October 2022 Edition of The Christian Recorder

Members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Participate

in

World Council of Churches Assembly; Dr. Jennifer Leath, Elected to WCC Central Committee

Rev. Jazmine Brooks, News Editor

From August 31 to September 9, Christians from all across the globe gathered to celebrate the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe, Germany. Formed in 1948, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is the world’s largest ecumenical body. It represents over 500 million Christians in 350 denominations across various Christian communions, including Anglicans, Baptists, Independents, Methodists, Reformed, Orthodox, Pentecostals, and several other traditions. The assembly is convened every eight years, with the last assembly taking place in Busan, Korea, in 2013. The general secretary (chief executive) of the WCC is the Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca. The WCC Assembly moderator is Dr. Agnes Abuom of the Anglican Church of Kenya.

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Down the Road

Rev. Renita Green, Columnist

On July 14, 1865, Bishop Daniel Payne preached the dedication of Holy Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church, Wilberforce, Ohio. Its founders planted Holy Trinity for the students and faculty of Wilberforce College. In 1953, President Stokes invited the congregation to make her home in the newly built Chapel of the Living Savior at Payne Seminary. The membership has ebbed and flowed. Today, the members are aging, the neighborhood is changing, and the church no longer has a visible presence in the community.

This is the story of many historic congregations in changing communities. Like Holy Trinity, they are confronted with discerning their future. Merging or closing seem like logical options. Church is a business, no doubt, but the congregation is family. The buildings tell the stories of communities, families, and unrelenting faith. The grounds are sacred spaces that tell the stories of

New Life for Aging Bodies: How God Renews Through Christ

Rev. Dr. Jason Curry, Columnist

While reading a book on psychology to help a family in need, I stumbled across an insight made by Erik Erikson regarding the stages of life. According to Erikson, “Integrity vs. Despair” is the final stage of our psychosocial development. It is a blessing to grow older, and as we grow older, we will be unable to escape the following question: Will we continue to live lives of integrity, or will the natural course of life cause us to fall victim to grips of despair? Today, I want to spend a moment encouraging those who are in a fight to maintain their integrity and sense of connection with God as they mature physically in this life.

Both my grandmother and my grandfather attended the

God’s faithfulness from generation to generation.

Hebrews 11 is noted as the faith “Hall of Fame.” We celebrate the stories of the faithful—their courage, boldness, resilience, and commitment are aweinspiring. However, it is verse 13 that stops me in my tracks, “All of these died in faith withouthavingreceivedthepromises, but fromadistancetheysaw…” (vs. 13).

These legends of faith did not see the promise, but they saw down the road. Those who serve declining congregations have the rare opportunity to compassionately guide congregations through a discerning process—to shine light down the road. Some congregations can be revived, revamped, or rebranded, yet few will see the promise. Ministry is a journey, not a destination.

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Rev. Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, Sr. Appointed by DHS Secretary Mayorkas to Prestigious Faith-Based Security Advisory Council

On September 19, Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, Sr., general secretary and chief information officer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was appointed by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas to the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council. Dr. Cooper joins 24 new members of the council, an external advisory body providing advice to the secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

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Church growth surveys have a variety of questions for declining congregations. Two helpful questions include, “Is the church/congregation vital?” and “Is the church/congregation viable?” What

Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. My grandfather was in retirement; however, he wore a suit and tie to service, and he sang, on occasion, in one of the church’s choirs. My grandmother was also in retirement; she wore makeup and formal attire to the servic e as well. Their laughter, their attire, and their attendance in worship demonstrated to me that they chose integrity over despair.

In Romans 8:11, Paul says: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” To be sure, growing older takes its toll on our mortal or physical bodies. Some of us cannot play sports with the intensity of college athletes, and sometimes completing routine tasks seems challenging. Our elders have also experienced unprecedented losses–the loss of family, loss of friends, loss of jobs, and accompanying coworkers. However, I am a witness that those who grew older wi th Christ often operated with a renewed strength, a mental tenacity, a spiritual fortitude, and a renewed enthusiasm for celebrating life. I continue to be inspired by choirs that have senior citizens eager to witness the goodness and power of God in their lives. As life moves forward, Paul affirms, and I agree, that there is new life for our aging bodies through Christ. If we invest with Christ today, we shall reap a return with Christ tomorrow. Our investment in Christ may be accompanied by personal sacrifice; however, Paul says: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). As we grow older with God’s grace, let us allow God to renew both our minds and bodies through Christ. ❏ ❏ ❏

1) Is this church/congregation vital to the

❖ Connection: Is this particular church an essential part of the story of the Connection? Does this church produce members who contribute their skills and talents to the whole?

❖ Community: Does the congregation or church building serve a need that would be otherwise go unmet within the community?

❖ Congregation: Do the current members of the congregation need to be part of that congregation in that building?

2) Is this church/congregation viable

❖ Financially: Can it sustain the ministry, the building, connectional contributions, their bills, and fund a pastor?

❖ Structurally: Is the building habitable, safe, and accessible?

❖ Spiritually: Do the congregations have the faith, courage, boldness, resilience, and commitment to see down the road?

Daniel Payne saw down the road, and as a result,

many have received educational opportunities that would have otherwise been inaccessible, and a congregation exists that has blessed generations. But sadly, not every congregation will survive, and not every building will remain open.

Congregations and buildings are part of God’s unfolding story, not the destination. The discerning process starts in grief yet ends in hope if the discerners can see down the road. ❏ ❏ ❏

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Sunday

“These prominent faith and law enforcement leaders will help us build and strengthen the community partnerships that are so vital to our mission success,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “We will work together to increase access to our services, ensure equity, maintain openness and transparency, and fully restore the trust of the communities we serve.”

“This Council is an important way for the department to engage formally with critical partners on issues impacting faith communities,” said Brenda Abdelall, assistant secretary for Partnership and Engagement. “Members of the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council will provide valuable insight that will benefit our stakeholders nationwide on important issues within the scope of the department’s mission.”

The council will provide organizationally independent, strategic, timely, specific, and actionable advice to the secretary on diverse homeland security matters. Specifically, the council’s contributions will enhance the department’s work to protect houses of worship; improve coordination and information sharing of threat information with the faith community, and through the faith community, within the broader communities in which they serve; increase access to DHS resources by building trust and addressing potential barriers; and prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of targeted violence, terrorism, and other threats.

Secretary Mayorkas has appointed the following individuals to the council:

❖ Chandru Acharya, Member, Plymouth Canton Interfaith Community Outreach

❖ Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali, Executive Director, All Dulles Area Muslim Society

(ADAMS) Center / Co-Founder, Multi-Faith Neighbors Network

❖ Salam Al-Marayati, Co-Founder and President, Muslim Public Affairs Council

❖ Deputy Chief Tracie Baker, Arlington Police Department, Texas

❖ Kimberly Burgo, Vice President, Disaster Operations, Catholic Charities USA

❖ Rev. Jeffery Cooper, General Secretary and Chief Information Officer, African Methodist Episcopal Church

❖ Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, Chief Operating Officer, National Council of Churches

❖ Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director, Sikh American Legal Defense, and Education Fund

❖ Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

❖ Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, National Commander, The Salvation Army

❖ Hyepin Im, President and Founder, Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE)

❖ Curtis Jones, National Deputy Sector ChiefManager, Religious Facilities Protection Program (RFPP), InfraGard National Members Alliance

❖ Alberto Martinez, Director, Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, Orange County Sheriff’s Department

❖ Michael Masters, National Director & CEO, Secure Community Network

❖ Sheriff Garry McFadden, 45th Sheriff of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

❖ Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism

❖ Todd Richins, Church Security Department, Field Operations Division Director, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

❖ Mayya Saab, Executive Director, Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization

❖ Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition

❖ Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, CEO Emerita, Rabbinical Assembly

❖ Chief Issa Shahin, Dearborn, Michigan Police Department

❖ Imam Talib Shareef, Nation’s Mosque / Masjid Muhammad

❖ Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network

❖ Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart, Director for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs, Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement, City of Philadelphia

❖ April Wood, President/CEO, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters

The council’s membership reflects President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ priorities on diversity, equity, and inclusion and will ensure a wide range of diverse voices across various faith traditions. The members represent various faith communities and a diversity of denominations, including the Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh communities, as well as law enforcement.

The first meeting of this council will be convened by Secretary Mayorkas and held virtually on October 6, 2022.

To learn more about the council, please visit: https://www.dhs.gov/faith-based-security-advisorycouncil. ❏ ❏ ❏

Historic AME Church Anchors Oldest American Town Founded by African Americans

Joseph D. Bryant , Illinois News Center, Illinoisnewscenter.com

Brooklyn, Illinois, may not dominate the history books or film. Yet, this small St. Clair County village across the Mississippi River from St. Louis has played a seminal role in the path to freedom and independence for countless African Americans decades before the Civil War. Founded in 1829 and incorporated in 1873, Brooklyn is a rare surviving community that African Americans created before the Civil War.

As the country’s oldest town incorporated by African Americans, Brooklyn’s motto sums up its long and complex history: People throughout the nation have recently begun to discover, observe, and celebrate Juneteenth as a newly created federal holiday; residents of Brooklyn and members of its longtime church rightfully lay claim as an early landmark for liberty.

Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was a verified stop along the Underground Railroad. The history of Brooklyn and Quinn Chapel are inseparable. The town’s founder, Mother Priscilla Baltimore, was also a founder of Quinn Chapel, along with AME Bishop Paul Quinn.

Not just satisfied with their freedom, those early residents worked with abolitionists to create a haven for others seeking to escape the inhumanity

and indignity of slavery.

“The Underground Railroad network was the method that was used to move people from different places, and the church played an important part in it,” explained George McShan, a native of Brooklyn and life-long member of Quinn Chapel. “Many slaves came down that river and hid in the church and under the church. Brooklyn was able to help because it was an all-black town, and when they came through there, they stopped and stayed until they were able to move on up through the route.”

Brooklyn’s location across the Mississippi River proved pivotal in the quest for freedom for African Americans moving through neighboring Missouri, a slave state, to Illinois, a free state, and on to new lives.

structure.

Preserving the Legacy

McShan is transported back decades as images of

Quinn Chapel has been on the same property since 1839 when it served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The church building was erected in 1879 after a fire destroyed the original

Dr. Brenda Kaye Miller Thompson Observes National Gun Violence Awareness and Prevention Wear Orange Weekend (June 3-5, 2022) in Honor of Her Beloved Son, Cortlandt Gerard Thompson

Dr. Brenda Kaye Miller Thompson, 8th Episcopal District

My beloved son, Cortlandt Gerard Thompson, was a fifth generation AME. He traveled to all of the AME meetings from infancy as I did with my mother, the late Mrs. Lena Simmons Miller, a third-generation AME, and WMS life member. As a highlight, Cortlandt was the youngest observer (4 months old) at the 1981 World Methodist Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, where his parents, the Rev. Dr. Taylor Tyrone Thompson and Dr. Brenda Kaye Miller Thompson, were members of the AME delegation.

As a baby, he was stricken with neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer, and was given only four months to live. At the age of 11 months old, he had major surgery that took a large portion of his stomach. As he grew older, he went into remission. Growing up, Cortlandt was very active in Pearl Street AME Church. He served as secretary of the Sunday School; as a member of the Young People’s Division (YPD), junior ushers; children/youth choirs, and as an acolyte under the Rev. Johnny Barbour, Jr. He was active in the Pearl Street AME Church Boy Scouts Troop 51, as well as community activities. He received many trophies in karate and basketball. He was a black belt in karate and won many awards as a percussionist.

Cortlandt was an honor student in high school and college. As a Computer Science major at Wilberforce University, he was fortunate to intern with a computer company. Because he started cutting hair at a very young age, he became a licensed barber. Before his death, I was talking with realtors to purchase a building that would house his shop and my boutique. I thought this would be enjoyable for me since I had retired. But the dream ended with my beloved son’s robbery and murder on October 21, 2014.

I am a member of MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA. On June 3, 2022, I wore orange to commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day and continued wearing orange throughout the weekend from June 3-5. We are so grateful to Mrs. Shannon Watts, an American gun violence prevention activist, who founded MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA. The murders of the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut had a significant impact on her. Her organization is very active in ways to reduce gun violence. MOMS DEMAND ACTION is part of EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY, which is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the United States.

Wear Orange was started several years ago to honor the life of Hadiya Pendleton. This 15-year-old girl was shot and killed in a Chicago park less than a week after performing at President Obama’s second inauguration. Since then, it has become a national movement of people organizing through various means to demand an end to gun violence.

We know that gun violence is a major crisis. The year 2022 has been extremely fearful! According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 233 mass shootings in 2022. Unfortunately, by the time you read this article, this number will have increased. Gun violence, which usually ends in murder, has occurred in various places (churches, schools, homes, grocery stores, medical facilities, parties/concerts, businesses, drive-by shootings, etc.) across the United States. No one is immune to gun violence!

These murders have been devastating and beyond belief to our family members.

More recently, our hearts have been broken into so many pieces that we must seriously end this insanity. I have a tremendous amount of sympathy and empathy for those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. I have had many sleepless nights over these tragedies.

In Uvalde, Texas, an 18-year-old male with an AR-15 murdered 19 precious innocent elementary students at Robb Elementary School, as well as their two teachers. Dr. Roy Guerrero, a local pediatrician in Uvalde, testified to the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Capitol Hill regarding gun violence. I heard his testimony. It was heart-wrenching. He informed us that two of the children’s bodies were so damaged by the bullets that they were decapitated and their flesh ripped apart. They were only recognizable by their clothes. Hearing this brought me to tears. I was so devastated.

In Buffalo, NY, at the Tops Friendly Markets, 10 African Americans were murdered, and three others were injured by an 18-year-old male. He carried a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle. He had a manifesto and is believed to have been influenced by white supremacy and the far-right “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. With his Bushmaster XM-15 rifle, he took the lives of wonderful and hardworking people who were pillars of their community.

I also watched the family members of loved ones who were murdered or injured in Buffalo, NY, testify to the same committee on gun violence. They talked about how important their loved ones were, as well as those who were injured but still alive. They stressed the depth of love shared in their families and their selfless contributions to their community.

I also heard about the shooting at a medical clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a patient killed his doctor and others because he felt they had caused him additional pain.

Say their names, that we may never forget them!

The 19 Children and Their 2 Teachers Murdered--Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX

Jesus says-“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”

John 14:1-3

*Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo

*Jacklyn Cazares

*Makenna Lee Elrod

*Miranda Mathis Teachers

*Alithia Ramirez

*Annabell Rodriguez

*Jose Manuel Flores, Jr. *Maite Rodriguez

*Eliana Garcia

*Uziyah Garcia

*Amerie Jo Garza

*Xavier Lopez

*Jayce Carmelo Luevanos

*Tess Mata

*Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio

*Layla Salazar

*Jailah Nicole Silguero

*Eliahana Cruz Torres

*Rojelio Torres

*Mrs. Irma Garcia

*Mrs. Eva Mireles

The 10 Adults Murdered in Tops Friendly Markets--Buffalo, NY

Has the Passion Passed?

John Wm. Roberts, ED.D., Contributing Writer

One of the greatest joys of a worship service is the singing which occurs–the blending of voices sincerely praising the blessing of God in their lives. This blending is not only of the choirs but also of the congregation. I recently read an article from a religious organization that asked a similar question. Unfortunately, many churches have gone the way of ‘performance-based religious worship’ versus ‘participatory-based religious worship.’

Historically and traditionally, worship with music has always been participatory. It is one of the high points of the worship experience – hearing the natural melodies and harmonies of both choir and congregation exalting the goodness of God. This exaltation, often, would penetrate the sacred area of the pulpit. Pastors, preachers, and evangelists would begin rhythmically tapping their knees and feet, clapping and waving their hands, standing in acknowledgment, and even singing with the choir and congregation.

With the emergence of ‘megachurches,’ this participatory-based portion of worship has been

replaced with professional singers and musicians who make up ‘Worship or Praise Teams.’ These musicians have replaced the choir in many megachurch congregations. Many pastors are encouraging members not to participate during the singing portion of the service. Several reasons may underpin this decision; however, it discourages members from participating in an integral part of the worship experience. In this performancebased form of worship, many of the musical numbers are almost entirely contemporary. This shift is not an indictment of this religious music genre; however, without the infusion of ‘songs of the faith,’ younger members of the congregation know nothing about the music which has buoyed faith and faithful and the importance of these music selections in the foundations of their faith/ faith system. Additionally, it excludes many older members from remembering and connecting them to their spiritual journey.

Worship is intended as a conduit for the faithful to connect with God. It is not based on how

perfectly a song is performed; it is based on the participation of the congregation with the choir. A personal connection to God is, or should be, the spiritual rudder for each believer. Allowing this musical connection to be severed diminishes the connection of the faithful. Therefore, participation in the musical portion of the worship experience is essential.

Participation versus performance is a slippery slope – musically. The majority of churches are not able to afford paid professional musicians and singers. These congregations rely on the participation of congregants with the choir or as their choir. It brings a sense of communal connection to God and elevates the worship experience for everyone. Never let the passion diminish for the faith or the music of the faith.

John Wm. Roberts, ED.D. is the director of Music/principal musician at Lee Chapel AME Church in Auburn, Alabama, in the Ninth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

...From Dr. Brenda p4

*Ms. Celestine Chaney

*Mr. Heyward “Tenny” Patterson

*Ms. Roberta Drury

*Mr. Aaron Salter, Jr.

*Mr. Andre Mackniel

*Ms. Geraldine Talley

*Ms. Katherine “Kat” Massey

*Ms. Ruth Whitfield

*Mr. Margus D. Morrison

*Ms. Pearl Young

The 4 Adults Murdered in a Medical Facility--Tulsa, OK

*Dr. Preston Phillips

*Ms. Amanda Glenn

*Dr. Stephanie Husen

*Mr. William Love

And all the many others who have been murdered due to gun violence!

It is time to prove to the United States Congress, especially the Senators, that enough is enough! This gun violence must come to an end. Our laws to end this insanity must be strong to make a difference; if they are not, then this insanity will continue and destroy us and our country.

We must do more than offer thoughts and prayers! So, please let us do whatever we can to save our children, ourselves, and our country before it is too late! May God help us all, and may he comfort those who grieve!

Dr. Brenda Kaye Miller Thompson is a fourth-generation AME, Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) life member, and a life member/golden soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is an active member of Pearl Street AME Church in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Collaboration and Partnership

Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Contributing Writer

On Friday, August 26, 2022, Bishop Stafford Wicker, Supervisor Constance Wicker, clergy of the Louisiana Conference, and the faculty and administrators from Louisiana State University began a historic partnership. Bishop Wicker and the clergy from The Western New Orleans Baton Rouge District met at the Honors College at Louisiana State University. We were all greeted by Dr. Martin, assistant dean, Dr. Roland Mitchell, dean of Education, Dr. Earle, dean of The Honors College, and Dr. Becker’s chair of African American

Dr. Herman O. Kelly, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the adjunct instructor in African American Studies and Education, served as host along with Dr. Roland Mitchell and Presiding Elder Bland Washington.

Studies Department.

Bishop Wicker shared his vision for the African Methodist Episcopal Church regarding this historic partnership. This initiative began with the presentation by Bishop Wicker and concluded with questions and answers from all in attendance.

The goal of this collaboration and partnership is to carry out connections between clergy and The Academy. In addition, this initiative will continue to speak to Louisiana’s new generation of leaders. We all have a vested interest in the youth, their education, and their growth.

Got Nothing but the Holy Ghost”

Rev. Christopher W. Riley, Pastor, New Community AME, LaPorte, Indiana

FORT WAYNE

It was early one morning, just about the break of day, Jesus touched me and he washed my sins away I started running; I started shouting, There’s no reason to doubt him; I tell you, I’ve got Nothing but the Holy Ghost

The lyrics to this gospel classic recorded by the late great Rev. Milton Brunson and The Thompson Community Choir rang out in Turner Chapel on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The Indiana Conference of the Fourth Episcopal District made history by hosting its first combined Pentecost service. Local congregations celebrated Pentecost in their morning services and were able to come together with other members from across the state to commemorate the birth of the church.

Pentecost is a special day of worship. The feast marks the end of the Easter season and commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus. The church of God, which began on Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, is given the mission of preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.

“The Pentecost service captured the spirit of that day recorded in scripture as we reflected on Pentecost’s passion, purpose, and power. The time spent in prayer, word, dance, and song united those in attendance while serving as an inspiration to continue in the Lord’s work.” The Rev. Lenore G. Williams, presiding elder of the North District, Indiana Conference.

Williams, who has the distinction of serving as presiding elder over the same district as her father, the late Rev. Leonard Williams, Sr., was the visionary behind this conference-wide initiative and collaborated with the Rev. Elain Gordon, presiding elder of the South District, to host this praise party. According to Williams, the Pentecost service will

become an annual event in the mother conference of the Fourth District.

The preacher is a son of the Indiana Conference, the Rev. Christopher Bonner (Bethel AME, Bloomington), who is enrolled at Howard University in Washington, District of Columbia, majoring in Divinity and Social Work. Bonner proclaimed, “My God is making sound deliberations. Ain’t nothing impossible!” “We have to show the world that Jesus is real.”

Bonner recalls, “The Indiana Conference has furnished my spirit with unconditional kingdom community since I first entered Bethel AME, Bloomington…you can feel the great cloud of

Monkeypox, COVID, and Your Vote

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher, SanDiegoVoice&ViewpointNewspaper

ancestral witnesses clapping in that place. That Holy Black Joy is still echoing in my heart. Two of the most innovative presiding elders, the Rev. Dr. Elaine P. Gordon and the Rev. Lenore G. Williams, are responsible for this grand vision. My heart desires that this worship celebration catapults our Zion to uncharted greatness.”

Turner Chapel AME Church, founded in 1849, is the oldest church in the Fort Wayne African American community and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Rev. Kenneth C. Christmon is the pastor. ❏ ❏ ❏

Well, Monkeypox is the latest distraction, right after COVID. As serious as both of these are in the pandemic arena, they can be distractions from many of the everyday issues we contend with, like food, housing, employment, and health care. But in the midst of all these issues, let us not forget that how we vote has much to do with the quality of life we experience in all the areas mentioned here and many more.

We are only about 90 days from this nation’s midterm elections, which take place on the first Tuesday in November. It is no accident that we are not seeing much, if any, local media discussion other than our own. Unfortunately, we don’t have many choices. While the Democrats, under President Biden, have not delivered on The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act or The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Biden and the Democratic control of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate remain better alternatives than the Republican Trump-supporting candidates running for office in just about all states.

We must start a voter registration drive right here where we live. This effort must become as important to us as putting food on the table and a roof over our heads. Let us not forget what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his famous “Give Us the Ballot” speech on May 17, 1957:

Give us the ballot, and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights;

Give us the ballot, and we will transform the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens;

Give us the ballot, and we will fill our legislative halls with men of goodwill and send to the sacred halls of Congress men who will not

sign a “Southern Manifesto” because of their devotion to a manifesto of justice;

Give us the ballot, and we will place judges on the benches of the South who will do justly and love mercy, and we will place at the head of southern states governors who will have felt not only the tang of the human but the glow of the divine.

Well, we have been given the ballot for more than 50 years, and many of us appear to have forgotten the price we paid for the right to vote, a right many seek to suppress or eliminate. So, yes, let’s deal with Monkeypox, COVID, hate crimes, and everything else they are throwing at us today, but above all, let’s get registered and prepare to VOTE. ❏ ❏ ❏

“I’ve

God Is Still Looking for Men to Stand in the Gap

Rev. Gregory E. Singleton

EZEKIEL 22:23, 29-30

23 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

29 The people of the land have used oppression, exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Put simply, we live in perilous times, maybe even unprecedented times. The devil is unleashing fury on the earth as we have never seen before. From the havoc the weather is causing worldwide to the strain that the pandemic has placed on individuals, families, and businesses to the seeming freedom for some groups to voice their negative (hear: segregationist) opinions and actions. And please know I have yet to mention wars and rumors of wars and the growing revelation of just how many mentally ill persons are among us and mentally ill persons with guns and knives running from school to school, mall to mall, home to home, even from church to church. Add to the previously mentioned issues the attacks on civil rights (including voting rights), especially against people of color and those trying to immigrate to our county.

I previously stated that we live in unprecedented times, but as we know, the Bible says there’s nothing new under the sun. Such a time that is at least equal to our times is illustrated in the 22nd chapter of Ezekiel. God uses Ezekiel’s mouth to list the sins of Jerusalem that would lead to God’s judgment and punishment. The princes in power used their power to shed blood and ignore fathers and mothers, whom they treated with contempt.

Rev.

E.

They cheated and mistreated undocumented Hispanics, orphans, and widows. God’s holy things were being despised, and God’s Sabbath used to go to the game – I’m sorry, God’s Sabbath was misused. They were making trips to the mountains and committing all sorts of lewdness. They did not care who they slept with (even committing incest) or even when women were in the midst of their cycle. Performing murder for hire (accepting bribes to shed blood) and operating check cashing joints, I mean cheating poor people by charging outrageous interest. And worst of all, they forgot about the Lord. Doesn’t that sound just like today? Instead of leaders and ministers keeping the people accountable for their actions, we are out there with them. Make no mistake, God’s eyes are upon us –when the sons of God were taking the daughters of men and having children with them, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that EVERY imagination of his heart was only evil continually. The Bible says it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart – And the Lord said I will destroy man… But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord – God is still looking for men to stand in the gap. In Luke the 5th chapter, Luke describes

how when the friends of a paralyzed man found they could not get in the door where Jesus was, they tore through the roof and let him down right in front of JesusJesus saw the faith of his friends and healed him and forgave his sins –God is still Looking for men to Stand in the Gap!

In The Gap:

Boys need mentors and father figures – not groomers!

Girls need father figures – men that act like men, not players, low-rate pimps, and gangsters!

Women need men to lead them to God and not men that try to take them to the hotel – they need men they can lean on!

Men need mentors that don’t judge – just pray! God is looking for men to stand when so many fall for every trick the devil throws.

God is looking for men to stand praying because prayer still works!

God is looking for men to stand believing –believing with their hearts and not their eyes!

Men to stand as soldiers with clean lips and hearts; soldiers dressed in the armor of God: righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and sword!

God is still asking, “Who will go for us?” Can you say: Here I am, Lord, send me!

members and lessons from long ago fill his vision each time he enters the doors of Quinn Chapel.

“It brings back the memories that I shared there with the older people who have gone on who have really inspired me to do something and to be something,” he said. “They told me different things. They corrected me and made sure I was not only aware of the tradition of the church but also that God is in control. We can only go so far as he lets us go, and you build on that foundation. This is something that I try to pass on to the other younger members.”

McShan was just 13 years old when his grandmother asked his parents for permission to take him to the church that was the centerpiece of the community. That was 75 years ago, and McShan is still there.

Now at age 88, McShan is the eldest member of the congregation and is the church secretary. McShan also has the distinction as the strongest living link that connects current members to their shared heritage. He continues a tradition of passing along oral histories that were told by the elders that came before him.

A granite historical monument on the side of the church memorializes the history of Brooklyn and Quinn Chapel’s contribution to that legacy. The marker was erected in 2021 by the Historical Society of Brooklyn. The town is also known as Lovejoy by locals.

An in-depth look, led by the working class

Dr. Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua, Ph.D. was so intrigued by the complex history of Brooklyn that he researched and wrote a detailed history of the town. In “America’s First Black Town,” Cha-Jua, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign associate professor of history,

chronicles the founding and development of Brooklyn from 1830 through 1915.

He learned about Brooklyn, Illinois when writing his dissertation and taking a course about black towns. Brooklyn was just one of two surviving black communities that were formed before the Civil War. Adding to its appeal, Brooklyn was within his state and was easily accessible.

“As I dug into the history, certainly I had this phenomenal story,” Cha-Jua said. “I was hooked.”

He was deeply intrigued by what represented an important historical moment.

He said the book also allowed him to correct a pervasive historical error that progress for African Americans was largely led by a strong black middle class. In truth, Cha-Jua said, significant strides were pressed by working-class residents, who labored by day and pooled their resources to create better conditions for themselves and their families.

“When you look into the institutional networks you find that it’s a lot of working-class people,” he said.

Prime examples were Mother Baltimore and John Evans. Baltimore herself was a formerly enslaved woman who earned enough money to buy her freedom. Several years later, Evans was a small farmer who was forced to turn to labor and industrialization.

“After emancipation in the late 1870s, John Evans becomes the first black person to hold the mayorship,” Cha-Jua said. “They refer to him as the father of Brooklyn and they refer to Priscilla Baltimore as the mother of Brooklyn.”

Even as mayor, Evans remained a labor worker, as were most

Gregory

Singleton is the pastor of Pine Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hodges, South Carolina, in the Seventh Episcopal District.

Food Truck Party…On a Roll with God! 2022 Vacation Bible School

Dr. Thalia Love-Brown, Director of Christian Education, Ninth Episcopal District

The St. John Christian Education Department hosted a “Food Truck Party” for this year’s Vacation Bible School (VBS). Vacation Bible School was held Thursday through Saturday, July 21-23, 2022, with the theme, “Food Truck Party: On a Roll with God!” The top chef for the food trucks was Dr. Thalia F. Love, with the Reverend Maurice Wright II serving as the spiritual health inspector. Assisting with the daily nourishment were sous chefs Sister Lillie Rivers, adults; Sister Bernetta Pride, upper elementary and teens; Sister Kay Adkins, younger elementary; and Brother Willie J. Sandifer, media. Also assisting with the provision of suitable nourishment were the members of the Soup Kitchen Ministry, Sisters Stephanie Scott, Mary Allen, Maeola Peoples, Paulette Williams, and Rosemary Wells. A special thank you to Brothers Bobby Adkins and Guy Ginn for their grill skills on Saturday.

The main course for the lessons for the food truck party was centered around Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Two lessons were presented Thursday evening. The first lesson focused on Exodus 16, God provides manna and quail, which covered the Israelites as they left Egypt and began to grumble, complain, and wish they had remained in Egypt. Moses told them that God would provide. As promised, God would rain down bread from heaven every evening, and quail came and covered the site where they camped. Week after week, month after month, year after year, this was how God provided for the Israelites. Lesson two, 1 Kings 17:8-16, “Elijah, the Widow, and the Endless Oil” covered the prophet Elijah who displeased the king by prophesying a drought. Elijah encountered a widow who used the last of her flour and oil to make bread for him.

members of the early village council, Cha-Jua noted.

“You see that pattern throughout the town’s history,” he said.

Cha-Jua’s book also highlights the prevalence of black towns before the Civil War, particularly in the west, as opposed to the number of people who migrated to Africa to create new communities. The data is clear. Just 4,000 free blacks moved to Africa as opposed to an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 people who moved into independent black towns, Cha-Jua said.

“It was a lot easier to move west or go to Canada to start an all-black community,” he said. “Illinois was west in the early 1800s, so when black folks moved to Brooklyn in the 1830s, that’s the west.”

The success of Brooklyn as a black community was also the major factor in stunting its further development. The community was the subject of institutional racism.

“It’s institutional racism but it is embedded in the

Miraculously, the jars of flour and oil did not go empty for a long time. She was able to make many, many meals from those jars until the rain finally came back to the land. God provided daily bread for the widow and her son.

On Friday, the second lesson came from Daniel 1 and John 6:1-13. The first chapter of Daniel tells about the adventures of four very brave and faithful young men: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted them trained for his court. Daniel and his friends refused to eat from the king’s menu. After ten days of vegetables and water, Daniel and his friends were healthier than the other men who ate from the king’s menu. The lesson from John 6:113 covers the familiar story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 men, women, and children with two fish and five loaves of bread. This fantastic miracle reminds us that even when little is given to God, it can grow much more than we could ever imagine.

Saturday was the food truck finale. This final lesson for the day was taken from John 21:1-17, “Jesus Cooks the Catch of the Day.” This chapter describes the disciples out fishing all night without catching anything. Jesus tells them to lower their nets on the right side of the boat. They caught so many fish that they could barely pull in the net. They cooked over the fire. After, Jesus commanded the disciples to fish for men and feed his sheep. The VBS closed with a food truck party to celebrate these amazing stories of faith, family, friendship, and food. Brothers Bobby Adkins and Guy Ginn braved the heat to provide burgers and hot dogs. Trey Johnson of Big Shakes provided chicken and fish meals, and Mr. Bantu’s Ice Cream

economic sector,” Cha-Jua said. “It is the decisionmaking process of industrialists on the basis of racial preference.”

As a result, railroad expansion strategically bypassed Brooklyn, even though the community was the logical choice for a rail terminal at that time. Additionally, the massive meat packing plant that opened nearby was strategically placed outside of Brooklyn’s limits, denying the village an opportunity for tax revenue, Cha-Jua said.

“That leads to the underdevelopment of Brooklyn,” he said. “That’s the history of black towns whether we’re talking in Illinois, or we are taking about Kansas or Oklahoma.”

Brooklyn’s optimism for the future

Repairs are underway at Quinn Chapel that will stabilize the building and allow for the resumption of in-person services for the first time in more than a year.

Current pastor, Aurelia Jackson, who was appointed to Quinn Chapel just last fall, said she has always

Truck provided refreshing desserts. The St. John security crew members, Brothers Jesse Johnson, Ron Johnson, and Bill Williams, ensured a safe environment.

The VBS lessons remind Christians to thank God for the provision of daily bread. They are also reminded to share the good news of God’s provision with those around them. ❏ ❏ ❏

had an interest in the Underground Railroad. Now she leads a church that was an actual stop along the famed path to freedom.

“Little did I know that I would be given a church that was in a vision of mine,” she said. “Now I’ve finally got a church and this church was part of the Underground Railroad.”

She quipped that God must have a sense of humor.

After basic repairs, Jackson has ambitions for both Quinn Chapel and Brooklyn, Illinois. Already, she has drafted a plan that includes creating a small museum at the church to highlight the Underground Railroad connection. She also wants to recreate period buildings and displays to illustrate the city’s history.

“We need to have a big archway so people can come through this archway leading them into this historic city,” she said. “I call this area ‘the refuge’ because we became the refuge for people years ago. We need to educate the children on our history. I want Brooklyn to be the landmark of Illinois. People come to St. Louis and we need to be on that

Historic Mount Vernon AME Church Receives Preservation Grant

Jason Jones, Palestine Herald

The Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church Restoration Project received word recently that the Board of Directors of Restoration Texas had voted to approve a $75,000 matching funds grant to be used for structural repairs and a new roof for the historic building.

The Mt. Vernon AME Church Project Restoration Administrator Tabitha Enge was more than excited over the news.

“I am so excited,” Enge said. “This grant is absolutely going to save this building.”

Organized by freedmen in the 1870s as a church and school, Mount Vernon AME is the third oldest congregation of its kind in Texas and the city’s oldest African American church. Though the building closed in 2014, Mount Vernon still has a congregation of roughly 300 members.

Enge has been the driving force behind the restoration project for the historic church for the past eight years. While the project is massive in scale, Enge is deeply and personally attached to the effort.

“I wake up project restoration, and I go to sleep project restoration,” Enge said. “It means so much to the community. There is so much that needs to be done, but every project moves it closer to being here for another 150 years.”

When Enge started working on the project, there was enough money in the church fund to erect scaffolding in the church’s interior in 2015, which bought enough time to raise funds and apply for grants to move it to the next phase of restoration.

“Jacob Morris, who was Palestine’s preservation officer at the time, gave me information on

structural engineers,” said Enge. “That’s when Mark Thacker came to Palestine. He saw the passion and the value in the project, and he has been a part of the process ever since.”

Thacker, an architect from Lindale, completed a preservation planning book in 2021, which facilitated grant applications for stabilizing the structure, leading to the recent good news.

Being named one of the state’s “most endangered places” in 2015 by the Texas Historic Commission brought statewide and national attention to the project, facilitating a portion of the restoration effort. Grants awarded in the past have gone toward restoring the tower facades on the front of the building, preventing further roof and structural damage. After completing Thacker’s preservation master plan, the project entered into phase one, which saw floor and foundation repair and demolition in preparation for phase two. The Restoration Texas grant will finance that phase.

“Phase two will be repairs to the roof and wall structure,” Enge said. “When that part is completed, the rest will be cosmetic, but it will mean that Mt. Vernon will be standing for a very long time.”

Mary Raum, tourism marketing Manager at Visit Palestine, Texas, expressed her excitement for the milestone step for the project.

“We are so proud of Tabitha Enge and the Mt.

Bishop Daniels Purchases Car for 17th Episcopal District

“Over

past two

invested $30,000

the restoration

preservation of this highly significant African American historic site in Palestine. Funds were allocated over two years through the Hotel Occupancy Tax Grant application process and have been used to help fund the stabilization of the structure and prepare it for the next phase of the project.”

“Next year will be the 150th birthday of this building,” Enge said. “I would love to see people be able to come inside and see the progress and to feel the love and history here. Deep down, it means something to so many people.”

For questions about Project Restoration, call 903948-9648 or email mtvernon14@gmail.com. Mail donations to P.O. Box 2924, Palestine, Texas, 75802, ATTN: Project Restoration. ❏ ❏ ❏

In mid-August, Bishop David R. Daniels purchased a Toyota 4Runner for the 17th Episcopal District at Phill Auto Enterprises in Lusaka, Zambia. The 17th Episcopal District is the largest district in size and many areas are accessible only by land. An appeal was made for contributions from across the AME Church. These funds greatly reduced the burden on the 17th Episcopal District and the remaining amount for the car and insurance was covered by the District’s Development Fund.

Bishop Daniels commented, “God is good as always. First time 17th ever bought a new car. Thanks to the bishops, presiding elders, pastors, and many friends who contributed. The people are very very happy. Praise God! Praise be to God for his provision.”

A full list of the contributions will be shared in The Christian Recorder in an upcoming issue. ❏ ❏ ❏ ...From Historic AME p8

same tour. We need people to pass by and see our city.”

Quinn Chapel has just a few dozen members currently, yet Jackson is undeterred. With repairs nearing completion and fears of the pandemic waning, she plans to enhance community outreach.

“I want people to understand that we are a refuge from this world, and we can help you, we can reach out. We can do so much to encourage, to show love and to help. We want to be lifejacket. God has put that lifejacket on us, and we can put that lifejacket on them.”

History was celebrated in June as the neighboring communities of Madison, Venice, and Brooklyn presented the first Tri-Cities of Juneteenth Celebration on June 17-19. Activities included a Freedom Walk and parade from Quinn Chapel.

McShan welcomes the renewed interest.

“That is what’s going to help out; new ideas and new desires to get things moving and in a different direction,” he said. “I am optimistic about the future, and I am hoping and praying that everything works out and we start getting back our younger people. We are not going to give up. Sometimes it doesn’t take a whole lot of people to get the job done.”

Reflecting on nearly 200 years of history and his own personal connection, McShan pauses before speaking about the longevity of both his hometown and his church.

“That makes me feel very good because it lets us know that God is in control,” he said. “There must be a reason that we are still there.” ❏ ❏ ❏

Vernon AME Church restoration team,” Raum said.

the

years, the city of Palestine Tourism Advisory Board and City Council have

for

and

The Importance of Getting Exercise These Days Despite the Pandemic in America

James B. Ewers, Jr., Ed.D.

Most of the news these days is about world and stateside events.

News wires are filled with economic news about what is happening in this country and in the world for that matter.

If you own stock, you are checking to see if Wall Street had a good day or a bad day.

If you are grandparents like we are, you are spending more time with your grandchildren. For example, we know most of the programs on Nick, Jr.

It could be that you are traveling again to some of your favorite destinations.

As we go through these momentum swings, our family’s health and wellness has gone mostly under-publicized and un-noticed in my opinion.

For example, if you ask some students what their favorite class is, they may say it is physical education.

There are some obvious and not so obvious reasons for their response.

First off, it gets them moving either outside or in a gymnasium.

They get a chance to talk with their friends and classmates.

No sitting at a desk and being quiet. A not so obvious reason is that it gives students a boost for the rest of their day.

They are motivated and stimulated to do their best academically and socially.

The joy of exercising should be a regular part of a student’s day.

That joy took a hiatus for almost three years.

COVID-19 stopped physical education in schools as school systems had to stop in-person learning. Virtual learning took over which meant no physical activity for students.

The good news now is that the schools have reopened.

Physical activity for our children and grandchildren has resumed.

Without an organized and consistent activity schedule, they missed an important part of their school life.

We have heard the expression “all work and no play.”

Without physical activity, our students were suffering.

This notion also applies to adults.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been without a regular routine for physical activity. We fell into some bad habits and practices.

Instead of one cookie, we would have two cookies. Our sandwiches always had fries with them, and we consumed too much soda.

Some of us couldn’t help ourselves.

Bad became worse!

Some will opine that we had virtual exercise activities and that was true.

Virtual classes aren’t for everyone.

Many of us simply took a vacation from exercise. However, our in-person aerobics and dance classes have now resumed.

Our class in New Orleans is for senior citizens.

Building Christian Character

The Indiana Conference: North District continues to heed the call for transformation through salvation, education, and innovation.

Held at First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Gary, Indiana, the 2022 Sunday School Convention featured a blending of tradition and inspiration through innovation. “To God be the glory,” said the Reverend Lenore G. Williams, presiding elder. “It’s about that G.R.A.C.E.!”

According to Presiding Elder Williams, with more than 100 pastors, lay members, and youth attending, the convention exceeded the goals for attendance and participation.

Empowered by the theme “Building Christian Character - It’s an Inside Job,” the Reverend Damen Morris and the Reverend Rosalyn Morris led the convention. Together, the husband and wife duo provided convention leadership, teaching, and facilitation that found attendees engaged, invigorated, and energized about character building. The convention also featured presentations by the conference’s longest-tenured pastor, the Reverend William Gary, Kokomo, Indiana, and Mother Delores Kennedy-Williams, 5th Connectional president of the Women’s Missionary Society.

Following the Friday plenary, the Gary Area African American Corvette Owners Club drove onto the lot of First AME Church to display. The Reverend Dr. Vigil Woods, pastor of First Church and a Corvette owner, led the group and shared that “one can acquire nice things through education, working honest jobs, and having good character.” The youth and adults enjoyed the display of engineering wonder through automobiles.

Elder Williams continues to exhibit a genuine sense of character and innovation as she leads the convention in teaching, songs, and the quest to strengthen our youth while building character for the entire district. She led a piece that included the lyrics: “The more we know (know), the more we grow (grow) fruit of the spirit. The fruit grows in gardens; fruit grows in trees, and the fruit of the spirit grows inside me. Fruit of the spirit. This song will stay with you.”’

The continuation of Missionaries on the Move Project collected toiletries and donated them to a local shelter.

As a tribute to the late Presiding Elder Leonard N. Williams, the district’s annual Bible Bowl took flight. With tenacity and true study, Allen Chapel, Anderson remained champions for at least two

The instructor is Carly Bourgeois, a senior dance fitness instructor with the New Orleans Ballet Association.

She has been dancing since she was 3 years of age. At age 11, she was taking instruction in classical ballet.

Carly has the pulse of our class and creates an environment that is both healthy and fun.

In a recent conversation with her she said, “Physical activity is great for the heart and mind.”

She added, “It is gratifying to see how engaged our class is. We have fun and that’s important.”

When you come to our class, you will hear a variety of music which makes you want to move around and get in step.

It is pretty cool to listen to the Temptations, Don Omar, Bill Withers, the Bee Gees, Aaron Neville, and Linda Ronstadt as we go through our routines. Rose Marie Powell, one of our participants and a retiree, said, “I look forward each week to our classes. They are both relaxing and energetic.”

If you are a senior citizen, put exercising regularly on your schedule. Contact an appropriate agency in your community.

Take a friend or family member with you and enjoy moving around and the fellowship of others. The importance of it cannot be overstated. ❏ ❏ ❏

consecutive years.

Bible Bowl

Champions - Allen Chapel, Anderson (Rev. Dalrey Trotter, Pastor)

2nd Place - Davis Memorial, Gary (Rev. Veronica McFerson-Hall, Pastor)

3rd Place - Gomez Temple, Ft. Wayne (Rev. Damen Morris, Pastor)

Trophy Winners

Most Registered - Olivet, South Bend (Rev. Eileen Thomas, Pastor)

Most Guests – Saint John, Indianapolis (Sister Delen Williams)

Convention winners will advance and compete at the Fourth Episcopal District’s Christian Education Congress, which will take place in July.

Submitted by: Reverend Kenneth C. Christmon, IC–ND, media leader; the Reverend Christopher Riley, co-media leader

Paula Clark Consecrated Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Chicago

The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark was ordained and consecrated as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Chicago on September 17, 2022, at the Westin Chicago Lombard in Lombard, Illinois. Clark is the first black person and woman to serve as Chicago’s diocesan bishop. She leads more than 30,000 Episcopalians in 124 congregations and campus ministries across northern and west central Illinois.

Bishop Mariann Budde of the Diocese of Washington, where Clark served as canon to the ordinary before her election to the episcopacy, preached the consecration sermon. “Being in the presence of Paula Clark and watching her in action is like taking a master class in Christian leadership. That was true before all that transpired in the last 18 months. It is even more so now,” Budde said, referring to the cerebral bleed that Clark suffered in April 2021, just days before she was originally scheduled to be ordained and consecrated, and to the death of Clark’s husband from multiple myeloma in November.

“Paula, you have lived the last 18 months as if everything we proclaim as followers of Jesus is true,” Budde said.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was the chief consecrating bishop. Bishops Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows of Indianapolis, Kimberly Lucas of Colorado, Deon Johnson of Missouri, and Douglas Sparks of Northern Indiana served as co-consecrators, along with Bishop Yehiel Curry of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and Bishop Chilton Knudsen. They served as Chicago’s assisting bishop from October 2021 until September 18. Retired AME Church General Officer Dr. Kenneth

A Private Journey

Byron Washington, Columnist

Few things are private. People post and share everything happening in their lives on social media. If the person is a social media personality, then it makes sense, or if a person’s business depends on social media, then being extremely visible is logical. We have become obsessed with showing the world all aspects of our lives.

In the age of technology where every church is live streaming, moments that used to be personal are now broadcast around the internet. We live in a time when a person’s worship can become a meme, or a praise of thanksgiving goes viral for the wrong reasons. Brothers and sisters, some parts of our journey should be private.

When we look at the life of Jesus at the end of Luke, chapter 2, we find a young Jesus sitting in

Hill also participated in the service as a member of Bishop Chilton’s family.

The service’s procession began with the Diamano Dancers and Drummers performing Lamba, a dance of Mandingo griots in Senegal, according to Brenda Malika Moore, the company’s artistic director. Kite bearers and vergers then led 30 bishops, more than a hundred clergy from across the Episcopal church, and lay leaders from the Diocese of Chicago to the front of a hotel ballroom brightly decorated with banners and dramatic

floral arrangements.

Clark’s daughter, Micha Green, read from Romans, and Khushi Pusnur, the 12-year-old daughter of the Rev. Barnabas Pusnar of St. Paul and the Redeemer in Hyde Park, read a lesson from Isaiah. The Rev. Greg Millikin, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in New Lenox, Illinois, was the liturgist for the service. Music was provided by a choir of singers from across the diocese, handbell ringers, and a band from St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Chicago, as well as by Kirby Metoxen of the Oneida Singers and Hilary Daniel, a soloist from The Word of God Baptist Church in University Park, Maryland. Keith Hampton of St. Thomas was the service’s music director and organist. More than 800 people attended the service, requiring masks to limit the spread of COVID-19.

In a letter in the service bulletin, Clark wrote, “The process of confirming a new bishop in the Diocese of Chicago has been long, challenging, sometimes heartbreaking, but always guided by God. I would like to thank the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago for your steadfast loyalty and faith. You have believed in me, prayed for, comforted, and encouraged me even through difficult times. You have held fast to your faith and shown me what God-centered leadership really is. Most of all, you have kept the faith and overcome. I am so honored to serve as your bishop. With your support, together, we will forthrightly and courageously serve God and our neighbor.”

On September 18, 2022, Clark was formally seated at the Cathedral of St. James in Chicago. Videos of Bishop Clark’s ordination and consecration and her seating are available on the Diocese of Chicago’s website.

the temple talking with religious teachers (Luke 2:46-51). Those in the temple were astonished by what they heard and saw in reference to Jesus. The next time we see Jesus is in Luke 3, when he is baptized by John and starts his public ministry, and the Bible tells us he was about 30 years old (Luke 3:21-23). There is a gap in time letting us know that there should be seasons when people do not see all that we are doing; there should be moments when we turn off social media and do not post for a while, and our life should not be on display 24/7.

Consider why having a level of privacy in your life is crucial. First, when people have too much access, they will eventually start to disrespect or devalue you. Full transparency should only be available to a few select people.

Secondly, it opens the door for criticism and unnecessary commentary about your life. Think about how many posts you have seen on social media when a person shares something personal

or private, and everyone in the comments has something to say, both positive and negative. It is not constructive and does not benefit the person.

Finally, and this is more of a reflective question, why? What is the point or need to tell everyone everything at that moment? Some of God’s best work in our life is done when we are focused on him and not looking to gain the approval of the world around us.

Friends, do yourself a favor; stop sharing and posting everything that is happening in your life. As we are in the last part of 2022, I suggest that you and I remember that some parts of this journey are personal and should be kept private.

Pan African Women of Faith Advocate to Prevent Malnutrition

Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would ful fi ll his promises to her.” Luke 1:45 Recently, the Pan African Women of Faith/Pan African Women’s Ecumenical Empowerment Network (PAW/PAWEEN) presented a workshop, exhibition, and reception at the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe, Germany. The Assembly included many member churches and partners of Bread for the World. Approximately 25 global members of PAW/ PAWEEN represented the group in person. They were blessed with sponsorships from their churches and other partners to participate in this.

PAW/PAWEEN has advocated for Bread’s values and public policy agenda, bringing a lens of racial, gender, and class equity—as well as nutrition and climate justice. This informs their advocacy to change policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist.

In partnership with Bread, PAW/PAWEEN’s advocacy and organizing workgroup members presented this paper: “Global Faith Voices of Women of Africa and African Descent: Nutrition, Food Security, Economic Empowerment, and

Just-Peace.” The presentation featured Bread’s advocacy for the U.S. Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (GMPTA).

The paper cites alarming data from recent reports on nutrition, equity, and the environment and analyzes how they intersect and impact African women and women of African descent. The paper also includes the 2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, which highlights the increase in the major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition: conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks, and growing inequities. In addition, a joint UN Women and UN Development Programme report, “Government Responses to COVID-19: Lessons on Gender Equality for a World in Turmoil,” indicates that emergency preparedness requires gender-aware responses to reduce burdens of care, violence, and economic insecurity on women.

The PAW/PAWEEN paper helps us learn about a North American economic perspective, a Caribbean historical perspective, a Brazilian

political and religious perspective, a Portuguese and French perspective on the collaborative framework of the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act, an African perspective on the causation and solution to hunger, and a British perspective on the advocacy role of churches.

The presentation and writings inform us of how the everyday and long-term impacts of food insecurity, malnutrition, economic insecurity, racial inequity, and war are tied to the livelihoods of African women and women of African descent. In sum, these women admonish us that time is of the essence to address the inequities they and their communities face. An important way to do this is through policies like the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act. You are invited to read the paper. Soon you will also see the entire PAW/PAWEEN at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches.

AME Zion Church Suspends Bishop Seth O. Lartey as an Active Bishop of the AME Zion Church

This serves as official notification that pursuant to our authority granted under paragraph 128 in the BookofDiscipline, the Board of Bishops announces the immediate suspension of Seth O. Lartey as an active bishop of the AME Zion Church.

This action is taken due to Bishop Lartey’s failure to comply with the terms he agreed upon to resolve the issue of inappropriate use of funds allocated from the Connectional Budget Office to LomaxHannon Junior College.

In a signed letter dated July 6, 2022, Bishop Lartey states; “I humbly submit to the Board of Bishops in accepting the sanctions consistent with verifiable proof and our church law that the board may choose to impose.” Sadly, as of this date, he has not fulfilled that promise. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Board of Bishops to act decisively to protect the integrity of our process and ensure accountability on all levels of our beloved Church.

The gravity of this action weighs heavily upon your Board of Bishops and we grieve that Bishop Lartey’s continuing refusal to accept responsibility and follow through on his signed agreement have left us with no alternative to this action; however, while these actions are immediate they are not terminal. The final disposition of the matter shall be at the seat of the General Conference as the first order of business.

During the term of his suspension, Bishop Lartey will:

1. Be immediately enjoined from operating in the office of the Episcopacy. He shall not speak or act with ecclesiastical or administrative authority within or beyond the confines of the AME Zion Church. He shall not represent, entangle, or promote himself as a leader in or representative of the AME Zion Church in connection with any image, contract, authority, or conveyance (e.g., in raising funds), whether within or outside of the United States. This prohibition includes photos, fliers, podcasts, social media posts, etc.

2. Be prevented from participating in Board of Bishops meetings, Connectional meetings, Board of Trustees of our educational institutions, or any position that is bestowed upon him by virtue of his status as a bishop.

3. Have no standing to represent the AME Zion Church in any ecumenical or civic association and he must communicate such to any current affiliations.

The Board of Bishops appoints forthwith Bishop Hilliard Dogbe to supervise the East Angola, West Angola, South Angola, and Namibia annual conferences and Bishop U.U. Effiong to supervise the South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe annual conferences.

We call upon all members to pray earnestly for the Board of Bishops and our beloved Zion. We also ask that you pray for Bishop and Mrs. Lartey and his family. Please pray for the clergy and laity of the Central Southern Africa Episcopal District and Bishops Dogbe and Effiong as they provide Episcopal oversight to the area.

Bishop Dennis V. Proctor, President of the Board of Bishops

Bishop Kenneth Monroe, Senior Bishop

Bishop Darryl B. Starnes, Sr.

Bishop W. Darin Moore

Bishop Michael A. Frencher, Sr.

Bishop George D. Crenshaw

Bishop Hilliard Dogbe

Bishop Uduak Effiong

Bishop Brian R. Thompson, Sr.

Bishop Eric Leake

Bishop Joseph Johnson, Retired

Bishop Marshall H. Strickland, Retired

Bishop Nathaniel Jarrett, Jr., Retired

Bishop George W.C. Walker, Sr., Retired

Bishop Samuel Chuka Ekemam, Sr., Retired

Bishop Warren Matthew Brown, Retired

Bishop George Edward Battle, Jr., Retired October 17, 2022

Angelique Walker-Smith is senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Bread for the World.

With the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity,” thousands of delegates, observers, and participants engaged in ten days of prayer, dialogue, and reflection. Additionally, the assembly delegates revisited WCC policy, crafted statements and positions, and elected members to the Central Committee— the body governing the WCC in its interim assembly. A typical day began with morning prayer, followed by Bible study and then a plenary session around a specific theme (e.g., climate justice, global peace, and unity). After lunch, business sessions were conducted to determine the body’s goals and causes for the next nine years. On several days there were “ecumenical conversations”— structured small group discussions oriented around one of twenty-one (21) themes ranging from “Pan-African solidarity” to “sexuality” to “evangelism.” Days would close with an evening prayer service drawn from one of the various Christian communions, incorporating a diverse litany of languages and cultures.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has maintained a strong presence in the World Council of Churches. In 1991 at the 7th Assembly in Canberra, Bishop Vinton R. Anderson was elected to serve as one of the eight presidents of the WCC Assembly. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie currently serves as president of the North American Council, a subset of the WCC. The Rev. Garland F. Pierce serves as chair of the Ecumenical Trust, a fund that supports the WCC, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America (NCCCUSA), and Church World Service. The official AME delegation for this year included: Bishop Jeffrey Leath (delegation leader), the Rev. Garland Pierce, Mr. Herbert Mngadie, the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Leath, and the Rev. Jazmine Brooks (youth delegate).

African Methodists attended the assembly and had several visible and key roles. Bishop Leath and the Rev. Jazmine Brooks served in the ecumenical worship services. The Rev. Dr. Leath was elected to serve on the central committee and as a key leader in the policy committee and evangelism ecumenical group. Reflecting on the assembly, delegation leader Bishop Leath shared: “The spectrum of opinions regarding world events is challenging within our fellowship. Adding international perspectives to our views has resulted in a more mature and urgent outlook. We often are so absorbed by the indignities of racism that we do not hear the cries of brothers and sisters who cry from abuse because of their faith. The testimonies of healing and rising from resentment illuminate a path of reconciliation we must traverse with greater intensity. The assembly is helping us see the way others are traveling, even if we have yet to walk a mile in their shoes.”

The position statements of the WCC 11th Assembly are available here: https://assembly.oikoumene.org/files. ❏ ❏ ❏

What Role Will Religion Play in The Midterm Primaries?

By Quardricos Bernard Driskell, Columnist

The midterm election season is upon us. What hangs in the backdrop is a fragile economy, inflation, an ongoing public health crisis, and significant legislative accomplishments for President Biden and the 117th Congress. These factors make it unpredictable to determine which political party will lead Congress.

Simultaneously, our country continues to deal with the consequences of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The effects of overturning the 50-year-old precedent in Roe v. Wade have been profound and swift.

And at the heart of this midterm season are a group of voters the media pays little attention to – religious voters. Instead, there seems to be a never-ending drumbeat of stories declaring the end of American religion. The story of faith in America is more complica ted than any headline could ever capture. And despite declining rates of religious belief and church attendance, the U.S. remains statistically the most re ligious and perhaps Christian of any advanced democracy in the world.

Even on January 6, 2021, when a group of insurgents stormed the United States Capitol and entered the Senate chamber, they stopped and bowed their heads in prayer to consecrate the building and their cause to Jesus. And it seems both parties depend on very devout members for their success – Republicans depend on predominantly white evangelical Christians, Democrats depend upon those who are not religious-unaffiliated or ‘Nones,” and nonwhite Democrats, especially Black Democrats, who are among the most churchgoing members of the American society. Furthermore, it is unclear if ‘Nones’’ shared distaste for the Religious Right is enough to mobilize this group as a voting bloc. Even if they are highly engaged politically, they are internally diverse in their orientations toward religion and politics.

So even though the ‘Nones’ lean liberal, it is unlikely they will be nearly as

unified in their partisan behavior as white evangelicals. Religion has become a key factor of division – not what faith one belongs to, but more so, how “religious” one tends to be in their faith– and the reality is regular evangelical churchgoers vote much more than non-churchgoers, at least among whites. Moreover, Trump’s most robust support continues to come from white evangelicals, where some are now embracing Christian Nationalism.

And while abortion dominates as a leading issue this November in states like Kansas, where Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City publicly supported the passage of the Value Them Both abortion amendment, which would constitutionally outlaw abortion. Still, nearly 30 religious leaders were among the dozens of signatories who published a letter urging Kansans to vote “no” on the abortion amendment. But Kansas

Why Ministers Should Consider Jordan Peele’s “Nope”

Rev. Lauren Harris, Contributing Writer

Warning:Spoilers.

Jordan Peele’s latest movie, “Nope,” is a sharp criticism of people’s obsession with spectacles and their willingness to do anything, even risk their lives, to witness, create, or capture them. Peele also challenges viewers to think about the great lengths they would go to for money, fame, and notoriety. Peele even quotes Nahum 3:6 at the beginning to reinforce these themes and set the tone for the movie. The New Revised Standard Version says, “I will throw filth at you, treat you with contempt, and make you a spectacle.”

Nahum belongs to the “oracles against the nations” (The New Interpreters Study Bible, 2003). In Nahum, God rebukes the Assyrian empire, specifically the capital city of Nineveh. The word spoken through the prophet Nahum is also a warning for Judah. They will receive the same punishment if they prostitute themselves by serving other gods. In the same way, Nahum is an indictment of Nineveh and the Assyrians, and “Nope” is an indictment of today’s culture. However, Peele’s criticisms can be applied to the modern-day American church. People have become obsessed with spectacles in the pulpit, and many ministers are doing the most to satisfy people’s lust. If this were not true, we wouldn’t see pastors rubbing spit in people’s eyes and ziplining

into the sanctuary under the guise of illustrating sermon points. Instead, these pastors understand people want a spectacle, and like a proper seekersensitive church, they rise to the occasion. These pastors go viral, get people talking about them, and I’m sure their social media followings and memberships increase, but at what expense? What do we lose in the body of Christ when we are more passionate about creating spectacles than our integrity regarding God’s Word and serving God’s people?

Jordan Peele suggests we can lose our very lives. The character Ricky Park never learns his lesson in “Nope” regarding spectacles and loses his life along with the others who come to bear witness to the alien he attempts to tame. The director, Antlers Holst, loses his life to the alien trying to get the perfect video, and the main characters, Otis, Jr. and Emerald, almost lose their lives trying to get “The Oprah Shot.” Peele wants us to realize lives are at stake when we participate in this toxic culture. When we don’t check ourselves as ministers, people’s lives are not only at stake but their souls. There are eternal consequences to what we do and say and how we do ministry. You remember what happened to Eli and his son. They lost their lives for allowing and creating a spectacle in God’s sanctuary (1 Samuel 2:27-36). Likewise, the sons of Sceva in Acts 19:11-20 saw the miracles

Paul performed in the name of the Lord and tried to recreate them. Instead, they became a spectacle when the man with the evil spirit overpowered them and sent them fleeing for their lives. These are warnings, so we don’t turn the preaching moment or ministry into a spectacle. “Nope” also demonstrates that the quest for money and fame will ultimately consume you. It’s no coincidence that the alien eats its victims. If we are not careful, we will fall victim to the desire for spectacles and our vain pursuits.

“Nope” is a call to examine ourselves. What is our goal for ministry and the preaching moment? Are we there to teach and preach the Word of God and edify God’s people, or are we in the pulpit to create a spectacle? Many, especially young people, are over the spectacles they see in churches. They are thirsty for God’s Word and authentic worship, relationships, and fellowship. Let us reject the temptation to create spectacles to attract people and lay aside every weight that prevents us from authentic ministry before we are consumed by our vain pursuits and lack of integrity, love, and selfawareness.

Rev. Lauren Harris (formerly Lauren Jones) is an itinerant elder serving in the 2nd Episcopal District in the Washington Annual Conference. She’s an award-winning writer with bylines in Sojourners, Parents magazine, Washington Family, and Modern Loss. Rev. Harris also writes content for the Glorify app. She works for the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church in congregational development. She is a happily married mother of two.

Dobbs v. Jackson Ruling Draws the Ire of Black Clergywomen

Rev. Samuel Williams, Jr., Contributing Writer

What many Americans feared came to fruition when the conservative Supreme Court, heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump’s selections, ruled 5-4 on June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO) that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The Dobbs case reversed the Roe v. Wade decision even though the Roe v. Wade decision was based on the 14th Amendment. In 1973, a liberal Supreme Court voted 7-2, ruling that a woman is entitled to privacy in the matter of abortion and was not subject to federal or state laws. However, with the 2022 ruling, the Supreme Court turned the ability to rule on abortion back to the states. This reversal will affect women nationwide, but none will feel the impact as adversely as black women and black clergywomen are unhappy.

The Rev. Constance Wheeler, who served formerly as a senior pastor at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Northwest Washington, District of Columbia (USA), called the reversal “bad for black women.”

“In my opinion, the reversal is atrocious and full of government control and should not have been allowed,” Wheeler said. “Over the past years, women who faced pregnancy due to rape, incest, or an unwanted [pregnancy] had the option to make their own decision about abortion. Now 50 years later, women’s bodies are being controlled by the state.”

The Rev. Danielle Hipkins, senior pastor of St. Luke AME Church in Ellicott City, Maryland,

believes the reversal could lead to problems.

“My response is simply: What’s next? Interracial marriage, voting rights, segregation, slavery! I serve a God [who] graciously gives us a choice and free will! How dare we take that away from others? Whether you agree with abortion or not: my body, my choice; your body, your choice!”

Here is the real statistical issue. A disproportionately high percentage of abortions occur within the black community. According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2019, the abortion rate was 23.8 per 1,000 black women compared with 6.6 per 1,000 white women. The data was reported by 29 states and Washington, District of Columbia.

The data is more staggering in the south. In Tennessee, black women accounted for about half of the 8,727 abortions in 2019, according to state records analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That year, black women had two-thirds of the abortions in Alabama and Georgia.

Charlene Howard, a Catholic lay leader and member of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Washington, District of Columbia, also voiced disappointment.

“First and foremost, all life is from God; therefore, human life in all its stages has dignity and value. This is a consistent ethic of life (womb to tomb). The Supreme Court’s decision has left me numb since it is one entangled in political agendas within our government and our religious denominations. This ruling highlights the delicate, personal, and intersectional ‘-isms’ of race, economics, gender, etc. that are now more complicated due to its issuance.” ❏ ❏ ❏

Statement of the Council of Bishops – African Methodist Episcopal Church

REGARDING FINDINGS OF THE OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL OF NEW YORK

August 31, 2022

Last week, a report from the attorney general of the state of New York regarding its investigation of a real estate developer and specific real estate transactions involving five New York AME churches, and two senior AME clergypersons with oversight and supervisory authority over the five AME churches was made public. The Attorney General’s investigation revealed that there had been an improper and undisclosed financial relationship between two AME clergy persons and the developer. Three documents from the attorney general’s office, each entitled an “Assurance of Discontinuance,” detailed findings of fact regarding the conduct of the developer and two AME clergypersons. The developer and the two AME clergypersons named in the document signed the assurances agreeing that the findings contained within were factual. Pursuant to the assurances, the two AME clergypersons are required to make financial restitution of monetary payments they received from the developer and are prohibited from being employed in a fiduciary capacity or holding a position as an officer, director, trustee, or fiduciary with any not-for-profit or charitable organization in the state of New York.

As a result of the findings of the attorney general of New York and the signed agreement of the two AME clergypersons, the Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church expresses our disappointment and condemns the inappropriate practices of our colleague and the former presiding elder in the New York Conference, who currently pastors in the New Jersey Conference. The Council of Bishops believes that we are responsible for holding each other accountable and taking appropriate action to ensure that each of us follows the Book of Discipline and, more importantly, Christian values and standards. Meeting on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, the Council of Bishops made the following decisions effective immediately:

1. That Retired Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram shall not sit with the Council of Bishops, process, or participate in connectional meetings, worship, or other activities until the close of the 52nd Quadrennial Session of the General Conference in 2024. Hearing the discussion and discerning the intent of the Council of Bishops, Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram agreed to withdraw from participation in all Connectional meetings, services, and activities of the Council of Bishops immediately.

2. The Council of Bishops reserves the option to modify its decisions if other violations are brought to our attention.

3. Any decisions regarding the former presiding elder of the BrooklynWestchester District, currently pastoring in the New Jersey Conference (Rev. Melvin Wilson), should be made by the presiding bishop of the First Episcopal District.

4. The five churches in the New York Conference affected by the inappropriate actions of the developer, former bishop, and former presiding elder be provided effective remedies due to their compliance with agreements made with the developer. The incumbent bishop of the First Episcopal District shall keep the Council of Bishops informed of the progress of these remedial measures.

The Council of Bishops lifts and asks the Connectional church to join us in prayer, asking God to have mercy and be gracious unto us as we ask for forgiveness and repent, seeking earnestly to become the church God desires us to be.

Prayerfully Submitted, Bishop Ronnie E. Brailsford, Sr., President, Council of Bishops Bishop Stafford J. N. Wicker, Secretary, Council of Bishops

“The Man (Person) in the Mirror”

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. And, no message could’ve been any clearer, if you’re going to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that change.” (written by Glen Ballard & Siedah Garrett)

2 Samuel 11:26-12:1-7 (NIV): “When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But, the thing David had done displeased the Lord…..The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, ‘There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, he had bought. He raised it and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. Now, a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the one who had come to him.’ David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb with four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are

the man.’”

Politically speaking, David is the all-powerful king, commander-in-chief of the armies of Israel. But, theologically speaking, David is “the second elected and consecrated king” of God’s people and, as such, he is so much more than just a product of “right-wing” or “left-wing” politics of his day. He was a shepherd, he is the “second elected and consecrated” king of Israel, who has been divinely anointed, appointed and assigned to be the shepherd and servant leader of God’s people…

And, yet, David is “licking his lips,” “dapping up” his comrades and inner circle, smugly satisfied with the triumphant and unquestioned success of “the thing” he has done.

First Samuel chapter 11 records and recounts a mountain of evidence about “the thing” which David has done. He has masterminded and manipulated the murder of Uriah (one of his most elite, most loyal soldiers, perhaps a body guard who has put himself in harm’s way to protect David’s life); he has committed malfeasance of office and

abuse of his power and of his divinely appointed position; he has devised and orchestrated a “fool proof” cover-up that would have been envied by both Nixon and Trump to escape detection and discovery and exempt himself from scrutiny of his shameful, sinful shenanigans and skullduggeries. And, with his cleverly devised and executed cover-up, David has both “flipped his finger,” “thumbed his nose” at God and placed himself “above the law,” while he freely operated with impunity and with immunity in the king’s own “ethic-free zone,” where the king can do whatever he wants to do, totally devoid of any restrictions, constraints, or accountability, by virtue of his position and power.

On the night when Will Smith was to receive an Oscar for Best Actor and slapped Chris Rock, Denzel Washington reportedly said to Will Smith, “At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.”

Just when David appeared to be at his highest moment, celebrating the success of his having flexed his power, “fetched” Bathsheba to be the head of his harem and the mother of his son, and is feasting his having to answer to nobody for his having committed and “gotten away” with “the perfect crime,” that’s when “God SENT Nathan to David.”

to David on such a risky and perilous mission… to express to David, who has just murdered Uriah, that God is not pleased with “the thing David has done.” Knowing David’s power, position, propensity for murder, and his proclivity for prioritizing and protecting his “squeaky clean” “public image” above the loyalty, love, and life of a valued servant and soldier like Uriah, imagine what trepidation, terror and trauma most have come over Nathan?

The Word of God says, “God was displeased with the thing David had done.” David was a prolific psalmist, a master musician, and a “man after God’s own heart,” but, this time, David has gone too far, and “God was displeased with ‘the thing’ which David had done.”…and “God SENT Nathan to David.”…with a story of a man who is the exact mirror image of David and of “the thing which David has done” that has “displeased” God…a story with a man in a mirror in which David recognizes a man who has a striking resemblance to himself…and, when David pronounces judgment upon the man in the mirror, Nathan tells David, “You are the man.”…That man is you.

As Nathan’s story unfolds to David in 2 Samuel chapters 11-12, it does not consist of 48 pages, as does some other heart-breaking revelations. But, it does amount to a mountain of indisputable evidence. And, both Nathan and David know too well that it would be fruitless, futile, and foolish to try to take that mountain of irrefutable evidence and turn it into a molehill of insignificance…and to treat something so nefarious as “the thing David had done,” as if it were nothing that had “displeased” God.

David was so “displeased” that he explodes with anger when he sees the man in the mirror and pronounces deatheligibility and four-fold restitution, the severest of justice and judgment upon the man in the mirror for “the thing” which he has done.

When David recognizes that “the man (person) in the mirror” has a striking resemblance to himself, that’s when Nathan, ever so sensitive to why God SENT him to David in the first place, makes a subtle, delicate, but necessary shift in his GOD-SENT assignment away from God’s justice and judgment to God’s goodness and mercy and God’s amazing grace. God’s grace is not “cheap grace.” Making a molehill out of a mountain

and treating something which has displeased God as if it were Nothing at all, is “Cheap Grace. And “Cheap Grace is not enough to provide David with internal self-control and selfdiscipline to filter his greed, restrain his lust (since there are no external restraints on the King). Cheap Grace is not enough to move David from abusing and flexing his power again. Cheap Grace is not enough to keep David from murdering (again) another loyal, elite servant like Uriah and fetching another Bathsheba. Cheap Grace is not enough to move David from a festival of feasting the apparent success of his unscrupulous schemes and Machiavellian abuses of his power and position for the satisfaction of greed and lust for power.

The God of justice and judgment who is “displeased” with “the thing David has done” is also the God of mercy and “amazing grace”….He is one and the same. And, when David recognizes himself to be the man in the mirror, and confesses (“I have sinned”), and repents, then Nathan makes that delicate, subtle shift from zeroing in on God’s justice and judgment to zooming in on God’s mercy and grace, and fulfills the purpose for which God SENT Nathan to David (2 Samuel 12:7-8), and reminds us that God’s justice and judgment must always be balanced on a tightrope with God’s grace and mercy. I shall never forget the time, many, many years ago, when Bishop William Phillips DeVeaux, like Nathan, reminded me of God’s grace.

At one of our Connectional meetings, I had been on the microphone, ranting, railing, and calling down God’s justice and judgment on some official about something or other.

At a break in the meeting, Bishop DeVeaux gently pulled me aside and said to me, “Leodis, it’s good you have the courage of your convictions, and you’re concerned about justice and judgment. But you focus too much on judgment and not enough on grace.

I hear your justice and judgment, but where is your grace? What about grace?” After many years, I am still very grateful to Bishop DeVeaux for being Nathan to me.

Nathan, in verses 9-12, reminds David and us that God’s grace is not cheap grace. It is not until Nathan reminds David that God’s grace is not cheap grace that David, in verse 13, confesses “the thing” which he has done and repents of “the thing” which he has done: “Then David said to Nathan,

The Bishop Sarah Frances Davis Covenant Keepers and Intercessors (The BSFDCK and I)

Evangelist Dr. Val Eloby-Slade

“STILL GOOD NEWS!”

The Bishop Sarah Frances Davis Covenant Keepers and Intercessors (BSFDCK and I) has led the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Annual Connectional Day of Prayer for twelve years. This annual day takes place on April 13th with a one-hour prayer covering. There have been domestic and international subjects covered during this one hour of praying and exaltation to include children’s concerns and matters for our schools, political leadership, religious leadership covering, oppression of people domestically and internationally, human trafficking, injustices, profiling, discrimination, and many other prayer concerns.

It is very important to share that the “Good News” in this article is that our BSFDCK and I will continue to pray on the first or second Monday at midnight of each month, and we are planning to have another African Methodist Episcopal Church Connectional Day of Prayer for April 13, 2023. One might say that this is quite early to share this date, but preparing for something so wonderful is never too early. We should be getting ready for another Connectional Day of Prayer to gather in prayer with the Connectional

Church and exalt our God together in unity, spirit, and in truth.

The Connectional Day of Prayer is a moment when each of our twenty Episcopal districts can prepare by submitting to prayer and fasting in preparation for April 13, 2023. Our department’s staff, general officer, and the commission’s chairperson are fully aware that many of our Episcopal districts have already supported the Connectional Day of Prayer through localized prayer calls. We are proud of these and other types of gatherings and welcome any newly established prayer groups or teams to let us know what you are doing in your specific Episcopal district or local conferences.

You can find more information about the Connectional Day of Prayer on the new Department of Church Growth, Development, and Evangelism website: amechurchgrowth.org. We encourage everyone to visit the website and to download the department’s new app. To God be the glory! ❏ ❏ ❏

voters decided to keep abortion legal, rejecting an amendment to outlaw abortion altogether.

No faith is monolithic on the abortion issue. Yet, many followers of religion may lament that stricter abortion bans could supersede their rights and religious beliefs. While the attention is on abortion, the Supreme Court, on June 21, 2022, ruled that Maine must provide tuition at religious schools in its taxpayer-funded, state-run program to provide students with public education. This decision forces taxpayers to fund religious education, undermining our government’s secular nature and religious institutions’ freedom to engage in ministry without government interference.

Similarly, the Court ruled in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District that the school district violated a coach’s free exercise and free speech rights as he prayed after each football game, in

CONGRATULATORY Listings

*Purple font connotes Episcopal Family; Red font, General Of ficers; and Blue font, Connectional Officers.

Dr. Jacquelyn DuPont Walker, Consultant of the Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, to Receive the Interreligious Council of Southern California 2022 Lucky Altman Lynch Award for Interfaith Excellence

The Interreligious Council of Southern California 2022 Lucky Altman Lynch Award for Interfaith Excellence will be presented to Dr. Jacquelyn DuPont-Walker for her interfaith excellence. Through the award the council expresses its deep gratitude for her many years of work at local, regional, and national levels for economic justice, affordable housing, voter empowerment, racial

the center of the field, and his players joined in prayer after those football games. This decision fundamentally undermines religious freedom in public schools by holding that school officials must accommodate a public school teacher’s religious exercise at a school event. The decision flies in the face of decades of decisions that have allowed students and teachers to enjoy their religious freedom without fear of schoolsponsored religious practices. Unfortunately, the current Supreme Court is moving toward a vision of religious liberty that expands free exercise to the point that directly threatens principles of no establishment of religion by Congress.

And while these cases are not as well-known in the American political ether, they emblematize

the erosion of religious liberty. They will deeply impact religious freedom in America as we know it. So, with the religious imagery of Christian Nationalism on display on January 6 and the recent Supreme Court decisions, religious freedom and liberty are threatened, and how religion will shape the November election remains to be seen. Still, the religious-power dynamics of the religious left and religious right are likely to play a role in determining the outcomes of this election.

One thing is clear: Political parties and the media need to pay attention to the nuances of religious affiliation and imagination, how those attachments and ideas overlap with pressing issues of the day like climate change and gun reform, and how different religious voters approach politics, evaluate candidates, and vote.

SEPTEMBER 2022

equity, transportation, and interfaith collaboration especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award will be presented at a luncheon gathering at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11, at the Baha’i Center, 5755 Obama Boulevard, Los Angeles. Altman Lynch, who once staffed the Interreligious Council while serving as local leader of the National Council for Community and Justice, looks forward to being on hand to present the award to Dr. DuPont-Walker.

The Interreligious Council of Southern California Lucky Altman Lynch Award for Interfaith Excellence

is presented annually to deserving recipients who meet the criteria of living out the priority of their life’s work “to build bridges of understanding and to eliminate bias and bigotry to those who held a different belief system.” The Executive Committee receives and approve nominations, and also consult with Lucky Altman Lynch during the selection process for each recipient. Dr. DuPont Walker’s extensive work with ICSoCal, particularly during the 1984 Olympics interfaith outreach and with the National Conference for Community and Justice, makes her well known to the ICSoCa.

Quardricos Bernard Driskell is an adjunct professor of legislative politics, where he teaches religion, race, public policy, and politics at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. Follow him on Twitter @q_driskell4.

The Interreligious Council fulfills the promise of its name with the participation of all of the major religions of the world. Official delegates of the member organizations take part in the planning, decision making, and implementation of all programs of the council. Its mission is to promote religious pluralism, diversity, and collaboration in southern California.

Congratulatory messages can be emailed to: jdupontwalker@gmail.com.

On September 17th I Was Provided the Opportunity to Participate in the Ordination and Consecration of My Cousin, The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark, as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago

Paula Clark is the first black person and first woman to serve as Chicago’s diocesan bishop. She leads more than 30,000 Episcopalians in 124 congregations and campus ministries across northern and west central Illinois.

Bishop Mariann Budde of the Diocese of Washington, where Clark served as canon to the ordinary before her election to the episcopacy, preached the consecration sermon. “Being in the presence of Paula Clark and watching her in action is like taking a master class in Christian leadership.

That was true before all that transpired in the last 18 months, and it is even more so now,” Budde said, referring to the cerebral bleed that Clark suffered in April 2021, just days before she was originally scheduled to be ordained and consecrated, and to the death of Clark’s husband from multiple myeloma in November.

“Paula, you have lived the last 18 months as if everything we proclaim as followers of Jesus is true,” Budde said.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was the chief consecrating bishop.

the story of the women of the class of 1964 at Spelman College who participated in the largest coordinated series of protests in Atlanta’s history during their freshman year. The Rev. SandersSwafford and her mother, who tells her story in the film, produced the project together. The film was entered in the U.S. Congressional Record in May 2022 to commemorate the contributions of the “foot soldiers” and the 10th anniversary of the documentary. It premiered in the 2012 BronzeLens Film Festival in Atlanta, before making its television debut on Atlanta’s PBS station, WPBA-TV30. “Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964” received two awards at the 21st Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles in February 2013: Best Documentary Short (57mins) in the juried competition and Audience Favorite in the documentary short category. The filmmakers completely volunteered their time to make this film, which still resonates with audiences a decade later. It will be featured on Maryland Public Television (PBS) in September 2022 as a part of that station’s HBCU week of special programming,

Dr. Thomas and the Rev. Sanders-Swafford give God praise for the distinguished honor of the Presidential Award, which is bestowed on behalf of the president of the United States, Points of Light, and AmeriCorps. They are grateful for the blessing of producing the documentary. It was produced as a gift to pay homage to the courage and sacrifice of the “foot soldiers” and the Atlanta Student Movement participants. Dr. Georgianne Thomas is a member of Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is a trustee emeritus. She is an adjunct professor of humanities at Clark Atlanta University.

gmail.com • the Rev. Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford: alvelynsanders@gmail.com

The Reverend and Mrs. Charles Singleton Celebrate 65th Wedding Anniversary

It’s “Another Day” of THANK YOU JESUS! THANK YOU LORD! as expressed by the REVEREND & MRS. CHARLES (Jeanette Pinckney) Singleton of Awendaw, SC. The couple met and became sweethearts 83 years ago. On September 7, 1957 they became ONE. On September 7, 2022 (they celebrated) 65 years of marriage. They are still very active and sharing with many groups and organizations. The Rev. Singleton is a superannuated pastor in the AME Church and Sister Jeanette is a life member of the Women’s Missionary Society of the AME Church. They thank, respect, praise, and appreciate their family members, acquaintances, and friends for their kindness and respect. TO GOD BE THE GLORY as they celebrate their BLUE SAPPHIRE ANNIVERSARY!

Congratulatory expressions can be emailed to: JeanettePSing@att.net.

Congratulations to the Rev. Alexander for 50 Years of Faithfulness to God’s Calling Congratulations to the Rev. James Avery Alexander, Sr., the pastor of Brown’s Chapel AME Church in Homerville, GA in the Sixth Episcopal District

Two AMEs Receive Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement and Volunteer Service Award

Congratulations to Dr. Georgianne Thomas (6th District) and the Reverend Alvelyn SandersSwafford (9th District), a mother-daughter duo, on each receiving a 2022 Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement and Volunteer Service Award in a ceremony on Friday, August 26, 2022, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where many other distinguished recipients were honored.

Dr. Thomas received the award for her work and courage as an activist in the Atlanta Student Movement while she was a student at Spelman College in Atlanta in the 1960s. The Reverend Sanders-Swafford was honored in the Media/ Storytellers category. She received the award for her work as the producer, writer, and director of the independent, award-winning documentary, “Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964.” The film tells

The Rev. Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford is the pastor of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church (Avondale) in Birmingham, AL. She serves as a member of the administrative staff for Bishop Harry L. Seawright, and as a member of the staff for general secretary/CIO, the Rev. Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, upon invitation, for Connectional meetings. The Rev. Sanders-Swafford serves on the Finance Committee and the Board of Examiners of the Northwest Alabama Annual Conference, and she is married to the Rev. Raymond Swafford, the pastor of Hopewell African Methodist Episcopal Church (Kingston) in Birmingham, AL.

The Rev. Sanders-Swafford has served as an instructor at Morris Brown College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Atlanta Metropolitan State College. Sanders-Swafford was one of 15 writers selected to participate in the inaugural master class of memoir writing at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. As a member of the faculty at Morris Brown College, she was one of twenty instructors selected nationally to participate in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation faculty seminar on the television entertainment industry held in Los Angeles.

For more information about the honorees, please visit: drgeorgianne.com and alvelyn.com.

Email: Dr. Georgianne Thomas:georgiannethomas@

On Sunday, August 28, 2022, the Rev. James Avery Alexander, Sr., celebrated his 50th preaching anniversary. Pastor Alexander preached his first sermon on the 4th Sunday in August, when he was 18 years of age in 1972 at Avery Chapel AME Church in Oklahoma City, OK, where his father, the late Rev. Robert H. Alexander, Sr., was the pastor.

Congratulations, Rev. Alexander, for 50 years of faithfulness to God’s calling. Greetings may be emailed to: alex0361@bellsouth.net.

The Harrisburg District of the Philadelphia Annual Conference Congratulates

on the Celebration of Their Wedding Anniversary

The Harrisburg District of the Philadelphia Conference, First Episcopal District proudly announce the thirty-seventh wedding anniversary of the Rev. Lawrence C. Henryhand, presiding elder and WMS consultant Mrs. G. Marie Henryhand, Harrisburg District on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

Presiding Elder Lawrence C. Henryhand met his Mona Lisa, Sister G. Marie Henryhand, at Cosmopolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Bronx, New York, through a mutual friend, the late Mother Clara Brantley who introduced them.

On September 21, 1985, they were joined together in holy matrimony and God blessed them beyond measure as they followed the example found in Proverbs 18:22, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.”

Now 37 years later they are still celebrating their marriage every day. To God be the glory for how he has showered them with a multitude of blessings.

Peace and Love, Rev. Kenneth H. Hill, Ph.D.•hilldrkenneth@ comcast.net • Pastor • Shorter Chapel AME Church

Presiding Elder and Consultant the Reverend and Mrs. Lawrence C. Henryhand

NECROLOGY Listings SEPTEMBER 2022

*Purple font connotes Episcopal Family; Red font, General Of ficers; and Blue font, Connectional Officers.

Presiding Elder John Madison, superannuated of the West Tennessee Conference, Thirteenth Episcopal District, who served faithfully and relentlessly as the presiding elder in the South Memphis District for over 15 years, and pastored several churches, including his last charge, New Tyler AME Church in Memphis, TN

Mother Lucy Ree Watts Marshall, the mother of Presiding Elder Dr. Willie Eugene Marshall of the Ozark Troy District in the Southeast Alabama Conference of the Ninth Episcopal District

Mrs. Dorothy Jean Culver Phillips, the wife of the Rev. Paul Phillips, retired pastor from Allen Chapel AME Church in Skipperville, Alabama in the Southeast Alabama Conference, Ninth Episcopal District

The Late Honorable Mother Francine Coleman-Postell, the cherished and sainted mother and mother-in-love of presiding elder and district consultant, the Rev. Henry L. Postell II and

Mrs. Beverly H. Postell, Eleventh Episcopal District

Miss Annie Seales, sister of the Rev. Dr. Esther L. Seales, pastor of Tyree AME Church, Philadelphia, PA, First Episcopal District

Mr. Edwin L. Swan (09/07/1993 – 09/06/2022), son of Monica Swan-Giles and the Rev. James H. Giles, Sr., presiding elder of the Hot Springs/Arkadelphia District, West Arkansas Conference, Twelfth Episcopal District

The Rev. Mokete Gladman Ramatong, a retired presiding elder of the Goldfields District of the Orangia Annual Conference, Nineteenth Episcopal District, and the husband of Mrs. Faith Keelole Ramatong; father of Pogisho Chakalane, Keatlegile Ramatong, Kelebogile Ramatong (deceased), Keatlaretse Ramatong, Keitumetse Ramatong, and Keleagile Ramatong

Brother Cornelius Alexander Kennard who grew up in Bethel AME Church in Batesville, Arkansas and was a faithful member who answered the call to preach and received his

license to preach from Presiding Elder Angela Brewster of the Little Rock/Jonesboro District, Twelfth Episcopal District

The Rev. Lummie L. Spann, Sr., local minister, St. Matthew AME Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, Western North Carolina Conference, Second Episcopal District

Mrs. Florence J. Warren, secretary of the Episcopal committee for 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 quadrennials, and the director of Lay activities of the Connectional Lay Organization, African Methodist Episcopal Church

Sister Frances Harris Cofield, former Connectional WMS historiographer-statistician and WMS life member and the mother of the Rev. Swayne A. Cofield, M.D., pastor of Rose of Sharon AMEC, Norwalk, CA, Fifth Episcopal District

The Rev. Clifford H. McKinney, Sr., an AME pastor that served churches in Perrine, FL, before retirement and the brother of the Rev. Dr. Hazel Linton (superannuated pastor in the

East Arkansas Conference) and brother-in-law of Mr. Henri Linton, Twelfth Episcopal District

The Rev. Dr. Barbara Yvonne Glenn, retired pastor of First AME Church-Gaithersburg, Maryland, Washington Conference, Second Episcopal District

Condolences to the bereaved are expressed 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, Dr. John Thomas III.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (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

EDITORIAL

The Imposter Within

Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, Columnist

I was at an event to offer words about a colleague in the youth development field retiring. Right before I was to speak, a woman came over to me and said she remembered me from her teen years. She said that one of her friends I had known since the 80s recently died. I was crestfallen. As soon as I got home, I called the best friend of the deceased, Sonice (not her real name), and got the sad details. We laughed, reminisced, and cried for our departed sister, friend—and mentee. Sonice, by all accounts, is successful, so it was surprising when out of nowhere during our conversation, she said, “Uncle Fonzo (that is what I told all young people to this day to call me), when you first met us, we were all messed up. Given what I have been through growing up, I have to admit that sometimes I feel like an imposter.”

Have you ever felt like you were an imposter and did not deserve your success? Since it is hard to have imposter conversations with people, let us delve into this issue. I believe that the imposter resides beside the real you—waiting for a time to discourage you (I know this from my past battles with the imposter) by bringing to mind your insecurities. The imposter whispers your secret fears to you, accurately citing past painful negative situations to buttress the point that you are a fraud. The odd thing is that deep down, you know what is presented is true, making it hard to refute the argument. No one can totally divorce his or herself from the past. Likewise, knowing what parts of the past will stay with you is hard. I know Sonice had a hard life, as did many of her peers growing up. It is why Uncle Fonzo had to step up and offer love and support to vulnerable children.

Oh, how great God is! He continues to keep them in his tender care.

Is it time to get rid of the imposter within ?

Are you tired of making fake advances that end in real retreats? The imposter within hates light, so shine the light of truth on your situation—the light that acknowledges past missteps, mess-ups, or miscues. Acknowledge what you see, own what you feel—and move on from it. This act of ownership removes the imposter’s greatest weapon against you, and that is, your “damaging” secret will be exposed. It is time for you to turn the tables on the imposter within by exposing your secrets— not so much to others but to yourself because you can never change what you will not name.

Can this be your declaration to the imposter within: while you know so much about me, I also have learned a few things about you? You always bring negative, regurgitated pieces of my past hurts, shortcomings, and brokenness to mind. You never give real advice or encouragement. But, imposter, I have outgrown your lies and threats. Your innuendos are no longer threatening to me. I had to go deep inside and find the strength I needed to overcome the past. It is with the same strength you deceptively convinced me was my weakness; so imposter, it is so nice to finally say you no longer have power over me.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) ❏ ❏ ❏

Congratulatory email can be sent to: Lchchap@aol.com (Presiding Elder & Mrs. Lawrence C. Henryhand).

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 Dr. 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.

‘I have sinned against the Lord.’” And, when David confesses and repents, then Nathan replies to David, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you (worth more than hundreds of thousands of dollars; more than Rolex watches; more than sitting in official assemblies) will die.”

Making a molehill out of a mountain is not enough to move the man in the mirror closer to the man in the middle at Calvary’s mountain; treating something as if it were nothing is not enough to bridge the gap between the man in the mirror and the man in the middle; cheap grace was not enough for David to recognize the depth of his depravity, the pattern of his abuse of power, position, and of people. Cheap grace is not enough to constrain and correct “the thing which David had done,” and with which God was “displeased.” And, “cheap grace” is not enough for the pervasive pattern of “the thing(s)” which are done in the 48 pages. But, for all of us who recognize our own resemblance to the man (person) in the mirror, God’s mercy

is everlasting. And God’s grace is more than sufficient to satisfy his demand for justice; and to move us to confession and repentance and change in behavior.

“The thing which David had done displeased the Lord.” God sent Nathan to David. David sees himself in “the man in the mirror.” Through Nathan, David confesses and repents when he comes face to face with God’s justice and judgment and God’s mercy and amazing grace. David must have been thankful that God sent Nathan to help David to see how much David looks like the man in the mirror. David could’ve vented his unlimited, awesome power upon Nathan to retaliate against Nathan, punish Nathan or remove Nathan from his office as prophet and replace Nathan with a spineless sycophant to give David an incessant shower of “cheap grace.” But Nathan is willing to take the risks and fulfills the dangerous two-fold mission God SENT Nathan on (justice/judgment and mercy/grace. Psalm 51 (a Psalm of David) is moist with the tears of David’s contrition and his confession for the thing he has done and his remorse and his repentance. In Psalm 32 (also a

Psalm of David) David praises and blesses God for God’s amazing grace: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Psalm 32:1-2). Furthermore, in 1 Chronicles 3:5, David even names one of his future sons with Bathsheba after Nathan. Thank God for sending Nathan to David. Thank God!!

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that save(s) ed a wretch, like me.” “Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise. For it was grace that bought my liberty. I do not know just how he came to love me so. He looked beyond my faults and saw my need.”

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. And no message could’ve been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.”

Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt Guest Editorial