Total 5 12 7

SECTION III: SPECIAL MINISTRIES, PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

The first priority of my episcopal administration in an episcopal district is defining the spiritual and formational needs of the persons I am sent to serve. I believe the holistic church requires a spiritual development and an anchoring in the faith, even as that church reaches out with its tokens of God’s mercies and grace for everyone. Therefore, I spend my time planning the Annual Conferences and the rotation of responsibilities around issues of our spiritual development and formation. Time is spent in Annual Conferences to have Bible study each day that is focused “from text to exegesis” rather than “from topic to text(s),” and to sing and be challenged with new songs (as well as old) in worship. It also spills over into the way we arrange in retreat for the strengthening and team building of the cadre of presiding elders. For me, the role of presiding elder is foremost in the intended CME structure and, for this reason, none of the presiding elders of the Eighth Episcopal District are likewise assigned at the Annual Conference to service a church as its pastor. This does not, however, negate presiding elders being used as supply pastors when churches are at the door of being closed or are without a pastor because of serious illness or death that has left the church without its spiritual leader.

A second priority has been to get to know, to listen to, and to feel God’s people. Prior to COVID-19’s appearance in about March 2020, we had begun the circuit of visitations through the presiding elder districts that would have resulted in visiting every congregation within a four-year period – in a meeting that allowed for about 1 hour of dialogue between the bishop and the congregation. These visits have been a most insightful experience. Also, as bishop I attempt to drive across the district in Texas Sunday after Sunday, “stopping by” to worship unexpected and unannounced. The unannounced visit allows me to gauge how things “really are” in most congregational settings.

The above two paragraphs describe activity that would not realistically be called “special ministries” or “programs” or “projects,” but, in reality, they represent the reality of my priorities as leader. I believe the local church’s and the Connection’s needs are first and foremost, spiritual.

We have also planned with some success toward goals adopted in the first quadrennium together (2014-2018), which continued for the second. Our episcopal district meetings and conference region meetings for the 2018-2022 quadrennium focused on the theme, “The Basics: Disciples First,” a take-off from the episcopal address of the 2018 General Conference, “Getting Back to Basics as We Envision Our Way Forward in Taking Care of God’s Business.” From that theme of “The Basics: Disciples First,” we developed the following annual emphases at each annual conference: 2018 – “Called to Be Disciples”; 2019 – “Called to Make Disciples”; 2020 – “Called to Strengthen Disciples”; and 2021 – “Seeds and Signs of Discipleship.” Though our efforts were strained by COVID-19 restricts, these remained our thematic interest with focus on the following seven areas: (1) worship and spiritual formation; (2) evangelism and church growth; (3)health and wellness; (4) missions and outreach; (5) ministerial development (including lay ministries); (6) financial leadership; and (7) organizational effectiveness. At each of our

conference region or episcopal district meetings, at least one of these areas was emphasized with some informational and developmental session.

By way of “special ministries,” I call your attention to a partnership with the Conference of National Black Churches’ (CNBC) coordinated participation of this episcopal district (and others) in CDC and Kaiser Foundation underwritten community involvement in promoting the need for pro-vaccination information and thrusts. Such a grant was received through CNBC and led in the episcopal district by our episcopal director of social justice ministries, Rev. Dr. Clarence Ford.

One of our churches, the Carter Metropolitan CME Church of Fort Worth, Texas (the Rev. Dr. Clarence Kelby Heath, pastor), began (before COVID-19) a Freedom School that is sponsored through the AB Christian Learning Center of Fort Worth and is connected to federal funding granted through the Children’s Defense Fund and AmeriCorps Vista. Expectation of approval for a third year is expected to be announced by the time this report is delivered. They focus on pre-K through 5th grade reading.

Other congregations have participated in community leadership through food drives, community responsiveness in disasters, and other services. These have happened at most crucial times in cities such as Dallas and Houston, but also in cities like Texarkana and Tyler and in towns and hamlets across the State of Texas. They are not intended to be ignored, but time and space are limited.

In Jamaica, a prime missional focus is our sponsorship of the Early Childhood Institutions (once called the CME Basic Schools). Our three schools – named the Joseph C. Coles, Jr., Early Childhood Institutions the Pauline B. Grant Early Childhood Institution, and the Mae C. Linsey Early Childhood Institutions – were “down” during the height of COVID-19, but are coming back into the fore of regular activity. The partnership with the Women’s Missionary Council is that one-half of the teachers’ salaries are paid by the Women’s Missionary Council and one-half are paid by the Eighth Episcopal District’s regions.

On another note: for the historical record, it would be negligent of me to not raise the names of the Rev. Donald R. 7, who was president of the Presiding Elders’ Council, and died August 12, 2018; the Rev. Dr. Lawrence P. Lakey, former member of the Judicial Council, who died July 20, 2020; and the Rev. David L. Robinson, who pastored the Douglas Memorial CME Church of Beaumont, Texas, for the last 32 years, and who died November 15, 2021.

The Rev. Donald R. Madlock was pastor and presiding elder in the Central Texas Region and the Northwest Texas Region, and, at death, was president of the Presiding Elders’ Council.

Dr. Lakey came to the Eighth Episcopal District in retirement, after distinguished service as leader in the Ninth Episcopal District as pastor, presiding elder, and community activist.

The longevity of the Rev. David Robinson’s service as pastor of the Douglas Memorial congregation, his intensive pastoral ministry, his employment with the Beaumont Independent School District as a truant officer, his presence within leading civic and ecumenical organizations