District Dedicates

Valerie Faith Gary Bell Commercial Property

On Saturday, February 18, 2023, the 2 nd Episcopal District celebrated the dedication and mortgage burning of the Valerie Faith Gary Bell Commercial Property located at 7610 Pennsylvania Ave. in Forestville, Maryland. The total cost of the building was about three million dollars, and the district raised the full amount to support the building payoff after just over one year of its Level Up Campaign. We celebrate what great things God has done in partnership with God’s people who were willing to both believe in the vision and do the work to bring the vision into realization!

Sister Valerie Faith Gary Bell, the property namesake, was born on October 25, 1953, and is a fifth-generation member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and has

CONGRATULATIONS! The Hugines Celebrate 50 Years Of Marriage

Dr. Akilah Hugine-Elmore

Andrew and Abbiegail Hugine, formerly of Green Pond, South Carolina, celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary on December 23, 2022, at the Lowcountry Conference Center in Summerville, South Carolina. The celebration was the idea of their children, Andrew Hugine III and Akilah Hugine-Elmore, who served as the event planner. The elegant affair was co-hosted by Renee Hamilton, who served as the flower girl, and Eric Frasier, the ring bearer for the Hugine’s wedding in 1972. The couple was married at the now White Hall AME Church, with Dr. George Hamilton

Nurturing Family Faith: Clarion Call To The Church

Dr. Betty Holley, Contributing Writer

In Hebrews 11:1, Paul called faith “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith helps us understand the things we cannot know. Despite everything we know, there are still many mysteries we cannot fully explain. When human reason, knowledge, and experience can answer questions about “why” they are the way they are.

We see from day to day that bad things happen to good people, but we have a hard time explaining why they happen to this person and not that person under these circumstances and not other circumstances.

Jackson Theological Seminary Awarded Full Accreditation Status

Jackson Theological Seminary, located in North Little Rock, Arkansas, in the 12th Episcopal District, has been awarded full accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Schools (TRACS) as a Category III Institution. Founded in 1903, Jackson Theological Seminary has endeavored and successfully produced competent and capable ministers of the gospel. Unfortunately, because of a significant hiatus for many years, the school could not support students' needs. Seeing the community's growing needs and accreditation requirements increasing, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, the Right Reverend Michael L. Mitchell, the presiding prelate of the 12 th Episcopal District,

March 2023

been a member of the Lay Organization since 1974. She is a native of the 2 nd Episcopal District, and her spiritual growth and development were inspired and nurtured by the members of Mt. Zion AME Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to her many commitments throughout her AME Church life, on August 7, 2017, at the 35 th Biennial Session of the Connectional Lay Organization in Columbus, Ohio, Valerie was elected as the 14 th Connectional president. Since the birth of the Lay Organization in 1912, she was the 2nd woman to serve in this capacity. Her election is a testament to her unwavering dedication to calling us all into better being. The dedication of the Valerie Faith Gary Bell building is an attempt to answer that call.

Under the leadership of Bishop James L. Davis, the 2 nd District began its

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THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER: The Christian Recorder (ISSN 1050-6039, USPS 16880) is the official organ of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a member of the Associated Church Press and the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Founded in 1852, it is printed monthly by the AMEC Sunday School Union, 900 13th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212. Periodicals Postage Paid at Nashville, TN.

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Views expressed by the editor and/or other writers do not necessarily reflect the official views of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Christian Recorder welcomes letters from its readers on matters of general interest. Letters must be exclusive to The Christian Recorder and must be signed, including the writer’s home address and business telephone number. No defamatory, libelous or slanderous letters will be printed; and The Christian Recorder reserves the right to reject or edit any letter or article to conform to good taste, style and space requirements. Although we are unable to acknowledge those letters we cannot publish, we appreciate the interest and value the views of those who take the time to send us their comments. Letters intended for publication should be addressed to The Christian Recorder/Letters to the Editor, 900 13th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212. All photograph submissions are the property of The Christian Recorder and will not be returned.

Why does this person get cancer? Why does this child die young? Why do earthquakes seemingly happen in areas where people are horribly impoverished? Why does this person linger with dementia long after they no longer know who or where they are? Faith provides answers to the kind of questions that human reason and knowledge alone cannot answer. Because human knowledge and understanding grow with experiences over time, our assumptions in faith today may be incomplete. Faith always retains the ability to incorporate new facts, experiences, and knowled ge.

Without a faith tradition, we leave our children no reasonable and hopeful way to understand the important mysteries of life. Without faith, assembled a visionary team. Bishop Mitchell gave the team clear direction and tangible and spiritual support through administrative excellence. Students are now enrolled in Jackson’s Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Master of Divinity programs and have access to financial aid from Title IV funding.

This achievement was made possible because of a strong administrative team led by president and chief ex- the most basic human question, “why?” goes unanswered, leaving our children open to many demonstrably false and destructive ideas. The family is the first community and the most basic way God gathers us, forms us, and acts in the world. Therefore, there is no more urgent task for the Church today than strengthening parental and family faith and practice. At the heart of a plethora of research is the finding that the most important influence shaping children and youth’s religious and spiritual lives is their parents. The overwhelming evidence from the research studies shows that the parents of American youth play the leading role in shaping the character of their religious and spiritual lives well after they leave home and often for the rest of their lives. ecutive officer, the Reverend Cecil Williams, past and present members of the Board of Trustees, administration and faculty, loyal alumni, and friends of the seminary for the giving of their time and gifts. We are also thankful for the incomparable expertise and invaluable guidance of our accreditation consultant, Dr. Keiona Middleton, and the sage advice of Shorter College president, Dr. O. Jerome Green, Esq. We certainly cannot forget the generosity of the African Methodist Episcopal Church for including Jackson Seminary in the 2021-2024 budget at the 51 st Session of the General Conference, as well as the gracious support from the Council of Bishops for approving the first Connectional seed offering of $10,000.00 to Jackson Seminary through the sale of The Anvil, led by Bishop Vashti McKenzie.

One of the consequences of the 2020 pandemic’s impact on life in the United States was rediscovering the centrality of the family and the home. Education, work, worship, and faith formation all moved home overnight. Churches that had developed strong relationships with families and had robust efforts to support parents and nurture family faith at home made a much smoother transition to the home-based church life. Those churches, especially in the African American community, that did not, struggled. As we reimagine the way forward, post-COVID, the church needs to support and nurture family faith at home, strengthening parental and family daily faith practices. Churches partnering with parents to nurture family faith may help slow down young people from exiting our denomination!

Finally, Jackson Seminary is eternally grateful to God for God’s infinite grace and for the overwhelming love, encouragement, and tangible support of the clergy and laity who comprise the entire constituency of the mighty 12 th Episcopal District.

We welcome all to support and experience the newest accredited institution of the African Methodist Episcopal Church: Jackson Theological Seminary.

This is the Lord’s doing!

Bishop Michael L. Mitchell, Chairman of the Board of Trustees www.jtseminary.org