a small sign of hope, in spite of all the kind of guarded optimism that I have.” ❏ ❏ ❏

...From 154TH Session p5 away. It is an evolution that is here to stay. It will continue to grow and influence the way we communicate with each other. As a church, we must establish community; all social media networks are designed to facilitate community building among users. That is why we believe the church and social media are such a good fit to spread the gospel. The more we use these ministry opportunities, the more we will experience the rewards to advance God’s kingdom locally and globally.

Humbly submitted by the Media and Public Relations Committee,

The Reverends Dr. Trent Ogilvie (Chair)

Omaràn Lee

Donna Lorhorn

Benessa Sweat

Dr. Yvette Tisdale

Dr. Andre Washington

Lay Delegates:

Joseph Gilliam

Will Marsh

Sandra Richardson

Daphne Braden

Margaret Jarrett

Will Marsh

Linda Bell

Benitta Jones

Tim Woodard ❏ ❏ ❏

...From Long-Time p21 wide commitment to student retention; a renewed focus on community college transfers; investment in placement and institutional advancement; growing the University despite a brief period when there is a smaller pool of high school graduates; and increasing state and federal support via relationships.

Dr. Wims received a B.S. in agronomy in June 1987 from The Fort Valley State College, an M.S. in agricultural extension and education with an agronomy concentration from The Ohio State University in 1989. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland-College Park in agricultural extension and education with a cognate in higher education administration. ❏ ❏ ❏

SMOKE IN THE ROOM

By John Thomas III, Editor

Enron. Bernie Madoff. Stanford Investments. Fyre Fest. Theranos. The last 20 years have been filled with examples showing how corporate governance structures can be manipulated to hide fraud and perpetuate schemes stealing millions upon millions of dollars. In each of the instances cited, gaps in corporate oversight led to executives being able to defraud consumers and clients. Board members did not have sufficient skill sets to supervise the executives adequately or were not given all the information to make the appropriate judgments. These examples of corporate greed continue to have repercussions to this day.

When we see these issues in the secular world, we immediately wonder why no questions were asked and if people truly did not know what was going on. “How could someone take (insert amount here) and no one know anything?” In each of these stories, one learns of whistleblowers at all levels of the company who saw red flags and warned of the potential consequences— but they were ridiculed and silenced by a culture that would not tolerate dissent because the image had to be preserved.

Manipulation of governance structures not only happens in the secular world. Recent revelations regarding maladministration of the Department of Retirement Services and the Connectional Lay Economic Development Corporation (CLEDC) should give us all pause. While the amount impacted is smaller than the corporations I have mentioned, the behaviors are sadly the same. We find poorly supervised executives with boards who were given insufficient information and misled into authorizing actions that led to massive losses of capital and confidence. Across the breadth of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, from the local to Episcopal District levels, we have heart-breaking stories of properties being lost and monies being misappropriated due to a culture that does not question leadership but simply follows.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32 NRSV). These are the words of Jesus Christ, and we know that indeed there is freedom in truth. Yet, what happens when the truth is that the financial actions being taken are improper and unwise? We cannot talk about symptoms without attacking the larger issue in the AME Church culture of equating legitimate questions with obstructing leadership. We have confused respectful dissent with rebellious discord. To be sure, there are those who do not want to see progress and are more concerned with earthly power than kingdom building. Yet, more often than not, the questions come from loyal clergy and laity who rightfully want to protect the assets of their congregation and Annual Conference for future generations instead of seeing them siphoned off for current gain.

As heirs of the Free African Society, the Connectional AME Church is imbued with a spirit of economic empowerment and community uplift. We are to be our brother’s and sister’s keeper. The culture of silence that reigns throughout our church must be repudiated. There is smoke in the room, and unless the fire is put out, everyone will suffocate. ❏ ❏ ❏

John Thomas III 21ST Editor of The Christian Recorder