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. 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 Jesus - Jesus 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!

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

...From Historic AME p3 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 ...continued on p8

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. 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 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. ❏ ❏ ❏

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

...From Historic AME p7 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 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 ...continued on p9

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. Vernon AME Church restoration team,” Raum said. “Over the past two years, the city of Palestine Tourism Advisory Board and City Council have invested $30,000 for the restoration and 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. ❏ ❏ ❏

Bishop Daniels Purchases Car for 17th Episcopal District

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.