CRCDS Black History Month Chapel Service Digital Program Book 02.26.2024

ORDER OF SERVICE Prelude Welcome

Rev. Paula B. Blue Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness & Chief Operating Officer

Call to Worship

Dr. Courtney Wiley-Harris Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Leader: We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.

People: Our history tells the story of a people whose faith in God, hope in the future, and love for one another sustains us through every generation.

Leader: As you gave our ancestors strength to fight, give us power to break the chains of mass incarceration, voter suppression, racism, drug addiction, homelessness, poverty, gun and gang violence, and the sins that so easily beset us.

People: As we gather, we remember the sacrifices and faith of our ancestors.

All: Guide our feet, focus our minds, and sustain our hearts as we serve this present age. Amen Hymn: It Is Well With My Soul

Ms. Joan Lane Mr. Marvin Rogers Memorial AME Zion Church

When peace like a river, attendeth my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come Let this blest assurance control That Christ has regarded my helpless estate And hath shed His own blood for my soul

It is well With my soul It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well) With my soul (with my soul) It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!

It is well (it is well) With my soul (with my soul) It is well, it is well with my soul

Opening Prayer

Rev. Jacqueline J. Nelson Director for Student Support Services Coordinator for Spiritual Care

Introduction of the Speaker Scripture Reading: Psalm 124: 1 - 8

Mr. Michael Marshall CRCDS Master of Divinity Student

Hymn: Take Your Burdens to the Lord and Leave Them There

Ms. Joan Lane Mr. Marvin Rogers Memorial AME Zion Church

Verse 1: If the world from you withhold of its silver and its gold, And you have to get along with meager fare, Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Verse 2: If your body suffers pain and your health you can’t regain, And your soul is almost sinking in despair, Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Verse 3: When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail, Don’t forget that God in heaven answers prayer; He will make a way for you and will lead you safely through, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain: Leave it there, leave it there, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Verse 4: When your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on, And your body bends beneath the weight of care, He will never leave you then, He’ll go with you to the end, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Sermon Rev. James C. Simmons Senior Pastor, Baber AME Church, Rochester, NY Special Music Ms. Joan Lane Mr. Marvin Rogers Memorial AME Zion Church Intercessory Prayer Rev. Julius “JD” Jackson, Jr., CRCDS ‘13 Pastor, United Church of Pittsford Benediction Rev. James C. Simmons Closing Remarks and Announcements Rev. Jacqueline J. Nelson

Our Mission Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School forms students in theological and multi-religious studies to serve, care, and advocate for all peoples and the earth.

ABOUT TODAY’S PREACHER: Rev. James C. Simmons The Reverend James C Simmons is the Senior Pastor of Baber African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rochester, New York, and chairman of Rise Up Rochester, Incorporated. Born in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, Reverend Simmons is a cum laude graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC with a bachelor’s in political science with a concentration in Public Administration and Policy and certification in nonprofit management. Reverend Simmons further received his Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary at American University in Washington, DC. Preaching since age 9, Reverend Simmons was appointed pastor of Baber African Methodist Episcopal Church, on June 18, 2010. His pastoral tenure is credited with Baber’s financial and administrative resurrection: four mortgages have been paid off and the church is now 100% debt free. Other accomplishments include the establishment of the Garden District Development Corporation, hosting four annual conferences, completing numerous capital projects, and creating multiple new ministries.

Reverend Simmons is the chairman of the board of directors of Rise Up Rochester, Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides support to crime victims and their families. In his tenure, Rise Up Rochester, Incorporated has expanded from an all volunteer operation to a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a full and parttime staff.

In the Western New York Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Reverend Simmons is its treasurer, Chairman of the Board of Examiners, and Board of Trustees. He is the past secretary of the First Episcopal District Self-Help Board of Directors.

Prior to his appointment to Baber, Reverend Simmons pastored Bethel A.M.E. Church in Schenectady, New York and served as Minister to Youth and Young Adults at Ward Memorial A.M.E. Church, Washington, DC, under the pastoral leadership of the Reverend Dr. Conrad K Pridgen.

Reverend Simmons’ ministry has also been evident in other arenas. He is an adjunct professor at Monroe Community College. He was an early childhood educator in Washington, DC and was a chaplain intern at the Petersburg Federal Prison. In high school, he served as the first African American president of the largest student vocational organization in the state of Pennsylvania – the Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America – with a membership in excess of 12,000.

Each day Reverend Simmons strives to live out his favorite scripture: “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”