August 2020 Edition of The Christian Recorder

AUGUST 2020

$3.25

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VOLUME 169, NO. 10

AUGUST 2020

DUPAGE AME CHURCH TAKES IT TO THE STREETS With shouts of “This is what democracy looks like!” “This is what America looks like!” “Say his name, George Floyd! Say her name, Sandy Bland!” Pastor James F. Miller challenged DuPage AME Church to the vision of a true, peaceful demonstration.

The Rev. Connie Dickerson and the Rev. TiShaunda McPherson, two ministers in the Church’s youth department, took the challenge.

On Saturday, June 20, the church where Sandy Bland was raised and actively served, met in the church parking lot and prayed. The crowd of church members swelled with community residents including the president of Lisle Chamber of Commerce, Lisle’s Mayor, several city councilpersons, Lisle’s top four police officers including the Chief of Police, and neighbors who made signs and joined along the 1.7-mile route to the Village Hall.

Given the march was announced, DuPage County is only 3% African American, and several racial events occurred in recent days, the Lisle demonstration was opposite of what had been on the news and what occurred in neighboring suburbs.

DuPage AME Church has served the community with over one million pounds of food and has raised community values

with its award-winning high-value ith it d i i architecture. hit t It iis a hi h l resident, id t contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars in business annually to the community.

Along the parade route, very few police were visible and no counter-protesters of any kind gathered. As we marched downtown, major streets and roads were blocked in all directions to ensure the safety of the demonstrators. The demonstration was supported with horns from cars and the businesses along the route offered cold water and rest stops, although some were boarded.

When the procession arrived at the Village Hall, in new apartment buildings with primarily ...continued on p3

BLACK LIVES MATTER

By Sandra Bonner Hadley, 2nd Episcopal District

Ward Memorial AME Church is located in the Northeast corridor of the United States of America, in the heart of the nation’s capital.

IIn the last several weeks, Washington, DC has become aanything but the stage where liberty and justice are played ffor the world to see.

The people’s house has become a fortress where the occupant emerges only to spew venom and blaspheme the o word of God in a photo-op! This once picturesque area w consisting of red-brick row houses, ethnic restaurants, c historical museums, and monuments has become a h location of embarrassment for the ages, now surrounded l by b miles of 10-feet high fences with national guardsmen with batons and warning signs. The place that once welcomed all, now warns you to enter at your own risk. What has happened to our nation? Could it be the unmerciful killings of our African American citizens without due cause?

In the midst of the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism, ...continued on p2

COUNCIL OF BISHOPS HOLDS VIRTUAL PRESIDENTIAL MEDALLION SERVICE TCR Staff

On July 5, 2020, the Council of Bishops of the AME Church held a virtual Presidential Medallion A Transfer Service to celebrate the presidency of Bishop T Michael Mitchell which began on June 15. Due to M the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional th investiture ceremony and ...continued on p10 in

Trump’s GOP Rally in Tulsa… p4

Serving Money Versus Serving God: Time for Our AME Church to Repent… p6

TOILING DURING THE TWILIGHT

By Rev. Dr. Jason Curry, Columnist

When I was a boy, I knew that I had to return to my house when the streetlights came on. I would play football with my friends all day; however, I would become more focused and intense when the florescent streetlights appeared because I knew that playtime was almost finished. I could continue to play outside if one or two lights came on; however, if the last light came on and I wasn’t in the house, I could forget about playing outside the next day.

Twilight, the period between lightness and darkness in which the sun has dipped below the horizon h i ...continued on p16

Living in the Dusk or Dawn: Radical Jesus, Righteous Justice, An Existence or A Life… p13 and the Public Square… p21

Churches Encourage Giving in the Midst of a Tumbling Economy… p23

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...From Black Lives Matter p1 Ward Memorial is a beacon of light and a calming influence in a cauldron of chaos! Its esteemed pastor, the Rev. Dededrick Rivers, has been on the front lines as a part of the District of Columbia Interfaith Council. He participated in the unveiling of the “Black Lives Matter” street naming just feet from the “White” House on Pennsylvania Avenue on June 3, 2020.

In terms of civic and social engagement, Ward Memorial is now a voting precinct for the residents of Ward 7. The church’s mission on Christian and social action actively encourages the residents to exercise their right to vote. In response to the Biblical mandate to “feed the hungry,” since April 24, Ward Memorial has distributed more than 15,000 hot meals

through andd h h a partnership hi with i h the h ffamedd Jose J Rod philanthropic organization, the world central

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD, PART 1

By Rev. Joseph Parker, 8th Episcopal District

Psalm 46:1-2 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.” Verses 10-11 says, “‘Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

It seems that almost everyone’s attention is focused on the coronavirus and how it’s affecting the world. One might think that not much else of importance is going on in the world at the moment.

Today, many people are fearful, worried, and very careful to do the things prescribed by medical professionals which is probably very wise. Many are also concerned about the economic repercussions of the coronavirus. People are unsure of their job

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situation with all that is happening. Business owners are unsure of their futures and all are fearful about what is happening with Wall Street. Schools are closed or operating remotely, entertainment and sports have largely been canceled, and many other places are not in operation and don’t know when they will be back up and running.

There is plenty of worries to go around for everyone. That is if you choose to worry.

A much more wise and better approach and perspective are to decide to trust God. We are very wise to put our faith, trust, and hope in God. He is actually the only reliable foundation in the world.

For people who don’t know God, this might sound too simple or like a cliché. Yet, the reality is that God is our only hope.

During this time, many people are being forced, more or less, to be still. Government leaders at different levels

are directing people to stay-at-home and shelter inside for a time. In the midst of this happening, people are being made to slow down and consider their lives with all its uncertainties, fears, and challenges. Many of us need to reassess everything. What can we believe and who can we trust?

The year 2020 has quickly caused us to look at the world in a whole new light. It has caused us to consider certain important questions. In what can we put our hope and trust? In our lives, what is built on solid ground? In our lives, what do we trust that is actually “sinking sand?” ❏ ❏ ❏

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...From DuPage AME Church p1 conservative, Republican residents, the demonstration chants changed and bull horns boomed, “No justice, no peace!” In the downtown

of Lisle, the Village accommodated the demonstration with a podium and microphone. The residents, demonstrators, officials, and onlookers gathered as our youth spoke. Kiersten Rasberry (age 19 attending Princeton University), Linwood Johnson, Jr. (age 18), Tre’ Spencer (age 16), Xavier Banks (age 18 attending Jackson State University), and Camille Armstrong (age 10) all shared from their individual experience.

We kneeled for eight minutes and 46 seconds and nearly the entire crowd, 50 percent ow which were white, kneeled with us. Pastor Miller made remarks and the demonstration left the Village Hall and marched, chanted, and sang back to the hallowed ground of the church. It was a proud moment for DuPage AME Church, the largest African American Church in DuPage County, to tell our community, “This is what democracy looks like!” ❏ ❏ ❏

IT’S ABOVE ME NOW: SELF-CARE IN THE ONGOING FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

By Rev. Arionne Yvette Williams, Contributing Writer

Psalm 131 says, “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.” About a year ago, a frustrating but hilarious video of an interaction between a Black man named Craig Brooks working at a Holiday Inn and a white woman, an unidentified customer who was hoping to make a reservation, went viral. most impressed by his calm but sure and firm During a previous conversation on the phone, the white woman called Mr. disposition. He was not going to tolerate her Brooks a n**ger. He subsequently spoke to his manager, who supported him in racist treatment of him, no matter how much refusing service to her. As he suspected, the white woman later showed up at the she pleaded. hotel and expected him to still give her a room and he refused. Though she was It is no secret that our country is in the middle of painful, challenging times pleading with him relentlessly, he famously and repeatedly told her, “It’s above as we engage in what feels like a contemporary civil rights movement that we me now,” referring to the fact that he’d referred the matter to management. call Black Lives Matter (BLM). Not only are we fighting police brutality after the Overnight, the video went viral with social media users creating and sharing murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, we are ...continued on p12 numerous memes highlighting his now-famous response. People seemed

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AUGUST 2020

TRUMP’S GOP RALLY IN TULSA

By Rev. Jerrolyn Eulinberg, Ph.D, 4th Episcopal District

The decision by Donald Trump and his administration to host their first Republican campaign rally since COVID-19, in the heartland of Tulsa, was not only insensitive to hear but also a disgrace to the sacred and historical memory of “Black Wall Street,” the “1921 Tulsa Massacre,” and the Juneteenth holiday. Although the rally date was changed to Saturday, June 20, this did not make Trump’s rally any more palatable for African Americans in Tulsa or around the country.

Black people and others are still trying to process and recover from the national trauma associated with George Floyd’s death. For Trump to plan a rally gathering in Tulsa at all, particularly following the 99th memorial year of Black Wall Street and the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, where hundreds of Black people were killed because of racism and in a city that still has not recovered from the racial divide, further traumatizes Black people in this country. The real question is, “Where is the sensitivity to Black peoples’ experience and when does the value of Black life matter?”

A Republican rally at this moment was ill-advised and insulting. As a native Tulsan, it feels like a traumatic resurgence of the economic, political, and social evil that gave rise to the race massacre and enshrouds our collective memory in the region. As

president, Trump offers no consolation to African Americans during this current time of terror on Black life and compounded this historic event with blatant disregard for the impact on Black lives.

For most Blacks in this country, the traumatic and horrific “terror of memory” resulting from slavery, lynching, and racism is triggered every time African American people experience another public execution of Black life. When the recorded video of George Floyd’s public lynching played for all to see, people around the world were appalled and outraged as well. Yet, African Americans felt traumatized and terrorized because the video images are reminiscent of the wholesale brutality that characterizes the lynching terror which Ida B. Wells-Barnett, among others, so vociferously amplified through written protest.

Floyd’s death came on the heels of so many other contemporary lynchings such as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Terence Crutcher, Laquan McDonald, and the list goes on.

These on-going deaths-by-police illuminate the serious challenges this nation has with white supremacy, white privilege, and the hegemonic power functioning through

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structural racism and oppression.

The tragedy in all of this is that most of these continuous violent acts of terror are committed with impunity. How long will African Americans have to endure the pain of systemic racism and the injustice of white supremacy? How long will we be considered invaluable? How long will we be treated as a disposable race?

Juneteenth has a long history of sacred practice for Blacks in America. Juneteenth represents the delayed news of freedom or liberation for Black people. After 246 years of chattel slavery, African Americans in Texas finally received the good news that slavery had ended, almost two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Unfortunately, the dehumanizing experience of slavery classified Black life as invaluable.

This tainted and distorted view is deeply imbedded into the fabric of America.

Juneteenth is a time of sacred remembrance and people gather to celebrate the value of Black life. When Black lives are valued, they will no longer be killed in the streets, “hunted and penned.”

Black Wall Street, located in Tulsa, was the wealthiest Black business district across the country in 1921. The Greenwood residential district and business district was burgeoning among a great oil boom in Tulsa; yet, African Americans were ostracized from the white areas in Tulsa because of racism.

Blacks were self-sufficient and valued themselves, one another, and their faith.

Together, they thrived.

However, when a Black 19-year-old teenager named Dick Rowland was accused of raping a 17-year-old white girl, the city exploded. As thousands of whites gathered on the courthouse steps to remove Rowland from the jail and lynch him, the Black World War I veterans and others said “no.”

Hundreds of white men were deputized and armed to attack the Greenwood District.

On May 31 and June 1, whites looted the Black community, Black Wall Street, and Greenwood was burned to the ground. Hundreds died and blocks of businesses were demolished. Over 10,000 Blacks lived in tents the winter of 1921-1922.

The year 2020 marks the 99th year of the sacred memory and sacred ground of the Tulsa Massacre. This is the year and time in history that the Republican rally goes to Tulsa? President Trump, what are you celebrating?

The Rev. Jerrolyn Eulinberg, Ph.D. is an independent scholar and itinerant elder in the AME Church. She is a member of Greater Institutional AME Church in Chicago, Illinois. This article was adapted from the previously post in https://www.publictheologyracialjustice.org/blog/2020/6/19/ juneteenth-and-the-memory-of-the-1921-tulsa-massacre. Permission to reprint.

SOUTH DISTRICT HOLDS FIRST VIRTUAL BIBLE DISCOVERY (CHURCH SCHOOL) CONVENTION

By Rev. Roger L. D. Williams, 11th Episcopal District

The South District Conference of the 11th Episcopal District held the first Virtual Bible Discovery Convention on Friday, June 12, 2020, via the Zoom platform. The Rev. Eugene E. and Mrs. Evelyn Moseley, Jr., the presiding elder and consultant of the South District, together with the Rev. Roger L. D. Williams, the pastor of Phillip R. Cousin AME Church in Jacksonville and District Christian Education Coordinator. The District superintendent, Sister Pennelope Wilson of Wayman Temple AME Church in Jacksonville, extended the invitation for pastors, ministers, laity, and youth to join in this historic First Virtual Bible Discovery Convention for the District.

The Rev. Ron Rawls, the pastor of St. Paul AME Church in St. Augustine, served as the host administrator for the virtual convention. The Rev. Williams led the Convention Committee consisting of pastors, laity, and youth, who would not let the COVID-19 pandemic hold us back. The team moved forward with much determination to ensure the Convention took place.

The Convention theme was “Revolution” and

was chosen by the Young People Department of the South District. The youth saw this as an opportunity to address the issues, positive and negative, they face every day. The Scripture was 2 Corinthians 10:4. This reminds us that the Lord did not leave us without something to fight. He left us the Word of God. The Convention had something for everyone from youth to clergy. Sister Michelle Loston of Wayman Temple AME Church in Jacksonville included several pop-up trivia questions during the youth sessions and awarded them for their efforts.

Dr. Pamela Davis, CEO of Growth Matters in Jacksonville, facilitated a workshop on exploring the leadership game for grades 6-8. In a concurrent workshop, the Rev. Mattie Riley Hayes of Greater New Hope AME Church; the Rev. Tracy McGeathey of Mt. Zion AME Church, Southside; and Sister Jacquelyn Johnson of Phillip R. Cousin AME Church, all located in Jacksonville, taught grades 7-12 in Bible Trivia.

The young adults, adults, and clergy attended a workshop facilitated by the Rev. Dr. Mark L. Griffin

of Wayman Temple AME Church in Jacksonville.

“Virtual Worship and E-Giving” offered vital tools on what churches can do now in this era of uncertainty while looking confidently toward the future.

The popular Bible Trivia Bowl, facilitated by the Rev. Hayes, the Rev. McGeathey, and Sister Jacquelyn Johnson. They incorporated three rounds of trivia questions plus gospel hip-hop to keep the youth upbeat.

The Convention concluded as Sister Deborah Neal of Mt. Zion AME Church Southside in Jacksonville, Sister LuCretia McBride of St. Stephen AME Church in Jacksonville, ...continued on p24

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PRESIDING ELDER LEADS PROTEST FOLLOWING FLOYD’S DEATH

By Kiratiana Freelon, Contributing Writer

Presiding Elder Stacey L. Smith remembers the exact moment when she learned of George Floyd’s murder. She was preparing food for Memorial Day when her daughter came into the kitchen and, while holding up a video on her cell phone, told her that the police had killed a black man.

Forty-six-year-old Floyd died when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. “I went numb. I did not know what to think outside of filling [sic] rage, this anger, and this sorrow. I was just standing there, not knowing what to do with myself. I was just paralyzed,” said Smith, who is a presiding elder of a district that includes Minneapolis/St. Paul and Canada and is a local pastor at St. James AME Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. “I still haven’t watched the video all the way through. I felt here we go again,” she continued. saying.

Another Minneapolis and St. Paul erupted into fiery Minneapolis Police officers shot Jamar Clark in minister led people uprisings. Young people of all races protested in the the head in 2015. In 2016, a Minneapolis police in reciting the city’s streets and these protests spread throughout officer shot 32-year old Philando Castile during a Lord’s Prayer at the the country and world. routine traffic stop. protest site.

Among Smith’s church and district families, the Within one day, Smith’s life became irrevocably reactions varied. When the uprisings created a food intertwined with the uprisings that enveloped the Smith is also satisfied with the defunding of the police desert in the church’s Rondo neighborhood, seniors cities and nation when Minneapolis police killed action that followed the protests. In the weeks following a St. James worked to provide food to people. Some Floyd. She relied on her faith, family, and church to the protests, the University of Minnesota voted to scale of the pastors in her district even protested on the give her the strength to lead in these times. back police on its campus. The Minneapolis public front lines. Canadian churches sent her words of When Smith found out about the murder, the school system voted to remove police from schools. “We encouragement through emails and calls. first thing she did was pray with her family. Then do need some law and order… But we should be giving One week after Floyd’s murder, Smith dreamed she reflected on her family’s last interaction with [police] less power and fewer resources to continue the she was leading a march. “I woke up from a dream, the police. In December of 2018, Smith surmises tactics that they have been doing,” she said.

I saw myself and clergy protesting,” she said. “I that a neighbor called the St. Paul police on her 28Smith encourages those who don’t see themselves thought, wow, that was interesting.” year old son when he was at a friend’s house on as activists to do something now. “Don’t despise Smith doesn’t see herself as a “boots on the ground” a Friday night. Ten police officers arrived at the your humble beginnings. I had a humble beginning kind of person, but this moment transformed her. apartment. When two police officers walked in, in this process. Use whatever resources you have. As She felt led to organize a march of black clergy they found her son and his friends playing video a pastor of an AME Church, we have a great power leading an interfaith group through Minneapolis games. They even started playing games with them. that I have been blessed to see work at its finest. and St. Paul. As the vice president of the Minnesota The whole episode went viral, and the police also We have the power of the connection of the African Council of Churches, she could make it happened. used it to promote themselves. “What could have Methodist Episcopal Church. I am grateful to my Within a day, she created a flyer and sent out a turned sideways, actually turned into a moment bishop and so many pastors who came to my rescue press release. By the next day, 300 clergy of multiple where God was glorified,” said Smith, who moved and many who came and gave me an education faiths—United Methodism, Bahá’i, Buddhism, to the St. Paul/Minneapolis area 26 years ago from in activism. That was through the power of our Hinduism, and more were marching in their robes the 3rd district. “Here, my son could have been very Connectional church. I have never been so proud on the streets of St. Paul and Minneapolis. They much so one of them. I could be joining the march to be an AME [Church] leader. The way our Church marched silently. When they arrived at the place of moms mourning about their sons dying at the is organized, we have everything at our fingertips. where Floyd was killed, other protestors welcomed hands of police officers.”

The church is not dead. The church is working and them. “Alright, the preachers are here. We are so Then calls started coming in from friends, family, is alive,” she noted. She added, “the church has left glad you are here,” Smith recounted a bystander and people from all over the country. Overnight, the building.” ❏ ❏ ❏

TASK IS ONCE BEGUN

By Antjuan Seawright, 7th Episcopal District

Legend tells us that once upon a time, an old country preacher for a small AME Church—deep in the heart of Mississippi’s backwoods—found his voice among his congregation. He said, “If a task is once begun, never leave it ‘till it’s done. Be the labor great or small, do it well... or not at all.”

Maybe it didn’t happen that way. Maybe it’s just another in a long line of tall tales and apocryphal histories that make up the legend of America. However, it doesn’t mean it’s not true because that story illustrates the long history of the Black Church in this country both as our cultural touchstone as well as the cornerstone of action and activism for a people long oppressed.

When it comes to our struggle to be heard and exercise inalienable rights endowed by the Creator and—as free men and women— shape what this democracy looks like, this is our history. Even when it wasn’t popular and people who didn’t look like us used every weapon in their arsenal to stop us, we kept the faith. We kept marching forward. equal say in their own government, they’re playing start a race war just five years ago.

I’m a fifth-generation member and nephew to the same game they were in 1964. Refuse to take This isn’t just about the AME Church. This is the 133rd elected and consecrated bishop of the disenfranchisement lying down. about how we, as a people, have always found the AME Church. So I know and understand a little bit The Black Church, particularly the AME Church, strength to struggle and bend the long line of history about our history and role in shaping this country. isn’t just our community’s nerve center. It’s our towards freedom. Now we have to do it again.

When slaves sought freedom, they found the AME rallying point.

More so than any other election in my political Church as the first stop on the Underground That’s why programs like Majority Whip Jim lifetime, this November will have real consequences Railroad. It was an AME Church minister, the Rev. Clyburn’s “Adopt a Precinct” model works. It not defining who we are and who we will be as a nation J.A. Delaine, who stood as one of four plaintiffs in only engages black churches but also mobilizes for generations to come. as they have throughout Briggs v. Elliott, the cornerstone of the Supreme them. history, there will be those who try to stop us.

Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of From Voter ID laws to the endless purges and Education. It was Mother Emanuel AME Church That’s why Doug Jones won in Alabama two restrictions, harassment and intimidation, and oldwho found herself in the crosshairs when a young years ago. He leveraged that historic tradition to fashion Gerrymandering that denies Americans an white supremacist named Dylann Roof wanted to drive historic turnout in black ...continued on p15

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SERVING MONEY VERSUS SERVING GOD: TIME FOR OUR AME CHURCH TO REPENT

By Rev. Geoffrey S. Whitcomb, 1st Episcopal District

Despite the coronavirus pandemic that is now raging among us, the truth that some of our members are now jobless because they have been furloughed without pay or fired and all church events are now conducted virtually, we are still being required to pay for in-personevent apportionments as if nothing has changed. How can it be justified, in Jesus’ name? Could we not suspend all, or even a portion, of that levy in order to bless our members and neighbors who might not make it otherwise?

This is merely the latest in a long line of abuses and misdirected concerns wherein our denominational leaders repeatedly emphasize and prioritize the wrong thing. Indeed, the Council of Bishops recently appealed to the Federal Government to provide economic virusrelated relief for AME Church properties but not for the actual rank-and-file members of the AME Church. All of this makes it high time for our Church, and particularly our Church’s leadership, to repent from its focus on serving money and truly turn to serving God and His people. May God have mercy on us as we fall down and confess our sins, in Jesus’ name.

I am sitting here in my living room, praying and reflecting on not going to any days of my Bishop’s Meeting—in this case, Founder’s Day 2020—for the first time since, well, ever. The absence is because of the lingering mystery regarding the First District Episcopal Headquarters building in Philadelphia being essentially sold for a one-time payment of $16 million, meaning that from henceforth, our church will be renting space instead of owning the building and there is no indication at all as to what any of that $16 million is going to go towards. (Similarly, there has been no real indication given as to what the $10 to $11 million “leftover” funds from the sale of the AME [Church] Publishing House building in Nashville will be used for.) Additionally, none of the transaction’s details, or even the decision to pursue it, were discussed or even shared with the ministers and lay members of the First Episcopal District! No, we learned all about it through The Christian Recorder.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mind you, this is on top departments, it is hard to know on-hand? If we are in a “hole,” and particularly during this sale of the AME Church Sunday of the constant banging on what is really going on; and how did we get there and what trying time, when will our School Publishing House were the fundraising drum (almost some of our leaders repeatedly have been, and what are, your denomination move on from reported on in this article. always roughly) that already acting as if any questions specific plans (something you prioritizing fundraising to Information regarding the “Future happens at fairly every meeting, about their financial decisions require local congregations focusing on actual acts of Fund” established by the sale of and with every organization, are sinful, doesn’t help either! to provide) to move the AME significant and meaningful the building was reported on in of our Church. It all grates At what point, then, do we say Church forward towards ministry? the December 2019 CONVO on one’s spirit! Without that enough is enough? achieving and maintaining (P.S. Although AMEs get report. All records of the sale were professional accountability, What does our leadership financial solvency? Are you all punished for speaking out reported to the General Board measures such as regular[ly-] have to say? I ask, respectfully, working together on this or about this subject or not and the Future Fund reports to published audits of Episcopal of the Council of Bishops, is it a catch-as-catch-can affair raising money, and rewarded the General Board through the District and Connectional the General Board, and relegated to only particular for keeping their mouths shut Commission on Statistics and Department finances, public the Connectional Board of Episcopal Districts? Regarding while they keep giving what is Finance. yearly financial reports at Trustees, including the CFO the sales discussed in this asked for, instead of actually Annual Conferences, and of our Church--what is our letter, what are our Church’s trying to imitate Christ and The Rev. Geoffrey S. publicly-available (online) financial picture right now specific plans for the $10 faithfully serve God’s people, Whitcomb is the pastor annual financial plans and as a denomination, to the million Nashville “profit” and I am signing this because God of Union AME Church in Easton, Pennsylvania. indebtedness reports made detailed level of revenue the $16 million Philadelphia wants all of us to stand up and by the bishops, officers, and streams, debt load, and cashland lease payment? Finally, demand this to stop.)

GLENCOE RALLIES FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

By Rev. Dwayne A. Gary, 4th Episcopal District

On June 7, 2020, the Glencoe Clergy Association, led by the Rev. Dwayne A. Gary of St. Paul AME Church, organized a peaceful protest in memory of George Floyd and countless other African Americans who have lost their lives as a result of systemic injustice. Glencoe Public Safety estimates that between 400-450 cars participated in the rally that traveled single-file through the community past each of the village’s churches and synagogues and ended with a program in the parking lot of North Shore Congregation Israel (NSCI). Although residents were encouraged to stay in their vehicles to reduce any potential COVID-19 Glencoe Clergy Association members at the rally (from left): Cantor exposure, caravan members enthusiastically honked their Andrea Markowicz from Am Shalom, Rabbi Steven Lowenstein approval to bystanders waving signs of support for the rally. from Am Shalom (kneeling), the Rev. Dr. Barbara Javore from After arriving at the NSCI, the program was streamed to North Shore United Methodist Church, Rabbi Bruce Elder from Congregation Hakafa, the Rev. Dwayne Gary from St. Paul AME each participating car and others via Facebook Live.

Rabbi Ryan Daniels from NSCI welcomed the group and Church (kneeling), the Rev. Kevin Goodman from St. Elisabeth’s Church, Rabbi Wendi Geffen from North Shore Congregation Israel, announced that the Glencoe Clergy Association members Cantor David Goldstein from North Shore Congregation Israel, and present would take a knee during an eight-minute and 46 Rabbi Ryan Daniels from North Shore Congregation Israel. second period of silence to honor of Floyd’s life and others who have been killed at the hands of police.

Mrs. Exeter Johansson provided an acapella rendition of “Lean on Me.” Rally participants gave sustained honks of approval.

Mrs. Rocki Hunter talked about growing up as an African American in Glencoe, a village where only one percent of the population is black. She recalled several incidents. One was when she spoke of her fear when called by her husband on a Sunday night in the spring of 2017, when while driving and doing nothing wrong, he was pulled over and was surrounded by four other police cars. He called to tell her if he didn’t make it home, “the police did it.” ...continued on p7

Cars in the Glencoe Caravan for Racial Justice

Rocki Hunter delivers her message to the rally crowd.

Supporters lining the caravan route.

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Rocki told the assembled crowd that when she walks into a store, no one sees how many degrees she has or how hard she works or what she contributes to the community. All they see is a black woman with a black husband and black kids. In some cases that is enough to pose a potentially deadly threat.

Racism exists in Glencoe and everywhere else. Until it is acknowledged by speaking up when it happens and standing up for systemic change, it will keep happening.

She ended her remarks by telling people they could do three things to help: educate by learning about black history and white privilege, donate to causes that fight police brutality and work for systemic change, and speak up about reporting unfair and unjust treatment.

The Rev. Dr. Barbara Javore offered a prayer. She adapted it from a poem Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise.”

The final reflection at the rally was delivered by Pastor Gary. St. Paul is the only Black church in Glencoe; and at 135-years old, it is one of the oldest African American churches in the northern suburbs of Chicago. After thanking the organizers and volunteers, Pastor Gary began to educate the crowd on two different perspectives of the modern African American experience.

Supporters outside St. Paul AMEC. Some remembered the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and those who are now experiencing the Black Lives Matter movement of the 2020s.

Two different generations have fought the same battle. The difference, however, is that those in the Civil Rights movement did see some progress and victory. They saw integrated schools, restaurants, neighborhoods, bathrooms, and some The Rev. Dwayne Gary reflects on the meaning of Black Lives Matter social and economic opportunities.

Pastor Gary reminded everyone that thus far, the Black Lives Matter movement has seen only defeat. Unarmed Black men continue to be gunned down by police officers who face no criminal charges and are not held accountable for their actions. This amounts to nothing more than street lynchings.

Pastor Gary spoke about being a Cars line the parking lot of North Shore Black man in his early 50s and having Congregation Israel during the rally experienced firsthand racism in program education, social situations, and his personal life in Glencoe. When he sees the news and people talk about white supremacy today, it is not a rope but a knee on a Black man’s neck. The Black Lives Matter movement brings awareness to the fight for justice based on violence to the African American community.

He urged everyone to push together with one common goal: justice, saying it ought to be a verb instead of a noun. Justice is an ongoing work that must be done.

He announced that the Glencoe Clergy Association had decided upon four commitments to help move toward systemic change. First, to enter into an immediate process of anti-racism work in each congregational community. Second, to engage elected officials and civic leaders in an ongoing and honest discussion on historical and current institutional failures with the expectation of achieving meaningful change and equal treatment on a systemic level for the African American community in our village. Third, to push for voter registration and get people out to vote in November. Fourth, to redouble efforts to strengthen the bonds between community congregations through programs, gatherings, actions, and meaningful dialogue.

Pastor Gary reminded everyone that “these commitments are not the solution to the problems of racism in our society. They are a step in the right direction, we hope, and the beginning of a genuine, outward realization of the Biblical decree: ‘Justice, Justice, shall you pursue!’” He then led everyone in a chorus of “We Shall Overcome” and cars left with the hope that maybe this time, things can change. ❏ ❏ ❏

AUGUST 2020

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PAYCHECK PROTECTION LOAN FORGIVENESS ACT OF 2020

By Cynthia Gordon-Floyd, Contributing Writer

Churches should take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program Loan if they have not already. The Program was designed to provide funding for businesses to retain employees and is eligible for 100% forgiveness if used for the specified purposes. Independent contractors are also eligible to apply for this program as an individual with their 1099 and IRS form Schedule C from their 2019 tax return.

Eligible loan amounts are determined by W-2 forms that have been issued to the pastor or other employees from the organization for 2019.

Loan funds may be used for payroll, utilities, lease or rent for the main facility, and mortgage or loan interest incurred before February 15, 2020.

On June 8, 2020, Congress passed the Paycheck Protection Loan Forgiveness Act of 2020, which substantially modified the previously outlined requirements for forgiveness. The new requirements include the “Covered Period” of the loan being extended from eight to 24 weeks from the date of funding, or December 31, 2020, whichever comes first. The “Covered Period” is the period during which the loan funds must be spent to qualify for forgiveness.

The new law requires borrowers to spend at least 60% of the monies received on payroll costs to qualify for any forgiveness. Therefore, if you spend less than 60% on payroll costs, the entire loan becomes ineligible for forgiveness. Payroll costs include cash compensation, group health insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and state and local taxes assessed on employers, such as unemployment insurance. This has been lowered from the previous 75% or more spent on payroll costs which provided a prorated amount of forgiveness eligibility.

The interest rate remains at one percent but the loan terms have been increased to five years for loans funded after June 5, 2020. Loans that were funded before that date may request an extension from their lender but the lender is under no obligation to grant the request. Interest will not accrue until the forgiveness amount is transferred by the SBA to the lender.

As of June 11, 2020, the media is reporting that $100 billion remains available for Paycheck Protection Program Loan funding. If you have not applied and your current bank is no longer accepting applications, many other institutions including credit unions and community banks will establish an account for you and take your application. This program is scheduled to stop accepting applications as of June 30, 2020.

Cynthia Gordon-Floyd is a certified public accountant and the founder of Willing Steward Ministries, LLC. Willing Steward Ministries (http://www. willingsteward.com) is a financial consulting and accounting firm for churches and other faith-based non-profits and specializes in Bible-focused financial practices, pastoral compensation issues, IRS compliance, and other financial needs specific to churches. Cynthia is a graduate of Lake Forest College and received her Master of Business Administration in Accounting from DePaul University. She is a steward and the financial secretary at the First AME Church of Manassas in Manassas, Virginia.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (MAY 16, 2020)

By Rev. Pamela Colbert, 10th District

I would like to respond to the previous articles concerning LGBT. The Gospel of Jesus Christ liberates... us from sin. It liberates us from the guilt, the penalty but also from the power of sin. The Gospel liberates us so that we will know the truth. That truth that we know will set us free. If the Son sets us free, we will be free indeed (John 8:31-36).

God has given us callings. God’s gifts and His callings are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). These callings and gifts, used properly, will bring glory and honor to His name. God may have called one to preach, sing, etc., but He did not call one to LGBTQ. Our lives are not to be lived for self-gratification. Our lives are to be lived for the glory and honor of God or die trying.

My prayer is that we can agree to disagree respectfully out of love for our Lord Jesus Christ and for one another. ❏ ❏ ❏

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AUGUST 2020

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CONGRATULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS

JULY 2020

Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr. selected as an LSU Racial Equality Expert available to speak to media Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr., pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, was selected by the Strategic Communications Department of Louisiana State to speak as a racial equality expert. He was selected and added to a list of experts to speak to the media regarding race, community engagement, and the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Kelly teaches in the African and African American Studies Program and Human Sciences and Education Department. He also serves as Finance Chair for The African and African American Studies Program. Dr. Kelly is a graduate of Morehouse College, B.A., Springfield College, M.Ed, Boston University School of Theology, M.Div., Memphis Theological Seminary, D.Min. He is also the editor of The Black Rhetorical Traditions in The Civil Rights Movement.

See article: https://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/ news/2020/06/18racialequality_exper ts.php.

Contact: spidermh7@yahoo.com Reverend and Mrs. Lionel Jackson are honored to announce the upcoming marriage of their daughter Kaitlyn Marie Jackson to Deaunte Rashad Gay on July 3rd The Reverend Lionel Jackson and Sister Keatrina Marie Jackson of Pineville, Louisiana are both honored to announce the marriage of their daughter Kaitlyn Marie Jackson to Deaunte Rashad Gay on July 3, 2020. Reverend Jackson is the senior pastor of Gaines Chapel AME Church in the city of Natchitoches, LA, Bishop Julius Harrison McAllister, Sr., presiding prelate of the Eighth Episcopal District, is his bishop.

Reverend Lionel Jackson is a retired chaplain from the Department of Veterans Affairs, with 24 years of federal service. He was ordained an itinerant elder in 1994, and has pastored several churches, all within the

Eighth Episcopal District. Rev Jackson is a candidate for the Doctorate of Ministry Degree at Regent University School of Divinity. Sister Keatrina Jackson is a retired registered pharmacist from the Department of Veteran Affairs, with 34 years of federal service. Rev. Jackson will be officiating the ceremony.

Kaitlyn is the youngest child of Rev. Lionel and Keatrina Jackson. She graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA on December 14, 2018 with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the College of Education and Human Development where she majored in Early Childhood Education Grade PK-3. She obtained an overall GPA of 3.58 while at Northwestern State. She is a current member of Bethel AME Church in Alexandria, LA where she previously served as president of the YPD. She has previously served as first vice-president of YPD in the Central North Louisiana Conference. She was hired as a kindergarten teacher at L.P. Vaugh Elementary School in Natchitoches, LA, while serving as a student teacher prior to her graduation in 2018.

Because of her exceptional work in the classroom, she was retained by L.P. Vaugh as a kindergarten teacher for the following school year of 2019-2020. She was well loved and appreciated by both her students and faculty. She enjoys the arts and reading.

Deaunte Rashad Gay, her fiancé, is the son of Ms. Monique Glasper. He is a graduate of Northwestern State University’s School of Business with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Information. Deaunte is currently employed as a marketing operations analyst for The H.E.B. Corporation in San Antonio, Texas. He enjoys video games and sports.

The ceremony will be held July 3, 2020 at 12:00 noon in the Chapel at Bayou Haven, a private event’s center in Alexandria, Louisiana. All praises are due to our God and his dear Son Jesus Christ our Savior for his rich

blessings upon our family, friends, and those who have been beacons for us on our Christian journey.

Well wishes can be emailed to: temperance.0810@ gmail.com (Rev. and Mrs. Lionel Jackson).

Congratulations to Chaplain Jermaine Mulley Full-time Chaplain for the Joint Force Headquarters Virgin Islands National Guard Chaplain Jermaine Mulley accepted the assignment on 8 JUNE 2020 to the duty of fulltime Chaplain for the Joint Force Headquarters Virgin Islands National Guard. He was Direct Commissioned as First Lieutenant, Chaplain 786th CSSB (St. Thomas) on 19 JUNE 2019. Rev. Mulley also serves as the pastor of St. Luke AME Church, St. Croix in the Sixteenth Episcopal District. He is married to Cliaunjel Mulley with an almost 5-month-old baby girl named Genesis Mulley.

Contact: jermainemulley@gmail.com Congratulations to the Reverend W. Antoni Sinkfield, PhD for Successfully Defending his Doctoral Dissertation The Nashville District of the Tennessee Conference of the Thirteenth Episcopal District, joins with Payne Chapel AME Church and St. James AME Church family in congratulating Reverend W. Antoni Sinkfield, PhD., Pastor, for successfully defending his dissertation entitled: “The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness: An Analysis of Black Preaching within the African Methodist Episcopal Church as a Rhetorical and Stylistic Tool for Leading Social Mobilization and Transformation.”

Congratulations, Rev. Dr. W. A. Sinkfield!!

Words of commendation and well wishes can be emailed to: payne_1@comcast.net, Rev. W. Antoni Sinkfield, PhD.

On behalf of Publications Commission chair Bishop Vashti McKenzie, president/publisher of the AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) Rev. Roderick D. Belin and editor of The Christian Recorder Mr. 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

NECROLOGY LISTINGS — JULY 2020 *Purple font connotes Episcopal Family; Red font, General Officers; and Blue font, Connectional Officers.

The Reverend Hendrik Thomas, Superannuated Minister in the Namibia Annual Conference in the Fifteenth Episcopal District, who served for many years at St Thomas AME Church, Grunau and Klein Karas in the Keetmanshoop District, Klein- Karas was the original place where one of his grandfathers founded the AMEC in Namibia

Mrs. Phyllis Hollingsworth “The Queen” Lamb, a lifelong member of Bethel African AME Church in Little Rock, AR, a Life Member of the WMS having served the Young People’s Division (YPD) and the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) for 55 years; and was given the title of President Emeritus of the Twelfth Episcopal District WMS; the wife of retired Presiding Elder Thurston B. Lamb, Arkansas Conference

Mrs. Elnora Jackson Sims Koonce, mother of the Reverend Carolyn Sims, a former pastor, and an Itinerant Elder in the North Carolina Annual Conference of the Second Episcopal District serving as ministerial staff at James AME Church, Kinston, North Carolina The Revered Lawrence Thompson, retired pastor in the Third Episcopal District

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Mr. Sam Howard, father of the Reverend Anica Howard, Pastor of New Salem AME Church, Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville District-Tennessee Annual Conference, Thirteenth Episcopal District Mr. Arthur Roosevelt Hughes, the brother of Mrs. Pradensia Drayton and brother-in-law of Presiding Elder Sandy W. Drayton, of the Georgetown District, Palmetto Annual Conference, Seventh Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mrs. Mary Virginia Allen, the mother of The Reverend Dr. James Harris, the Pastor of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and member of the General Board of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Mrs. Johnnie Platt Blackman, the widow of the late Reverend G.T. Blackman, a long-standing active member of St. Peter AME Church in McGehee, Arkansas in the Twelfth Episcopal District, she won the 2006 Conn-MSWAWO + PKs First Lady title and was mother of Stephan Platt and Schila (Rev. Timothy) Washington Mr. Richard L. Thomas, Sr. (Sonny) the father of the Reverend Troy I. Thomas, and father in law of the Reverend Dr. Maxine Thomas, Pastor and Assistant Pastor at Quinn Chapel AME Church, Louisville, KY, Kentucky Conference, Thirteenth Episcopal District Mrs. Jeanne Marie Cunningham Augustine, retired educator and the mother of our Senior Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, and the motherin-law of First Lady, Michelle Burks Augustine Mrs. Gwendolyn Murray, the last sibling of Episcopal Supervisor, Dr. Stan Mckenzie and sister-in-law of Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Prelate of the Tenth Episcopal District Sister Susie Johnson, church mother of Greater Bethel AME Church in Elba, Alabama; the sister of Presiding Elder Samuel Smith, Phenix City District; Rev. Joe Smith, Supply Pastor, BethelFriendship, Orion, AL, and St. Stephen

The Christian Recorder AME Church in Opp, AL an Rev. Nathaniel “Charlie” Smith and Mrs. Joyce Jones of Elba, AL Ms. Deborah Gray, the sister of The Reverend Madonna Gray, the Pastor of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Erie, Pennsylvania, Third Episcopal District, and the Connectional Christian Education Department Fellowship of Church Educators Financial Secretary/Treasurer.

Mrs. Micha Mack, the beloved widow of Dr. Edgar L. Mack, the former Executive Director of the AME Church Department of Christian Education African Methodist Episcopal Church Presiding Elder (Retired) Charles J. Graves of Florence, South, presided over the Marion District of the Seventh Episcopal District African Methodist Episcopal Church for nine (9) years and was the Presiding Elder of the Mt. Pleasant District AME Church prior to his retirement, and served on the General Conference Commission for several years Mrs. Irene R. Allen, age 106th, the grandmother of Rev. Edwin Lloyd, pastor of Allen Chapel AMEC Asbury Park, N.J., New Jersey Annual Conference, First Episcopal District Sis. Ruth Jackson, wife of the Late Rev. Henry Jackson, and member of Green Chapel A.M.E. Church, Houston-Texas, Tenth Episcopal District Sister Bernice Lawson, the mother of Presiding Elder Janet Jenkins Sturdivant, Presiding Elder of the South District of the Philadelphia Annual Conference and Secretary of the Connectional Presiding Elder’s Council of the AME Church, and the mother-in-law of Rev. Michael W. Sturdivant, Pastor of Trinity AME Church, Philadelphia, PA, First Episcopal District The Reverend Leslie Joseph Scott, age 92, a Superannuate Minister in the Cape Annual Conference in the 15th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; an active Itinerant Minister for over 50 years, a phenomenal preacher and pastor, and a Conference and Episcopal District Secretary par excellence

AUGUST 2020

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Mrs. Lillar C. Shepheard, Charter Member of CONN-M-SWAWO, Plus PKs, Past President, and active member of the Sixth Episcopal M-SWAWO+PKs, the Women’s Missionary Society, and a great mentor Mr. Arthur Wayne Brewster, the brother of Rev. Angela Brewster, pastor of First AME Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and President of the Twelfth Episcopal District Women in Ministry Mr. Ronald Bryant, Jr., the cousin of the Reverend Dr. Patricia A. Outlaw, Pastor of Oak Grove AME Church, Florence, Alabama in the Northwest Alabama Conference of the Ninth Episcopal District The Reverend Dr. Frederick C. Harrison (Former Secretary of Missions 1984 -1992) African Methodist Episcopal Church Mrs. Thelma Lee Miller, the sister of The Rev. Dr. Esther L. Seales, Pastor of Tyree AME Church, Philadelphia, First Episcopal District Mrs. Mary E. “Debra” Stukes Bowman, the spouse of Reverend Ertha Bowman, Pastor of Miller Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church of the Newberry District, Columbia Annual Conference, Seventh Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Reverend Gregory M. Kinsey, the spouse of Sister Antionette Kinsey, Episcopal District PK Coordinator for M-SWAWO +PK’S and an Itinerant Elder and the Pastor of St. John AME Church, Ridgeland, SC, Beaufort District, SC, South Carolina Annual Conference of the Seventh Episcopal District Reverend Mxolisi Dikana age, 45 years, an Itinerant Elder in the Kalahari Annual Conference in the Fifteenth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church The Reverend F. C. Stallworth, a retired Itinerant Elder, South Mississippi Annual Conference of the Eighth Episcopal District, the husband of Mrs. Leona Stallworth and the father of the Reverend Timothy A. Stallworth, Sr., pastor of Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, Jackson, Mississippi, and the father-in-law of Mrs. Felecia Stallworth.

Condolences to the bereaved are expressed on behalf of Publications Commission chair Bishop Vashti McKenzie, president/publisher of the AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) Rev. Roderick D. Belin and editor of The Christian Recorder, Mr. 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

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AUGUST 2020

The Christian Recorder

annual Council of Bishops’s worship service were combined and shared online.

After praise and worship videos from local churches and the Connectional Music and Christian Arts Ministry (MCAM), the service began with the worship leader, Bishop Frank Madison Reid, III, calling those gathered online to worship.

Senior Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, Jr. gave greetings and noted the novelty of the virtual venue and his pride in having been served as bishop of the 11th Episcopal District when Bishop Mitchell was elected from St. Stephen AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Bishop Stafford J. N. Wicker delivered a prayer thanking God for the AME Church and Bishop Mitchell. Retired Bishop Frank C. Cummings read Proverbs 3:5-6. Bishop Ronnie E. Brailsford prayed, thanking God for deliverance and healing from racism and COVID-19.

The Rev. D. Lavel Crawford (12th Episcopal District) sang “Stand” by Donny McClurkin. Bishop Anne Henning Byfield prayed for the incoming leadership team and the unity of the church. Bishop Harry L. Seawright read 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

Bishop Reid introduced the preacher, Retired Senior Bishop John R. Bryant, as a living legend saying, “There was a man sent from God whose name was John,” referencing John 1:6. The 12th Episcopal District Praise team sang “Beautiful Feet” by Donald Lawrence.

Bishop Bryant preached a sermon drawn from Joshua 1:1-7 entitled “It’s Your Turn.”

In his message, Bishop Bryant reminded President Mitchell and the new Council of Bishops’s leadership that the church was looking to them and they were prepared and empowered to take their turn.

Senior Bishop Richardson led the formal passing of the medallion between Immediate

I AM NOT OKAY

By Matthew Seawright, RAYAC Editor

The last few months have been filled with emotion and uncertainty of the times ahead.

Job losses, loss of loved ones, the new territory of technology, and ever-changing updates through media platforms.

The ongoing question is, “How are you doing?” The common or even predictable replies are “I’m well, good, blessed, and highly favored.” The response from Sister Jenkins, a member of Payne Chapel AME Church in Birmingham, gives me great joy and encouragement. She said, “Blessed by the best!”

However, if asked at this time, and at this moment, my response would be, “I am not okay.” I am not okay when our nation is at odds about the value of life and who is to value it. I am not okay because someone isn’t afforded the privilege to call this pandemic a “blessing in disguise.”

I am not okay when asking questions and seeking answers about the church and our past, present, and future relevance. I am not okay because my mind recalls the efforts and plans to solve many issues plaguing communities today, feeling unheard, or even too radical. I am not okay when leadership is expected to constantly pour out without guarantee or a sign of refill.

In the same breath, I am not okay with ministry and many community leaders having a seat when it’s time to stand. I am not okay knowing that children may not have maintained a balanced diet, have social interaction, or even an encouraging pat on the back because schools have been closed. I am not okay knowing many of these same

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Past President Bishop Seawright Seaw wright and President Bishop Mitchell. wrig Mitchell Bishop Mitchell along with Council Secretary Bishop Byfield and Council Assistant Secretary Ronnie. E. Brailsford joined in the Oath of Affirmation followed by the collective response from the Council of Bishops. Retired Senior Bishop Phillip R. Cousin, Sr. offered a prayer to close the ceremony.

In his message to the Connectional Church, Bishop Mitchell expressed thanks to his colleagues and supporters. He encouraged the denomination, “It’s no secret that we have difficult days ahead…but we will make it through.” ❏ ❏ ❏

children face injustices behind closed doors but wear smiles so they don’t “get anyone in trouble.”

I am not okay watching friends and family bury loved ones, having not been able to hug or visit with them. I am not okay with them not having the opportunity to “send them off” in a grandiose fashion and, as an effect, not properly grieve due to the responsibilities for which the times call. I am not okay because by the time you read this, the death count at the hands of authority may have risen substantially.

A friend shared in a virtual discussion as we were heading into what is now, the present tense, “We have been tasked to build the plane while it is in flight.” My M belief b li f is i if we allow ll ourselves l to t truly assess where we are, what has happened, and where we are headed, when we know we’re struggling with being okay, it is vital to embrace the response, “I am not okay.”

A report published in 2019 by the National Council for Behavioral Health indicated Blacks/African Americans are 20% more likely to report psychological distress than white adults. As communities of color, we are also dealing with more stresses and triggers passed down through generations of systemic oppression. Nonetheless, we have an unmatched reputation to “just keep going” for the sake of continuing to “go.”

As it becomes more apparent that our reality will be far from “normal,” we will see many adjustments taking place in the months ahead. For many, it is time for us to embrace times when we are not okay and that is okay. Okay? ❏ ❏ ❏

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT FROM US?

By Rev. Betty Holley, Ph.D., Contributing Writer

Globally, we are facing a horrific moment in the age of the Anthropocene, the age of the human. The coronavirus pandemic on the prowl, spreading the deadly COVID-19 disease, which is claiming lives at this very moment, comes on top of the ongoing eco-justice agenda. There are major concerns about links between ecological health, economic inequities, environmental racism, police brutality, climate justice, and racial disparities in Black lives!

How do we respond to this pandemic that is shining the light on a plethora of injustice issues? According to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, people who contract COVID-19 are more likely to die from the disease if they live in areas with high levels of air pollution than those who breathe cleaner air.

The new research, which examines coronavirus cases across the United

States, underscores the need to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health. It also serves as a powerful, additional condemnation to White House administration efforts to roll back life- protecting clean air regulations.

Communities of color are disproportionately exposed to air pollution. Many communities of color—especially black and brown communities— are turning out to be highly vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic, with disproportionate numbers of infections and deaths among African Americans in both rural and urban areas across the country. Exposure to ...continued on p15

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PAUL QUINN COLLEGE, MINERVA PROJECT ANNOUNCE URBAN SCHOLARS PROGRAM LAUNCHING FALL 2020 Paul Quinn College (PQC), America’s first urban work college and one of the most celebrated colleges in the country, is pleased to announce the launch of the Urban Scholars Program in partnership with the Minerva Project, a pathbreaking educational innovator. The co-designed program is an innovative, accredited, degreegranting program offered out of the newly-established Honors College at Paul Quinn College to train the future leaders of our cities and country.

The Paul Quinn College x Minerva Urban Scholars Program is an accelerated, rigorous, interdisciplinary course of study for high-achieving, ambitious students who also possess an urgent sense of purpose. The Scholars selected for this program will earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Public Policy, while preparing to develop solutions to problems in one of three subject areas: public health, criminal justice reform, and the wealth gap. In addition to their academic studies, students will develop relationships with national and community leaders who will share insights gained from their years of personal experiences. “Students no longer want to sit in classrooms for four years and be lectured to over and over again.

Instead, today’s college students want to engage in the world around them, from day one,” said Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, the president of PQC. “This program, which focuses only on the most pressing issues of the day, is the future of interdisciplinary, challenge-based education. Paul Quinn is thrilled to have found the perfect partner in Minerva for bringing this dream to fruition,” he added.

“We are proud to partner with PQC to offer the Urban Scholars Program, which is a revolutionary degree program for young men and women to gain and apply relevant skills for creating real solutions in their communities. We owe it to this generation to redefine how a college education can change their life trajectory,” said Ben Nelson, the founder and CEO of Minerva Project. “We are committed to working with forward-thinking institutions to design relevant and compelling programs that put student learning at the forefront. Working with the team at PQC, there is no doubt their goal is to design an educational program for their students with maximum impact,” he added.

With the exception of a two-month winter break, students will attend classes year-round for three years. There will be no geographic restraints or residency requirements. Students will enroll in this program from all corners of the United States and be able to live at home. After their first year, Urban Scholars will work between 15 and 20 hours per week, as is standard with the PQC Corporate Work Program. The tuition for each semester will be fully covered by Pell Grants for the highest need students and the full cost of other fees will be covered by employer subsidies and scholarships in the second and third years.

The Paul Quinn College x Minerva Urban Scholars Program will enable students to earn a bachelor’s degree, gain relevant work experience, and work towards solving some of the greatest challenges of our time, over the course of only 36 months, for less than $7,500 in out-of-pocket costs for Pell-eligible students. ❏ ❏ ❏

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CONVERGENCE AND CONVERSATIONS

By Byron Washington, Columnist

As the world is heading into the fall and questions arise about what to do, there are hundreds of questions and scenarios about schools reopening, jobs, childcare, and teacher and student safety, amongst other things. The writer of James shows us something that we can look at when addressing this and how not attending to an issue can cause a larger problem.

James 1:14-15 says, “But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.” The text shows us how a temptation grows and expands into a sinful act that reaps a consequence.

If the initial idea, thought, or desire is dealt with then he or she never arrives at the consequence. For example, a drunk driver gets into his or her car and decides this is a bad idea. He or she exits the car and calls a taxi. The drunk driver does not reap the consequence of a DUI or a car accident and potentially death.

In our current American panoramic, we are now having to address the merging of multiple issues related to COVID-19. Had these issues been addressed sooner, like March or April, things would look much different now. We can look to Taiwan or New Zealand for how we could have perhaps addressed this issue more effectively.

That being said, with the convergence of problems, individuals or leaders have to start ranking and categorizing items based on importance. What one person sees as important, another person may not see the same way. This can be challenging on multiple levels.

If schools, businesses, officials, medical professionals, teachers, and parents are not all working together, the end will be problematic. When dealing with a situation such as COVID-19, all parties need to be in on the discussions. For example, if teachers, parents, and school officials talk but exclude business leaders and medical professionals, there will be a disconnect.

As we look at presidential candidates, this is a time to think about your governor, representatives, mayor, and senators. This is a time to examine how he or she handled this pandemic. This is a time to look at your local school board, superintendent, and city council. Many people overlook local elections and only focus on presidential elections. This pandemic, more than anything else, has emphasized the importance of electing the right officials at all levels of government.

Not attending to a real problem has left much of the nation in a predicament.

All things considered, it is time to pray. It is not time to simply pray for our officials but also pray that each of us makes the right decisions for our families. James 1:5 says, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.” ❏ ❏ ❏

EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE (EWC) RECIPIENT OF HISTORIC $3.5 MILLION INCREASE IN STATE SUPPORT Edward Waters College (EWC) President, Dr. A A. Zachary Faison, Jr., spoke on Wednesday, July 1, in a press conference taking place on the campus of sister HBCU Bethune-Cookman University alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in which he addressed the historic investment made w for the benefit of EWC in the 2020-2021 state legislative budget. During the press conference, le President Faison noted that, “Many students who w come to EWC do not drop out, they stop out, due to financial hardships and difficulties.

This additional support will help lessen that T unfortunate trend.” Governor DeSantis also duly acknowledged that an important part of Florida’s ac history is the tremendous contributions made to the th state by its HBCUs. This historic increase included an additional $3.5 $3 million to EWC leading to a total of $7.4 million slated to support the state of Florida’s first HBCU—EWC. This additional funding represents H a 72% increase in state support for EWC over the prior budget year. th President Faison announced that EWC also plans to utilize some of the additional support pl towards bringing new academic programs to the institution such as computer and information in science, forensic science, social work, and the advent of EWC’s first graduate degree program, ad i.e., a Master of Business Administration, ultimately leading to it becoming Edward Waters University. “We are brimming with anticipation and so very thankful for this tremendous investment and the transformative work that our Governor and state legislature led on behalf of our venerable institution,” said President Faison. ❏ ❏ ❏

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AUGUST 2020

The Christian Recorder

THECHRISTIANRECORDER.COM

...From It’s Above Me p3 also living through a global pandemic and all its adverse and disproportionate effects on our communities.

It seems one thing Black folks must be sure to do to survive this moment is to practice real self-care. When I watch that video, I find that Mr. Brooks’s calm resolve but absolute demand for his dignity is a great example of that. He took action to elevate the matter to the appropriate level and not worry himself with the matter any further.

To be sure, I am making no appeal to respectability politics here nor am I offering his response as a model for dealing with racism on an interpersonal level. The expression of Black rage in response to systemic oppression and racial prejudice is warranted. Mr. Brooks’s calm response is significant only in that it points to his inner resolve regarding the truth of his dignity as a Black person and that resolve was not tied in any way to the customer’s view of him.

Standing up against injustice is absolutely exhausting and can often be totally frustrating when it feels like people just do not get it. Why do we have to convince anyone that our Black lives matter? It’s infuriating.

However, what if we decide to pivot? What if instead of trying to convince others that our lives matter, we shift our perspective? It was clear that for Mr. Brooks, his dignity was absolute and not up for debate. It did not matter how the woman responded. We work for justice not to convince others that our lives matter but because it is the world God has called us to co-create.

Whether or not white folks, racists folks, or others get on board is not our concern. That is a matter they must settle with themselves in relationship with God. We have no control over how others view us nor are we called to fix it. We keep our fight for justice going, cover it in prayer, and leave the transformation work to God. It’s above us now.

The fight for justice as expressed through the BLM movement is ultimately an act of extending grace for those who need it; but in so doing, we do not look for anyone’s affirmation. God has already given us that. Do not let what others do affect your feelings about yourself or your mental health. That grants them too much power over you. Rather, we must do the justice work God called us to because God said so while entrusting the outcomes back to God. In the meantime, embrace Black joy, love your Black self and all the people around you, and live as authentically and beautifully as you can.

The Rev. Arionne Yvette Williams is an ordained elder in the AME Zion Church and the author of The Women of the Bible and You: A Weekly Devotional and Love Like I’ve Never Been Hurt: How To Heal From Heartbreak. She currently serves as an associate chaplain at the University of Indianapolis. You can connect with her at ArionneYvette.com.

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AUGUST 2020

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LIVING IN THE DUSK OR DAWN: AN EXISTENCE OR A LIFE

By Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr., Contributing Writer

As I reflect on moments of uncertainty and some fear, I remember attending James Weldon Johnson Junior High School in Jacksonville, Florida, and my History teacher using her class preparation time to challenge and motivate me to continue my education. I had made up my mind that I would leave school that day and never return.

I was experiencing a dusk moment in my life.

What is a dusk moment and why is it important?

Dusk is the moment between day and evening.

It is the moment between possibility and failure. It is the moment between finished business and unfulfilled dreams of the day. In the second quarter of 2020, we are living between dusk and dawn.

First, how does dusk look? College students and parents are attempting to make hard decisions regarding their future. Many universities and colleges are discussing online courses for the fall with some institutions possibly foregoing the entire fall semester. What impact would this have regarding our future generations? Some students will miss the opportunity to personally engage with professors that might bring the best out of a latent but brilliant mind. The dusk has possibilities but indicates the close of a day.

Secondly, the dusk of one’s existence means that life is not just a dream but it must become a reality. It must be fluid. The swimming lessons one wanted to take must happen now. The business one wanted to start must happen now.

The degree one always wanted to obtain must happen now. The day is moving to dusk and possibilities may be fading to a dream yet undone.

Some people live only to exist and not really live in the dawn of life. When we leave an old position that is our dusk. Serving a congregation for several years and gaining friendships and relationships but preparing to depart is dusk. A secular position we have held for several years with retirement approaching is also dusk. Our dusk moments do not mean a time of melancholy but a time of reflection and thanksgiving. God has called us to live beyond existence.

We must live in the dusk and dawn. A new appointment, job, business, or degree is dawn. Dawn becomes a time to live and experience new possibilities.

Lastly, dawn gives us new opportunities. The sun breaking across the horizon means a new day. Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

As we look for the dawn of new possibilities and opportunities, we also close a chapter of our life. The dawn is a new day. When we look back at the dusk, it is only for reflection. The dusk is gone forever.

My tentative decision to not return to junior high school that day was a pivotal moment of transition in my existential journey. The dawn of one’s existence is directed and empowered by the unseen hand of Almighty God. The uncertainty and blank spaces of our destiny are still guided by “ultimate concern” and the “I-Thou” relationship.

I share with our children all the time that “God is moving even if you think God is not moving.” Despite this technological and visual world, the mystery and awesomeness of God still exist. African Traditional Religions believed God was everywhere. God was in the trees that give us shade. God was in the rivers which give us fish. God was in the sky which provides for us the dusk and dawn.

Lately, I enjoy being an early riser. My day starts at 4:00 am when I rise and prepare for my morning training session on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

As I rush to the training site, I reflect and react to the quietness of the day.

The hymnologist records: “Blessed quietness, holy quietness, What assurance in my soul! On the stormy sea He speaks to me, How the billows cease to roll!”

Between the dusk and dawn, we live and not just exist. ❏ ❏ ❏

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The Christian Recorder

AUGUST 2020

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15TH DISTRICT COVID-19 RELIEF FUND

By Rev. Vuyo Gwarube, Rev. Betty Schroder, Rev. Audrey Ngamlana, Rev. Raynol Matthys, and Rev. Anthony Jacobs, 15th Episcopal District COVID-19 did not only strike the continents of the Northern Hemisphere earlier this year. It is a global pandemic, affecting First World and Third World countries. Developed, developing, and under-developed nations across the globe

are suffering because of sudden deaths, infections, and poor health conditions.

In most areas in the world, the effects of the pandemic are severe and the impact on the economy is devastating. In Southern Africa, for example, thousands of people employed in small businesses lost their jobs during the lockdown period. Ordinary people are suffering because of hunger and poor means of living. In some families, the breadwinner died because of COVID-19 and the family is left without an income. Many of these broken families belong to the AME Church. They are officers and members of our Zion.

Months ago, we discovered that virtual worship services are good and encouraging but far from enough. There is a Macedonian Call from the most devastating and needy loved ones to “come over and help us” (Acts 16:6-10).

We are blessed to have Bishop David and Supervisor Irene Daniels as our Episcopal leaders. In spite of the limitations of reaching out in the 15th Episcopal District in these trying times, they still envisioned a COVID-19 Relief Plan to provide food to the neediest families in the District.

Our research indicates that one food hamper will provide food to a family of three to five persons for at least three weeks. The plan was to provide at least 300 hampers every month for May, June, and July 2020. We are blessed to report that in May and June, we have provided food for at least 2,400 persons across the 15th District. This was made possible partly because of the generous

financial contribution of more than R100 000 by our presiding prelate, Bishop Daniels, and his partner in missions, Supervisor Daniels.

The vision of Bishop and Supervisor Daniels was received with open arms by the entire leadership of the 15th le District.

The Presiding D Elders’ Council, Women’s E Missionary Society, Young M People’s Division, BOCE, P pastors, and the Lay Organization p i i are practically i ll involved i l d in the execution of the project. All of the 15th Episcopal District leadership on all levels made financial contributions D from the members out of their extreme poverty and fr disadvantages to this noble project. d The setting of the 15th Episcopal District COVID-19 Relief Fund and Food Parcels has been done by the COVID-19 Committee. This Committee F is comprised of the chairperson, Presiding Elder Wellington Bikwa, who is the th president of the Presiding Elders’ Council for the 15th District and cochairs Ms. Phyllis Fezeka Baduza-Kabi, the District WMS President; Brother c M. M Chris Qwane, the District Lay Organization President; and Presiding Elder M. Henderson Bisiwe, the District Treasurer.

A manual comprising the working principles, procedure, and protocol for the project was compiled by the COVID-19 Relief Fund Secretariat. The application and evaluation processes are done by the presiding elders and local pastors in consultation with the WMS on local, area, and conference levels.

Upon the approval by the necessary parties, food parcels were purchased and distributed to successful applicants. For May and June, more than 600 food parcels were distributed. Some of the presiding elder districts have personal outreach programmes which increase the numbers. We are now in the process of planning for July and beyond then.

The Lord really blessed the 15th District in these trying times. With all the initiatives, achievements, and endeavours, we say, “To God be the glory.”

We salute our Episcopal leaders for their noble vision and contribution. Surely, they are standing in the gap for a desperate and despondent people negatively affected by COVID-19. Thank you to the entire Episcopal district leadership who bought into the vision and helped make it a huge success. ❏ ❏ ❏

APPROVAL AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD PARCELS IN MAY 2020 CONFERENCE

HAMPERS FROM THE 15TH

Boland Cape Eastern Cape

50 40 50

EXTRA HAMPERS FROM PE DISTRICTS

12 14 20

CONFERENCE

HAMPERS FROM THE 15TH

Kalahari Namibia Queenstown

50 50 50

Total 290

EXTRA HAMPERS FROM PE DISTRICTS

0 15 50

111

Grand total = 401

FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS BY THE 15TH EPISCOPAL LEADERSHIP TEAM NAME

Bishop and Supervisor Daniels Boland Annual Conference Presiding Elders WMS Lay Organization Cape Annual Conference Presiding Elders WMS Eastern Cape Conference Presiding Elders WMS Conference Lay Organization Kalahari Annual Conference Presiding Elders

COMMITMENT

R100 042,00 R21 000,00 R7 500,00 R5 000,00 R4 000,00 R21 000,00 R6 000,00 R4 000,00 R15 000,00 R7 500,00 R5 000,00 R5 000,00 R18 000,00 R6 000,00

$5,884,82 $1,235,29 $441,18 $294,12 $235,29 $1,235,29 $352,94 $235,29 $882,35 $441,18 $294,12 $294,12 $1,058,82 $352,94

NAME

COMMITMENT

Namibia Annual Conference R15 000,00 Presiding Elders R7 500,00 WMS, BOCE and Lay Organization R5 200,00 Queenstown R15 000,00 Presiding Elders R7 500,00 WMS R5 000,00 Conference Lay Organization R5 000,00 Episcopal WMS R10 000,00 Episcopal Lay Organization R6 000,00 Episcopal YPD R3 000,00 Sis Linda Mitshwelo - Connectional Officer R2 000,00 Sis Fezi Baduza- Kabi R1 600,00 Sis Kereditse R1 000,00 TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS

R308 842,00

$882,35 $441,18 $305,88 $882,35 $441,18 $294,12 $294,12 $588,24 $352,94 $176,47 $117,65 $94,12 $58,82 $18,167,18

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CHURCHES STRATEGIZE HOW THEY WILL RECONVENE AFTER COVID-19

By Angelena Spears, 1st Episcopal District

By June 1, all states were beginning to relax restrictions put into place to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, despite the signal from governors that it might be okay for churches to return to having services in their sanctuaries, AME Churches seemed intent on following the directives from the Council of Bishops that discouraged resuming services in the sanctuaries until after the Council had deemed it was prudent to do so.

The Rev. Dr. Silvester Beaman is the pastor of Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

The church had more than 1,000 members before the church doors closed in March, there were two Sunday services.

The Rev. Dr. Beaman says it is important that the Church “self-determine” when to re-open and not base their decision on governors or the president. “We have to do what is best for the congregants,” he said.

When Dr. Beaman was asked in June when he thought services would resume, he replied, “Based on the projections of the infectious rate and the deaths, it’s just too soon.” He said he thought it could be at least another few months before they would return for worship.

Bethel-Wilmington has formed a task force consisting of stewards, trustees, and other members of the Official Board. Medical doctors are on the task force and also his wife, Renee Beaman, who works for the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services, and brings valuable insight to the group. “The task force is doing its due diligence to determine what we need to see in the numbers of COVID-19 tests and the decline in the death rate,” said Dr. Beaman. “I’m not on the task force because this is not my area of expertise… I trust the leaders and they report back to me, and I make the final decision. I have enough work to do in the virtual church,” he added.

The task force looks at when and how the church will reopen. In Delaware, Governor John Carney’s original restrictions for the re-opening of houses of worship included requiring the use of face masks and gloves, banning personto-person contact which would have impacted Communion and baptisms, and banning persons age 65 and older from attending services. Additionally, choirs were banned, handshaking was prohibited, and attendance would have been limited to 30% of the sanctuary’s capacity. The Rev. Beaman asked, “How do you tell a group of 700 people that you can only accommodate 200?”

Getting feedback from the members is also key to the re-convening process.

The church has implemented a rigorous outreach effort called Reach Out and Touch Bethel Members. Each group member is asked to call 25 members each week and the lists are rotated weekly. Older members are responding that they like virtual worship and are clear that they have no intention of rushing back until there is a vaccine or the rate of infection has flattened.

According to Dr. Beaman, “We are still the church, and we have not allowed COVID-19 to define the work of this church… As a result, the online services have been well-attended and the offerings are as good if not better than when we were not COVID-19.” He added that when a church is doing ministry, COVID-19 is going to strengthen that church and make it better.

The Rev. Ellis I. Washington is the pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Before COVID-19, attendance at Sunday services averaged 225-250 members. Now, the members attend worship via Zoom. The Rev. Washington said they did a poll of the congregation to see if they were anxious to return to the sanctuary. The 74% response of “no” did not surprise him. “I really don’t see us opening until September… This is not a hard date but a [early] projection,” he said.

The Rev. Washington said one alternative to worshiping in the sanctuary has been offered to the church through a local business association. The association has proposed converting a large parking lot into an open-air amphitheater. Space

AUGUST 2020

PAGE | 15

...From Task Is Once p5 communities across the state.

That’s why former Vice President Joe Biden and the DNC implemented a holistic program for voter registration, voter mobilization, and voter protection. It stands against GOP-led voter suppression efforts across America. That’s why we’ll win.

I wish I could have been there to hear that Mississippi pastor all those years ago. I wish I could have heard those words echo inside those walls, “If a task is once begun, never leave it ‘till it’s done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all.” In the end, I’m glad I wasn’t there because the fight is here now. I didn’t need to hear those words echo from church walls because I carry them always inside my heart.

Antjuan Seawright is a Democratic political strategist, the founder and CEO of Blueprint Strategy LLC, and a CBS News Political Contributor. Follow him on Twitter: @antjuansea.

...From Coronavirus Pandemic p10 pollution is one of many factors that negatively

impact public health among communities of color, resulting from decades of inequitable policy decisions.

Amid this crucial and frightening time, we must ask the question: What does God expect from us? This same question was asked by the eighth-century prophet Micah, amid injustice and violence BCE to the Judean society in the scripture verse found in Micah 6:8. It reads, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” This passage offers three commands to enable us to give a clear response.

To do justice, the first command, means to be honest and impartial in our witnessing. It requires fair treatment and the promotion of racial equity in the courts for all people, but especially for people who have limited resources to defend themselves.

To love kindness, the second command, means that we must reach deep into our hearts to find attitudes that will manifest themselves in positive and merciful actions toward God and all of humankind. It involves putting our love into action.

The first and second commands stood at the center of Israel’s faith-talks: love of neighbor and love of God. How can we say that we love God, whom we have never seen, and promote injustices toward our brother or sister that we see? We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

To walk humbly with your God, the third command, means that we allow God to be our constant companion and guide. To walk humbly with our God is to give up all pretense to self-sufficiency and instead rely on God as our help and shield. To walk humbly also invites us to the faith journey of selfgiving, self-sacrificing, and self-emptying, thereby allowing our walk to please Almighty God. The bottom line is that our ultimate response to COVID-19 must be to seize every opportunity to continue the work of advocacy for justice for all of humankind. Justice cannot be canceled during this coronavirus pandemic! ❏ ❏ ❏ could be used by the church and two other organizations: a dance company and theater company. Discussions are continuing about how space would be shared and if everything materializes, the outdoor services could begin as soon mid-July and go through mid-October. The setting would accommodate 125 persons.

Whether the church reconvenes in the outdoor setting or inside of the church, the Rev. Washington thinks the drop in attendance at in-person services could be as much as 40-50%, numbers he has also heard from other ministry colleagues in other denominations as many seniors and others may be comfortable in just enjoying the online services.

Instead of seeing this as a negative, the Rev. Washington says the postCOVID-19 church will be a tremendous opportunity for the church to beef up its online attendance. Given that church attendance across denominational lines have been declining, the Rev. Washington asks, “How can we re-shift? This crisis forces us to see how we can continue online, even when we are in the building.”

The church will continue to stream services after the doors of the church open again. The Rev. Washington also thinks many services will adapt to shorter timeframes. “I’ve been doing one-hour virtual services for the past eight weeks…

Before, when we were in the sanctuary, the services were one to two hours,” he added. ❏ ❏ ❏

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AUGUST 2020

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A COURAGEOUS CHURCH

By Rev. Dr. Monica Jones, Contributing Writer

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PAN-AFRICAN AGENCY AND GLOBAL SOLIDARITY MATTER IN ENDING HUNGER

As the church considers the challenges of returning tto or remaining in whatever status circumstances rrequire, the words revealed to John by Christ Jesus for tthe church at Philadelphia in Revelation provide us gguidance. In chapter 3, John’s message to the people hhas to do with the necessity of holding on amid aadversity and remembering who it is that provides the oopportunity.

Revelation 3:8 says, “I know your works. Look, I hhave set before you an open door, which no one is able tto shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet yyou have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

Christ Jesus is proclaiming that if we just hold on, even C with a little strength, the door of opportunity will be w opened. It will be a door that no one can shut. Our job is to be courageous and faithful.

Three points are important in this message today. First, to be a courageous and faithful church, we should seize every opportunity to make a difference. Secondly, we must be strong in adversity. Finally, we must remain steadfast to our purpose and the Word of God. Opportunity is a precious thing. It does not come around often. When it does, we must grab and use it to serve God’s church. Some remember a song by the great singer Lou Rawls called, “If I Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda,” where he moans about the opportunity he had to find true love and how he lost it. When God presents us with a challenge, we can ignore or run from it. If we maintain a spirit of faith, however, we can see it as an opportunity to do something meaningful for God’s people.

When we lose our plush job, perhaps it is an opportunity to start our own business. When a loan doesn’t go through at one bank, perhaps it is an opportunity to begin a relationship with a new and better bank. When one ministry ends, perhaps it is an opportunity to begin a new and more effective ministry. It is often not easy; but, make a difference by turning setbacks into successes. For example, don’t be afraid of new approaches. Technology has seen us through a challenging period. Embrace it! It may be a vehicle to the dawning of a new and permanent ministry. Make a difference by turning visions into victories. Make a difference by turning “we can’t” into “we can!”

Next, be strong in the Lord, even in adversity! In his message, Christ Jesus said that when we have just a little strength to follow his will and keep his word, he will open the door for us. Do not allow doubters and doom thinkers to determine your future. Just have a little strength and keep going. I am sure you have seen the Eveready commercial with the pink bunny rabbit. It doesn’t matter what he comes up against—a fierce enemy or ship from out of space—he gets his drum, holds his head up, and keeps on moving.

When others tell you that it can’t be done, just look to the Source of your strength and keep on moving. When part of the church doesn’t share the vision, do not fear, just keep on moving. The Lord will be with you and will give you what you need to get the job done.

It takes a little strength and Jesus.

Finally, do not let challenges and uncertainty change your focus. If the Lord has given you a purpose, stay with it. Go to the Bible and read what the Holy Scripture says about remaining steadfast and true to your work. Read what it says in Isaiah about those who wait on the Lord. Read what it says in Psalms about walking through shadows of death and God’s presence. Read what it says in Luke about Mary’s magnifying the Lord.

Remain steadfast! Don’t give up! Praise God each day for the great things that he has done and will do. To be a courageous church, keep up the work you have begun and continue to use every opportunity to make a difference. To be a courageous church, don’t let adversity stop you. Stay strong in the Lord. To be a courageous church, remain steadfast to your purpose and the Word of God. In this era of strife and crisis, it is our duty and calling.

This is a renewed season of Pan-African agency and global solidarity. Recently, 54 African nations called the United Nations to an urgent meeting on racism and asked for an investigation into the killings of people of African descent at the hands of police. The meeting was not only a response to the killing of George Floyd but also to the many lives in the United States and throughout the world extinguished or harmed by racism. The global meeting at the UN was one of many signs of a renewed Pan-African spirit—calling for global solidarity to stop racism and the killing of people of the African diaspora. Other signs of this growing coalition of PanAfrican agency include on-the-street uprisings to change racist systems, policies, and practices; rejection of symbols that serve as a reminder of a draconian past of racial violence and hatred; and focus of health disparities that negatively impact people of African descent—revealed again in this COVID-19 season.

The roots of Pan-African agency go back to the days of the transatlantic slave trade when the struggle for the liberation of enslaved African peoples sparked cross-continental activism. Bread’s Pan-African devotional, Lament and Hope, highlights this with a focus on their faith. Activists hope for a future devoid of the public policies and practices that have systematically contributed to the inhumane treatment and discrimination of people of African descent. These policies and practices have contributed to the colonization of the lands of African peoples and have left many African peoples landless and hungry.

In the last century, strategic movements channeled the work and agency of the African Diaspora. For example, women leaders participated in Pan-African conferences and congresses including the Manchester Pan-African conferences.

In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, African nations attained independence from colonial rule. Additionally, a collaborative Pan-African spirit supported the civil rights movement in the US and elsewhere. These movements served as catalysts unifying the African world in collaborating against apartheid, neo-colonialism, and exploitation of land and resources. This has pushed the international community and international institutions to maximize focus on the issues of peace, justice, and dignity for the Pan-African world. This legacy has helped usher in the renewed Black Lives Matter moment.

As the renewed rising of African peoples takes place throughout the world, we need renewed justice-centered relationships and policies to propel us to overcome racism in all its manifestations: poverty, hunger, disease, injustice, and climate change. At Bread for the World, we are working toward a strong and prosperous Africa and its Diaspora—to protect dignity and prosperity within and outside Africa. In a spirit of oneness and “ubuntu,” we seek a shared understanding of the different contexts in which African peoples reside as we join together to create a public policy agenda for the good of all.

The Rev. Monica C. Jones, Ph.D. is the director of Christian Education Ministries at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

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

...From Toiling During p1 even though its rays can be still be seen, proved to be an intense but gratifying experience for me. Playtime was ending but dinner was not far away!

Jesus indirectly alludes to the significance of twilight in the life of the body of Christ. In John 9:4, Jesus states: “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” Jesus does not explicitly talk about twilight in this passage; however, one may infer that there will be some time before Christ returns to humanity before the end of the world,

By Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, Bread for the World

e.g., the darkness.

The dawning of salvation history began with Genesis. The conclusion of salvation history is recorded in Revelation. When I understood that my playtime would be limited because of the twilight, I became more focused.

If we would become more focused on the work that God has called us to do if we honestly believed that Christ would return soon. If we knew that the spiritual twilight of humanity was ending, I believe that we would work intensely to love one another and render service to humanity so that our deeds

would be acknowledged by God in heaven. One may argue that our unwillingness to demonstrate universal and unconditional love, service, and forgiveness is inextricably connected to our inability to recognize the gift of this twilight season.

God has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to love, serve, and forgive during this twilight season. No one knows the hour that Jesus will return (Matthew 24:36); therefore, let us take advantage of this fleeting light provided by the Light of the World, i.e., Jesus Christ, during this season. ❏❏❏

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CALMING TROUBLED WATERS John Wm. Roberts, Ed.D., Contributing Writer

Most of us are familiar with the words to the iconic song “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”

The lyrics to the music are poems enhanced by melodies.

Throughout the worship experience, water is used in songs to help calm a life storm, ease the pain of an aching or broken heart, provide assurance that better times are ahead, and ensure peace. During these times of the COVID-19 pandemic; insecurities within the economic, physical, and social lives of many; and with the angst and anger of human degradation, we have solace in the songs we have sung throughout the ages where water is the key element.

One song that comes to mind when the storms and tempests of life seem to overwhelm us. It is a 19th-century song of unknown origin; however, it’s based on Matthew 28:20 KJV. The song is “Never Alone.” Verse 1 says, “I’ve seen the lightning flashing, and heard the thunder roll, I’ve felt sin’s breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul; I’ve heard the voice of Jesus, telling me still to fight on—He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.”

This feeling of Christ’s assurance is also reinforced in a song written by Charles Albert Tindley entitled, “Stand By Me.” The lyrics say, “When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me… When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea, Thou who rulest wind and water, Stand by me.”

Water is used in worship music as a way to project a way of purifying through trial. Iron does not become steel until it is forged and tempered. The trials of life are tempering us to become steadfast in our faith and trust in God will always provide stability in our lives.

Psalm 1:3 states, “They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” A variation of this verse was made popular by the GMWA Gospel Workshop Choir. A part of the song says, “Though waves of affliction sweep over my soul and billows and storm clouds continue to roll, He made me a promise He’d anchor my soul… I shall not, I shall not, Oh, I shall not be moved.”

This image is further reinforced by the title of the song, “He’ll Bring You Peace in the Midst of the Storm.” Even though our lives may be the midst of a

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LOOSE HER AND LET HER GO

By Rev. Dr. Maxine Thomas, Columnist

John 11:44 says, “The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” Beloved, Jesus has conquered sickness, death, and the grave. First Corinthians 15:55 asks, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Isn’t it good to know that through Christ Jesus, you are victorious over even death? There is no power greater than God’s power. The power of God can raise you up from whatever pit you are in. Take a deep breath and exhale!

Aren’t you glad that you have come forth?

Even as Lazarus came forth, he still had his grave clothes on. The Bible says he was bound hand and foot and that his face was bound about with a napkin.

When you come to Jesus, you don’t have to hide the beer bottle or act like everything is alright when you really feel as if you are about to lose your mind.

When you come to Jesus, you can come with all of your hang-ups and all of your inadequacies. You can come bound by the sin and shame of your past. Lazarus came forth with his grave clothes on.

The command that Jesus gave after Lazarus came forth was two-fold. Jesus commanded that his bands be loosed and said, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

My sister, God is about to send you forth. That which held you captive must let you go. Through Moses, God told Pharaoh to “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1).

So, you have the power to command whatever has you bound to let you go.

Woman of purpose and destiny, after you have been loosed, you can’t remain in the same place. You must get up and get out of there. I don’t know about you but I’m going somewhere. I’m moving on up to higher ground. I’m moving to a new level of worship and seeking His face. I may have to cry sometime but I’m going. I may get lied on and talked about but I’m going. I may have to feel like I am all by myself but I’m going. I’ve been loosed, my soul has been set free, and I’m going. My friend, you are really loved.

I am convinced that there is more to this Christian journey than just a “fix” on Sunday morning. So, I loose the fear of freedom and, with glad joy, here I come. ❏ ❏ ❏

51ST QUADRENNIAL GENERAL CONFERENCE RESCHEDULED TO JULY 2021 On April 22, 2020, the General Conference Commission voted to reschedule the 51st Quadrennial General Conference to July 2021. The Conference will be from July 6-10, 2021.

Montgomery. It says, “He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow, Restores

For those who have already registered and reserved their hotel reservations for the General Conference, you will be contacted by email with further instructions within the next three weeks. Thank you for your patience while we work through these details.

me when wandering, redeems when oppressed.”

Observer registration for the Conference remains open. The discounted registration of $120 (with Member Card) has been extended until December 31, 2020. Register now at https://www.ame-church.com/.

storm, remember the lyrics of the hymn “The Lord Is My Shepherd” by James

While the storms are raging now, always keep in your hearts and minds that God will never forsake His own. There is calm after every storm! ❏ ❏ ❏

With the move of the General Conference to 2021, the 37th Biennial of the Connectional Lay Organization will also be moved and held in Orlando following the General Conference. The planning team is working to finalize new contracts with the hotels and the Orange County Convention Center. Once completed, more details will be released. ❏ ❏ ❏

A BLACK MALE IN AMERICA NEVER BREATHES FREELY

By Loretta Moore, 1st Episcopal District

“Mom, I worry about how I’m seen. I feel insecure every time I’m visible, anytime I’m outside, even outside to care for my yard, I feel vulnerable.

I always feel I’m compromising my sense of safety,” my son, Michael, sadly related to me. That particular evening, my 35-year-old African American son and I had a telephone conversation about the uprising the George Floyd murder triggered.

Michael mentioned distinct instances, some of which I recalled that demonstrated the sense of insecurity he’s always experienced because of his Blackness. Listening to Michael, I felt the pain and regret that overspreads his life and the lives of other Black males.

Throughout his life, I’ve worried about that time he’d find himself in that demeaning, frightening position as a Black victim of an officer of the law when he shouldn’t be. As a law-abiding, upstanding man, my son—and others like him—can not enjoy a sense of security or contentment. Race automatically violates their right to breathe freely.

America, from its formation onward, has been an irreconcilable venture. A powerful Europe grabbed the Natives’ land. Then, a force of revolutionary settlers captured the British landlord’s stolen claim. From that takeover, historically devastating victimization ensued in slavery.

A hostile past accompanies life every day if you don’t use strong will to disengage its grip. Rebuking what was a long period of human captivity of African Americans is possible but total liberation is undeliverable. Slavery’s damning effect is unshakable from the soul of black folks. This experience is especially so for African American males.

Enslavement is the harshest and cruel treatment for any people to endure. So it was for Blacks brought from Africa during the Middle Passage for the ...continued on p24

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REDEMPTION FROM HELL

By Rev. Jazmine Brooks, Contributing Writer

We believe in God embodied, living among us, crucified, and rising again from death. From the birth of Jesus to the Resurrection, to believe in Jesus as God’s son and as a symbol of redemption is to have a radical faith.

We have radical faith. It is not unlike the faith of our ancestors who, only knowing enslavement on American soil, did believe in the abolition of slavery and the eradication of Black suffering at the hands of the state.

It is not unlike the faith of Angela Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Mariame Kaba who have historically and presently called for the abolition of prisons and police.

Oftentimes, oppressive governmental structures are the impetus for deviation from legal conformity. Selling loose cigarettes (Eric Garner) and burned CDs (Alton Sterling) or making a purchase with counterfeit bills (George Floyd) are human responses to economic deprivation.

To run away or respond in angst to being approached by agents of the ruling class is a human response to political disfranchisement and the redundant miscarriage of justice.

America has criminalized human responses to social, economic, and political persecution.

Though sociological in one form, these non-redemptive systems have very real theological implications because they are reflective of the fire and brimstone theologies that condemn us to eternal suffering for succeeding at being human.

Yet, we are not criminals. Our desire to survive has simply been criminalized by the same system that manufactured our need to survive. We are extensions of God’s spirit, as are all of God’s creation, made in the image and likeness of God. We are inherently good. This criminalization of Black survival, however, was born out of eurocentric theologies of crime and punishment. It is not the witness of Jesus. We believe that Jesus was a revolutionary prophet who dared to challenge the socio-political order of his time with a message of love.

Jesus’ life condemned the state that lynched him. Jesus’ Resurrection, therefore, is God’s redemptive work.

Said differently, Calvary’s hill is the place where agents of the state lynched a revolutionary.

We are not, therefore, redeemed by a one-time proclamation of faith nor a continued process of personal sanctification. We are redeemed instead in our co-commission with God, fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be the divine encounter that Jesus was in his lifetime. Jesus brought in from the margins those who had been thrown away by their community and made them evangelists. He took the shepherds and fishermen—menial laborers—and made them disciples. These were the victims of economic depravity in the first century. For free, he healed those without healthcare and fed the 5,000 living in a food desert. That work was redemptive. When the curtain closed on Calvary’s hill, it appeared that the hope of redemption had been lost. The revolutionary had been lynched; but on the third day, the empty tomb was there to prove God’s redemptive power, over and against the powers of the state.

Jesus came that we might have a life but the mass production of hell is robbing us of that abundance. Hell is a contrived system and theology of control through violent, dehumanizing retribution. It is fueled by an anti-Christ theology and is the place that preachers and religious pundits send the irredeemable. Hell underwrites the existential crisis that blots out the gift of God’s spirit inherent in all of God’s creation. It is isolation; physical torment; social, political, and economic disenfranchisement; and the wedge between families and communities of support. America and the American criminal (in) justice system is hell. As followers of Jesus, we demand that all of God’s children be redeemed from manufactured hells that God never intended for us to be condemned to in the first place.

We must begin to think more critically about condemnation, grace, and redemption in the cross. Though a world devoid of hell requires a radical reimagining, there is precedence for this imagination. We stand within a lineage of believers who understood redemption as the radical reclamation of our divinity and humanity. That lineage begins in Jesus’ declaration that we might have life and have it more abundantly. That declaration was internalized by our ancestors who, even under the harsh whips of chattel slavery, were convinced that freedom was their God-given right. They are not much different from those who struggled against Jim Crow laws and those who fight for our collective liberation today.

If we believe in redemption, we do not need systems of retribution. We must do away with hell in all of its variations—fire and brimstone in the afterlife, hunger and poverty in this life, homelessness, state-sanctioned violence, capitalist exploitations, colonialism and neo-colonialism, and imperial pursuits—and that includes prisons and police. Hell can neither be reformed nor redeemed. ❏ ❏ ❏

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LET TRUE FREEDOM LIVE

By Mary Frances Walton, Contributing Writer

Luke 8:17 says, “For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.” On July 17, 2014, in Staten Island, New York, Eric Garner refused to be handcuffed after being accused of illegally selling loose cigarettes. He died after saying he couldn’t breathe 11 times as officers forced him to the pavement.

On March 13, 2020, police officers from Louisville, Kentucky’s Metro Police Department’s Criminal Interdiction Division used a no-knock warrant to enter B Breonna T Taylor’s home, shooting l ’ h h her five times. She subsequently died.

On March 15, 2020, a pandemic known as the COVID-19 erupted that is spread when people talk, cough, or sneeze. Personal prevention such as handwashing, staying home when sick, and environmental cleaning and disinfecting areas are important principles that lessen the spread of this deadly coronavirus.

Most state governments in the United States placed shelter-in-place or stayat-home orders and advised practicing social or physical distancing as a way to combat the spread of COVID-19. Only essential personnel were expected to work.

On May 25, 2020, police were called after George Floyd allegedly used a fake $20 bill to make a purchase. Floyd told Minneapolis police officers he “could not breathe” at least 20 times as one officer was kneeling on his throat for eight minutes and 46 seconds. He then passed out and subsequently died.

After Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests have been fearless. In the midst of all of these overwhelming circumstances, parents were teleworking, students were distance learning, and families are living together and surviving in an environment that is quite unfamiliar to everyone.

The next steps are to plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize. We plan to wear masks and fully comply with COVID-19 precautions from Dr. Fauci, the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization; complete the 2020 Census; and voter registration.

The 2020 Census counts the population in the US and the five US territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for you and your community. The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790.

Since the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, voter engagement efforts have played a vital role in our democratic process.

Organize and get registered voters to the polls and the continual removal of controversial monuments, especially Confederate monuments, statues, and symbols that have been the subject of nationwide debate. The strategy is to live free by fighting for race equity, health, education, and the abundant economic success of our government.

We must also mobilize with the arrest of the officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor. Take action so that the funding disparities of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provides federal dollars to public and private schools by the US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, is in the form of “equitable services” for low-income public school students. Examine, act, rethink, and rewrite the “Officers Bill of Rights” and the “Justice Policing Act of 2020.”

Finally, be a part of the heartbeat transformation process by renewing the minds and hearts of people to what is true, right, and pure in the unabridged history of the US. Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, “Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.

For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.”

Mary Frances Walton is a member Community of Hope AME Church in Community of Hope AME Church in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, where the Rev. Tony Lee is the pastor.

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— —TRANSITIONS — — EDITH JACKSON-BAKER (1963-2020) Edith was born on January 26, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, to the late Charlotte M. Jackson (Garrett) and the late Jerome (Jerry) Jackson. She was an only child to both of her parents. She answered the Lord’s call to rest easy on June 13, 2020.

Edith attended Newark Public School System, graduating from East Side High School in 1981. During those high school years, Edith created East Side’s first Dancing Mascot. From 1978-1981, she was known as the best high school mascot in the City of Newark. After graduating, she attended Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. She then relocated to Kean University in Union, New Jersey.

Edith learned about the goodness of the Lord at an early age at Israel Memorial AME Church.

There, she was a member of the Polyphony Choir, the Young People’s Division of the Women’s Missionary Society, and the Sunday School.

In 1981, at a high school graduation party, she met Ronald (Ronnie) Baker. They dated and married in 1983. From this union, two children were born: Melvin Lloyd and Tracee Nicole.

During the years with Ronnie, Edith started entertaining through pantomiming.

She performed as Jennifer Holiday and Patti LaBelle. Ronnie performed as Barry White and Luther Vandross. Ronnie and Edith performed all over New Jersey and New York. Edith was later known as Miss Jennifer Holiday and had shows booked for many years.

Edith worked for various employers. They include New Jersey Bell as a customer service representative, Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey as a customer service representative, New Jersey Department of Corrections as a senior corrections officer, County of Essex Division of Welfare and Work First New Jersey as a clerk typist, and the Township of Irvington, New Jersey as a senior clerk typist and a program coordinator.

In 2009, Edith had to take medical leave when she was diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Failure (ESRD) and had to go on dialysis.

During this time on dialysis, she met many new friends and became a volunteer to the New Jersey Sharing Network, an organ and tissue recovery organization. She was placed on the transplant list; and after three years on dialysis, on February 12, 2012, she received the greatest gift, a kidney.

In January of 2011, during a routine mammogram, Edith was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer. In March 2011, she had a partial mastectomy and radiation treatment. In March 2013, the breast cancer returned, causing her to have a total mastectomy.

Through it all, Edith never lost focus on the greater prize, Jesus. Through her strong faith

in the Lord, she kept on singing, praising, spreading the good of the Lord, and knowledge of organ and tissue donation as well as early detection of breast cancer.

Edith’s favorite scriptures were Psalms 121, 1 Corinthian 15:51, and Proverbs 3:6. Some of her favorite hymns and songs were “I Won’t Complain,” I Worship You” by Mary Mary, “His Eye Is On The Sparrow,” and “He Touched Me.” Edith leaves to cherish her memory, children, Melvin Lloyd and Tracee Nicole; bonus brother, Anthony C. Culpepper, Jr.; aunt, Bernadette M. Guyton; cousins, George Kendall Threadgill, Andre David Threadgill, and Anissa Erica Kennedy; dear friends, Sharome Wade, Theresa Leake, Linda Francis, and Jerusha Dryer; and a host of other relatives and friends. Edith is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, G. Stanley and Fedora Mae Threadgill; mother, Charlotte M. Garrett; father, Jerome Jackson; dad, Anthony C. Culpepper, Sr.; husband, Ronald Baker; uncles, George S. Threadgill and the Rev. M. Lloyd Guyton; aunt, Ruth– Ann Threadgill; and cousin, Rhonda Yvette Kennedy McCall.

RUSSELL LYNN LIVINGSTON (1955-2020) Russell Lynn Livingston was born on January 14, 1955, to Henry and Willie Lucille Livingston in Waco, Texas. He attended school in the La Vega and Waco Independent School Systems. He matriculated at North Texas State University where he majored in Elementary Education with a minor in English and Mathematics. While there, he pledged the Eta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., where he served as the parliamentarian and chaplain.

Upon graduation, Russell accepted a teaching job in the Fort Worth Independent School System at Morningside Middle School.

In 1990, he decided to continue his studies at Tarleton State University. There, he studied Educational Administration with a minor in Mid-Management. When he completed this program, he moved into administration. He served as an assistant principal and principal in the Arlington Independent School District and assistant principal and principal in the Cedar Hill Independent School District. In 2001, Russell pursued his Superintendent’s Certification.

His love for children and education led to Russell receiving two lifetime Parent Teacher Association memberships. Russell retired from Cedar Hill in 2009 but returned several times to substitute for administrators. Russell was also an adjunct professor for TCC for over 30 years, teaching GED classes and Skills Enhancement classes.

Russell was a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Fort Worth Retired School Educators Association,

NAACP (Life Member), and Beta Tau Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., where he served as the chaplain. He recently received a Man of Valor Award.

One of his great joys happened on June 27, 1984, when his son, Brandon, was born. They played sports together and attended many sports functions together. Also, Brandon followed in his father’s footsteps and became active in the Lay Organization of the AME Church. As a consequence, the two of them were seen at many meetings from the local to Connectional levels.

Russell has been an active member of the church since he could walk! In various churches, he has served as a steward, usher, choir member, class leader, and member of the local Lay Organization. On the Episcopal District level, Russell has served as the parliamentarian and an advisor to the president. On the Connectional level, he served a parliamentarian, being the youngest member of the Executive Board at the time of his election. He also fought to have more young people involved and was part of the youth movement at the 1972 General Conference. In 1976, Russell was one of the first youth delegates to be elected under the new provisions. He served as a delegate to all General Conferences from 1984 to 2016.

Russell united with Baker Chapel AME Church in 2008. He served as a steward, Sunday School teacher, choir member, class leader, Lay Ministry, and member of the Lay Organization.

In 2011, Russell married Steva Franklin and his life rejuvenated. They traveled frequently.

He often teased her that he only loved her two times per day—day and night.

On June 28, 2020, Russell departed this life. Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Steva Livingston; son, Brandon Livingston, daughter-in-love, Erica Livingston; granddaughter, McKenzie Paige Livingston; and a host of relatives and friends.

LAURENE BARBARA MCMILLAN (1940-2020) Laurene Barbara McMillan entered eternal rest on April 1, 2020. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 10, 1940, to the late Edward McMillan and Laura Lee McMillan.

She was dedicated and active in the church, notably St. Paul, Union Bethel, Morris Brown, and Cummings Temple AME Churches and Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church. She was active in the life of the AME Church at all levels and served as the secretary of the Connectional Lay Organization. She was also an organist and shared her musical talent at most of the churches where she belonged. She also formerly coordinated the Christian Debutantes at St. Paul AME Church.

Laurene was a proud ...continued on p21

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graduate of McDonogh #35 Senior High School, Class of 1957, and remained extremely active in their alumni association.

She was a graduate of Dillard University and Southern University in Baton Rouge, where she received a Master of Arts degree in Education.

Laurene went on to be a teacher and spent many years serving and educating at Charles J. Colton Junior High School before she retired.

She was a proud lifelong member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She loved performing her civic duty as a polling commissioner for all local, state, and national elections and greeted everyone with a smile. Laurene was an avid real estate investor who loved dogs and could be seen walking her dogs daily. She previously served as the president of the Seabrook Neighborhood Association and as the secretary of the local chapter of the NAACP, where she was regularly active.

Laurene was preceded in death by her sister, Jackie McMillan, who many thought was her twin, as they did everything together. She is survived by her brother, Allen (Lorraine) McMillan; nephew, Brian H. McMillan, Esq.; great-nieces, Rayne Alexa and Bailey Hankerson McMillan; God-child, Malisa Hill and her children, Chariti and Benjamin Hill; and a host of other cousins, relatives, and friends. ...From Laurene p20

THATO CYNTHIA MOSEBI (1985-2020) Thato Cynthia Mosebi was born 19 November 1985, in Maokeng, Kroonstad. She was a quiet child, forever smiling and happy.

She went to Dorcas crèche and started her schooling at Moepeng Primary school. She started her secondary education at Makhetha High school and finished off at Calculus Private school.

She was a prefect in grade 12. She furthered her studies at Flavius Mareka FET College, studying business management. She further studied public relations at UNISA. She had a passion for writing. She wrote a few poems in her lifetime. She started an online newspaper called MozoloKeNako and was doing very well.

Thato has always been very active in the church. She would always assist our local pastor by conducting Bible studies. She was well on her way to becoming a lay preacher in the AME Church. She had been the local and area president of YPD, was the secretary for area and conference level YPD, and even went as far as the Episcopal level.

She also made a mark as an Organised Lay member. Teaching was a passion for her.

She also served as the president for the local and District RAYAC and was the Orangia Conference RAYAC president upon her passing.

She answered the call on the 4th of July 2020. She leaves behind both her parents and siblings. ❏ ❏ ❏

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FISHING DIFFERENTLY AFTER THE PANDEMIC

By Rev. Dr. Sidney S. Williams, Jr., Contributing Writer

The COVID-19 Pandemic has radically altered so many aspects of our normal lives. Terms like “social distancing” and “stay home, stay safe” have become normalized even within the AME Church. We’ve had to let go of our once familiar denominational gatherings to survive and many congregants have opted to delay returning as the virus continues to spread. Nevertheless, some congregations have begun to return for corporate worship in the sanctuary space even though it remains unclear as to how the church will be experienced in the future. Further, it has already become painfully obvious to some congregational leaders that new ways to fund ministry need to be explored.

The next faithful step as we emerge from this pandemic cannot be pastor-led. Instead, pastors must help facilitate the connection between the cultural values and the immediate concerns of their members so that they can take the next step. It is essential that pastors purposefully schedule times to listen to their members as well as non-members.

Fishing differently requires a collaborative In Ed Wimberly’s book, African American investment of faith and intellectual, social, and Pastoral Care, he argues that storytelling is one human capital, not just finding different ways to of the strongest approaches to restoring relational ask the same people for more money. Training and practices within the congregation. Only through such mobilizing business leaders and social entrepreneurs relational practices can pastors effectively elicit the within the congregation or community to form a sort of information that is crucial in harnessing the marketplace ministry is the second step in achieving same power and fervor that accelerated the process a measurable social impact. of the Free African Society. Our denominational The third and most critical step is building a gatherings in the post-COVID-19 era will only network of relationships among institutions and experience renewed significance if the values and people who live and work in a particular community priorities of ordinary people are reflected in the or marketplace, enabling the community or work of the church. marketplace to function effectively. This is social During this pandemic, people of faith have capital. Unfortunately, most congregations tend experienced new ways of being the church. to only interact within their neighborhood, social Consequently, it will be less inclined to fund or political group, race, and denomination, which buildings and more inclined to fund missionignores others who might share their passion for oriented efforts that address the immediate helping those most in need. concerns of ordinary people who are most affected Building social capital is an invitation to pause by the pandemic. and ask, “Who should we do ministry with?”

Congregations must become less ecclesiocentric As congregations create plans and strategies to or church-centered and more theocentric or Godreopen, they will also need the partnership of the centered. Expecting increased attendance and community—residents, government, businesses, higher giving with traditional liturgical expressions non-profit organizations, and community leaders. may be the very definition of insanity—repeatedly According to Henri Nouwen, building social doing the same thing and expecting different results. capital is always grounded in prayer and undertaken Congregations that emerge with a reimagined focus in gratitude. It is a “call conversation” for both on the social impact that is God-centered (Mt. those who seek funding and those who have funds.

25:40) will attract donations from non-members Whether we are asking or giving money, we are as well as increased giving from members. The key drawn together by God who is about to do a new distinction will be the measurable difference in how thing through our collaboration. congregations can improve the lives of ordinary The fourth step in the reopening process requires people. This is the first step in fishing differently. the implementation of projects and programs that In Fishing Differently: Ministry Formation in the have a relevant and demonstrable impact on the lives Marketplace, congregational leaders are challenged of people. This is human capital. Although many to wrestle with the immediate needs of ordinary pastors prefer to focus primarily on the spiritual people in their congregation and community, while aspects of life, there are always opportunities to striving to preserve and communicate the liturgical develop ministries that will assist people in achieving traditions of the past. This is the paradox of their full potential in practical ways. It is important to restoration. If this paradox is not resolved then these understand that the marketplace is patiently waiting congregations are likely to experience an accelerated to fund these relevant and impactful ministries that decline in attendance and giving. Instead of vibrant are bold enough to attempt to solve some of the communities of faith, these churches will become most difficult problems in the community. ❏ ❏ ❏ empty tombs.

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The Christian Recorder

SILENCE IS NOT SPIRITUAL

By Dr. Brandon A. A. J. Davis, Contributing Writer

In February 1992, Bishop Vinton R. Anderson, the then presiding bishop of the 5th Episcopal District, preached a sermon at First AME Church (FAME) in Las Angeles, California, entitled: “The Burden of Choice,” from Joshua 24:15. In his sermon, he spoke about the urgency of choice, the tragedy of silence, and asked the question, “Who can we trust?”

Since the onset of this global pandemic, there has been a significant increase in racially-motivated police brutality. Prior to its ensuring presence, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery were killed; and on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was seen murdered live on social media by a Minneapolis police officer. Once again, African Americans are confronted with the never-ending saga of racism and violence.

Even in a global pandemic that has claimed the lives of countless African Americans, racism has played a significant factor in various protocols concerning the reopening of various states, businesses, and churches. What is even more alarming is the deafening silence of white Christians, more specifically white evangelical Christians.

In recent history, we’ve witnessed a resurgence of the evangelical movement in support of Donald Trump’s presidency. With personal conviction and a network of supporters, they have rallied behind his presidency in spite of the epic failures he’s successfully committed as well as the open disrespect for the church. With just 24 twitter characters, one could aptly respond to the unchristian and cowardice behavior of white evangelicals. Silence is not spiritual.

According to a 2018 article in The New Yorker, 2015 facilitated the beginning exodus of black evangelicals from predominately white churches. What precipitated this event was their continued silence regarding racial discrimination, especially in racially-motivated acts of violence against people of color committed by law enforcement. In a 2015 statement by Michelle Higgins of Ferguson, Missouri, she said: “white evangelicals care more about abortion and so little about young black men being killed by police officers.”

Lisa Sharon Harper, formerly of Sojo.net and the president of Freedom Road, stated in a 2018 edition of The New Yorker, “white people are more white than Christian—they are captive to white supremacy.” She further noted: “a lot of white evangelicals don’t believe in systematic oppression except lately, under Trump, when they cast themselves as its victims.”

Sadly, white evangelicals have a selective view of biblical justice and too often rally behind issues motivated by the white privilege that only serves their personal interest. The laissez-faire response to righteous indignation toward matters of social injustice has made both Christ and faith a token of empty rhetoric. Their lack of understanding regarding biblical justice and racial reconciliation contributes to the conversation of race as a construct superimposed upon African Americans and scripture to justify repression. The reality is that they have no fundamental idea of what it means to truly be evangelical or Christian.

In The Atlantic, Johnathan Merritt states: “The term evangelical refers to a person, church, or organization that is committed to the Christian gospel message that Jesus Christ is the savior of humanity.” The problem, however, lies in the application that the continued silence of so-called white Christians make a mockery of the term “evangelical” and further exploit the ignorance of Christological thinking that Christ isn’t inherently on the side of the oppressed. James Hal Cone says: “Only the oppressed can receive liberating visions in wretched places. Only those thinking emerges in the context of the struggle against injustice can see God’s freedom breaking into unfree conditions and thus granting power to the powerless to fight here and now for the freedom they know to be theirs in Jesus’ cross and resurrection.”

The continuation of complicit silence delineates the objectified anger and frustration stemming from other religious groups content with sharing the burden of social justice. Silence is not spiritual neither is it reflective of the mind of God. The urgency of choice beckons the question of who we can trust? Racism and hate are not a result of learned culture. It is a result of learned behavior; therefore, in the face of racial disharmony, real Christians cannot abdicate the responsibility of choosing to do what is right or to confront racism on all levels.

The burden of choice must be personal, emotional, subjective, and communal. To remain silent is both a tragedy and a sin. To be an African American Christian, we needn’t fear the mountain of racism, we simply must say as Joshua: “Lord, give me this mountain” and take its head.

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THE CRY OF SMALL CHURCHES

By Mxolisi Vilakaz, Contributing Writer

The church process understands that the strength of our churches would not be equal.

Hence, the classifications of our churches and pastors from A to E. The church process requires the presiding elder to pay more attention to the churches with less strength which are normally called the small churches. This broadly remains unaccounted and not seen.

There is much literature written on the big church and the benefits that go with them such as getting the most experienced pastors with an impeccable pastoral record, a vibrant worship experience, and the stronghold and ability to influence the polity of the church.

Largely, the membership of the strong churches dominate the leadership of the church and auxiliaries which is an added advantage to the strong churches.

The Melian Dialogue, a dialogue between the Melians and Athens, provides clear relations of power in international relations. Confederalism and, in our case, Connectionism says that “the strong do what they have power to do, and the weak do what the strong prescribe of them to do.” This is a tragedy that needs to be mitigated.

Largely, big churches dominate small churches which confine them to remain small with no intentional programmes to empower and develop it. One of the tragedies is that mostly because the “small” churches have limited capacity to pay the best pastors with proven impeccable pastoral records, presiding elders normally recommend pastors who are new in ministry and have secular employment to take charge of small churches. The result is that the pastor would have no time to do extensive work in the charge. In some instances, the pastor would be residing over 300 km away from the charge which makes pastoral care a nightmare. In addition, the organisation of the church, preparation classes for new members, church conferences, official boards, and the various boards on which the church polity rest are never organised; and when organised, they are dysfunctional. The result is that members join other denominations nearby.

Small churches are not even represented in church businesses outside of the local charge because their character is that they are rural and remote, without any financial strength to even send delegates to the polity of the church. So, the Sunday School Conventions, Presiding Elder’s District Conferences, Annual Conferences, and General Conferences are festivals of the big churches making decisions suitable for big churches. As a result, many small churches are not able to meet any of the church obligations and their pastors are forever on the stage appearing before the Ministerial Inefficiency Committee or ignored as if they do not exist and their cry often falls on deaf ears.

Since the start of the lockdown, most of the small churches are unable to even interact with their members. For instance, in one presiding elder district in the East Annual Conference, out of nine pastors, 55.6% of the pastors resides over 300km away from the charge and 66.7% of them have secular full-time employment.

Our church should reconsider improving its support to small churches such as the appointment of pastors fit for developing the church and enable to provide effective pastoral care and administration to the church, rollout programme of membership training, and development aimed at developing small churches.

Subsidisation of small churches to participate in the polity of the church and careful cooperation of members from small churches is needed to participate in the leadership of the church and its auxiliaries as a form of mentorship.

The cry is to take us along. Do not leave us. ❏ ❏ ❏ Reprinted with permission from the Duplin Times Newspaper. Brandon Arthur Antavian Jasper Davis began his ministry at age nine. He is a proud 2007 graduate of Allen University, a Masters of Divinity degree from Payne Theological Seminary, and Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary, graduating as a Walker-Cummings Fellow. He has pastored churches in the 7th and 3rd Episcopal Districts. He is a published writer with works in several AME publications and local newspapers. He currently writes for the Duplin Times Newspaper.

THECHRISTIANRECORDER.COM

The Christian Recorder

AUGUST 2020

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CORNERSTONE FROM 145-YEAR-OLD BLACK CHURCH UNEARTHED IN SAN ANTONIO

By Brendan Gibbons, Rivard Report

On August 1, 1875, a crowd gathered in the afternoon heat outside a stone building in downtown San Antonio, not far from the banks of San Pedro Creek. They were there to celebrate the expansion of an AME Church building that for two years had served as a community hub and place of worship. Historians today say the group included San Antonio residents who had been born into slavery but emerged from the Civil War as free people, exercising rights and pursuing dreams that had been denied to Black people since the founding of the United States.

At the juncture of two walls, the congregation placed a cornerstone to commemorate the event. It read, “AME CHURCH 1875.”

Now, 145 years later that cornerstone has been unearthed. Construction on the San Pedro Creek project uncovered the foundations of the building that was once the property of St. James AME Church, a congregation that still exists on San Antonio’s West Side. “I think it’s very instrumental for us to have some kind of identity in San Antonio in terms of our history, especially with St. James’ history and the contributions that they have made along the way,” said the Rev. Al Smith, who has been St. James’ pastor for the past four years.

Since the discovery, archaeologists of growing hopefulness was a wave of have been preparing to submit the violent reaction across the South. The property for consideration for the decades after the Civil War saw the National Register of Historic Places. rise of the Ku Klux Klan and similar Archaeologists with engineering and paramilitary groups, many of them consulting firm Raba Kistner are working affiliated with the Southern Democratic on a report for federal government Party. review, according to officials with the In 1873, the same year the St. James San Antonio River Authority, which is congregation purchased their church, managing the San Pedro Creek project. white Southerners massacred dozens A news item in the Express in 1875 of Black people in Colfax, Louisiana, previewed the cornerstone-laying in one of the deadliest attacks of the ceremony. The church spent $2,300 Reconstruction era. Estimates of the enlarging the building, it “having number of dead range from 80 to 150. become too small for the large and However, in San Antonio, the Rev. growing membership and congregation.”

W.R. Carson, St. James’ pastor at the Rising in opposition to this kind time, described a different experience. “I

c called for an inlay of the church b boundaries in the sidewalk along th creek. “We don’t have a plan the y yet…

The step that we need to do fi is determine the eligibility first o the structure for the National of R Register.”

As for the modern St. James, c church members are struggling to stay in contact while s during the coronavirus Officials have paused work along San separated Pedro Creek Culture Park after confirming pandemic, Smith said. Members the intact foundation of the St. James AME Church, which dates to the late 19th haven’t gathered in-person in century. Credit: Scott Ball / Rivard Report. three months even though they have permission from the state to hold worship services. am proud to say that while I have been Core members have stayed in touch in this city I have been kindly treated by with weekly video chats and Smith has both white and colored, not as a colored noticed some traction among Latinos man, but as a gentleman,” wrote Carson, and other racial and ethnic groups. “The who came to San Antonio in 1872. non-African American presence has also Like many sites in downtown San been interesting,” Smith said. “With Antonio, the church foundation reflects the history, they’re really taken back, layers of history that developed over and they’re looking for a church that’s time. After the building area was used involved in social justice,” he added. as a church, it later became an ice The congregation has waned in factory, then Alamo Brewery, which numbers in recent years, he said, with was eventually purchased by Anheusermany of its eldest members dying.

Busch, City Archaeologist Matthew However, he’s noticed some of the Elverson said. younger members showing interest in Other than the National Register the church’s roots. “A lot of our older application, it’s not yet clear how members are really just dying off, so exactly the former church site will be that’s why it’s important to preserve commemorated in the San Pedro Creek so future generations will know the project. Kerry Averyt, the river authority’s history,” Smith said. senior engineer, said the original design

Reprinted with permission.

TRUSTING GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

By Rev. Dr. Versey A. Williams, Contributing Writer

The eighth chapter of Romans beautifully illustrates the power we have been given as children of God while we embrace God’s blessings for us through Christ Jesus. As I reflect on it, especially Romans 8:28-31, I bask in God’s sovereignty.

Occasionally, I hear the phrase, “God is in control, it happened for a reason.” What really makes me cringe is when someone proudly says, “God will not put more on you than you can bear.” God knows life is challenging enough. God does not tempt us (James 1:12-16). God desires for us to be healthy and productive in life (John 10). demand better. It women being murdered but was also was the catalyst Yes, we learn lessons. Life has many challenges. is as though the for millions of people to begin waging war against We often learn about goodness and evil from each earth, reeling from what has always been—murder and other abuses and other. My staff and I are essential workers, tending to COVID-19, regurgitated the repulsiveness of the injustices of black and brown people in the United people’s souls. As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, behaviors of those in power who dehumanized States of America. we continue to be at the bedside of patients and people of color and others who dare to defend that The war highlighted that some people in authority support staff, even unto and after death. For those Black Lives Matter. God did not send COVID-19. will abuse anyone who challenges their abuse. It is of us who have learned the art and skill of leaning God used COVID-19 to help shake up the social not the first time millions witnessed or heard about on our faith in God at all times, we know God is status quo. the murder of a black person but this was a bit not causing us to suffer but rather helps us through Life includes spiritual wickedness (Ephesians different. divine intervention known as calvary (Isaiah 53).

6). Sometimes it is difficult and emotionally The world has a common enemy in COVID-19.

For those of us who have questions or are angry or draining; however, we--God’s church—need to This enemy has killed people from every socionot speaking to God, I ask the question, “Where educate everyone we meet about our relational, economic sphere and is present in just about every is God during disappointments like illness, racism, sovereign God. Others need to learn that America’s corner of God’s world. COVID-19 and its fallout and this continuing pandemic?” injustice and COVID-19 do not negate God’s love have ravaged lives.

As an African American, I see God moving in the and provisions for us. Whether in life or death, we Embedded in God’s sovereignty is grace and hearts of people who would otherwise remain quiet. belong to God. ❏ ❏ ❏ justice that empowers empathy to stir up and Unfortunately, it involved more black men and

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AUGUST 2020

The Christian Recorder

THECHRISTIANRECORDER.COM

EDITORIAL

REPEALING THE CANDIDATE TAX: CAMPAIGN REFORM IN THE AME CHURCH

By John Thomas, III, Editor

On June 10, the General Conference Commission of the AME Church issued a “Campaign Moratorium”. In the wake of the rescheduled General Conference and the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person campaigning activities for Bishop, General Officer and Judicial Council were halted until February 2021. The detailed rationale for their actions is outlined here: “The Commission did vote for a moratorium on the solicitation of candidates for monetary support through ads, meal/event sponsorships and various other forms of donations. Given the delayed convening of the 51st Session of the General Conference, we ask loving and loyal AMEs to cease any solicitation of candidates.

This in no way restricts candidates from presenting themselves to the denomination through the Christian Recorder, our official organ, and through other means at their discretion without solicitation.”

Met with almost universal acclaim, the General Conference Commission’s action shines a light on the selection process for AME Church leadership. It is no secret that one of the attractions of the General Conference is the carnival-like atmosphere of campaigning. The colorful booths, entertaining chants, late-night meetings, and election day theatrics are almost as much a part of us as “I was glad when they said unto me…”. One of the unwritten rules in our church culture is that aspirations are not to be restricted—no matter how elusive. Any person who can be certified has a right to offer themselves for service to the Kingdom of God through the Church of Allen. Such is the “romance of African Methodism.”

Yet, as the statement by the General Conference Commission shows, there are costs to this process. While becoming a “candidate” vaults one to a new status amongst his or her peers, it also begins a years (sometimes decades) long march to an often unmet goal. In our 204-year history as a Connectional Church, only 138 persons have been elected to the bishopric. The numbers for General Officer and Judicial Council candidates are similar. One could have better luck at a roulette wheel in Las Vegas than the floor of the General Conference. Yet, as Vernon Jordan lamented when addressed the General Conference in 1976, countless dollars that could be invested in our ministries and communities instead are wasted to feed aspirational ambitions that often have little chance of success.

I experienced this first-hand when I ran to be the Editor of The Christian Recorder.

After I had prayed and received confirmation from God and talked with my family, I sat down with the Bishop of my District and my Campaign Treasurer to have an honest discussion about the money I would need to raise. Every visit to an Annual Conference or Planning Meeting cost me several hundred dollars between the flight, hotel, and visitors’ offering. I clustered trips together to save money, and I remember one week starting in Los Angeles, California, and ending in Greenville,

...From South District p4 and the District celebrated 20 of

the brightest and best students during a virtual Awards Ceremony. These students attained A and AB Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance status. The District also recognized one 2020 high school graduate, Javar Collier from St. Paul AME Church in St. Augustine. “The South District is committed to investing in our young people,” said the Rev. Williams. Although this seems to have short-term benefits, these benefits will become visible in the future as our young people lead us into a greater tomorrow.

The Rev. Dr. David Green, the Rev. Dr. Griffin, the Rev. Rawls, the Rev. Gillard Glover, the Executive team of the South District, and the committee members of the Rev. Christopher Johnson, the Rev. Hayes, the Rev. McGeathey, Sister Loston, Sister Crystal Griffin, Sister Johnson, Brother Mark Johnson, Sister Neal, Brother Robert Jackson, Sister Kinsasha Wilson, Brother James McGill, and Sister Lucretia McBride who accepted the charge to establish our first virtual convention must be commended.

Finally, our visionary leaders of the South District, the Rev. Eugene and Mrs. Evelyn Moseley, Jr., set the example of going above and beyond in all they do; and without a doubt, they set a precedent that others will want to emulate. The Rev. Moseley said, “We can do what no one else can and we did.” ❏ ❏ ❏

North Carolina, with two stops in between.

A candidate asked me once, “Thomas, how are you going to pay for this since you don’t have a church to get the money from?” While I know members who have actively supported their pastor’s ambitions, this statement and its assumptions about local church finance profoundly concerned me. After the seemingly endless stump speeches, handshakes, and requests for ad journal placements, I was elected a General Officer on July 11, 2016.

John Thomas III Even with the help of generous friends and 21st Editor of The Christian Recorder family and a good fundraising team, I did not pay off the campaign costs until July 2020.

While my story succeeded, many of the people I came to know on the campaign trail are still pursuing their aspirations. The General Conference Commission’s public statement confirms what many have said privately: the cost for campaigns has spiraled out of control. While understanding that our members should interact with the persons running for our denomination’s highest offices, the current system sucks money, time, and energy from some of our most talented servants as well as the churches they serve. How many qualified people have been scared away because of our political process? Additionally, our current system creates an almost insurmountable barrier for candidates from Districts 14-20 who must not only contend with additional travel costs but also the cultural issues of dealing with a mostly American electorate.

So, what can we do to repeal the tax on candidates? The same way the General Conference Commission set a norm by imposing a moratorium on travel until February, we can create new rules and standards on what is expected of candidates.

We can create uniform opportunities across Episcopal Districts for candidates to share their messages and honestly evaluate what they offer to the Church instead of carnivalesque popularity contests. We can remove the expectation of spending thousands of dollars on barely read advertisement journals, sponsored meals and overpriced booths. We can use technology to level the situation for candidates from Districts 14-20 so that their voices can be given the same consideration as those from the United States.

What the AME Church needs is not overtaxed candidates, but excited leaders whose energy is focused on service. This moratorium placed on campaigning for the next few months will hopefully be the way to a better system that will allow us to truly discern who will do the best work for our Church. ❏ ❏ ❏

...From A Black Male p17

profit of white Americans.

America made its greatest gains with slavery and cotton. However, Blacks did far more. They cleared the wilderness and built canals, railroads, and the White House.

Slavery was an atrocity. It was an assault on humanity. It created broken spirits and desperation. Nevertheless, a legacy was handed down that is so phenomenal we should never look askance at the power of hope and regeneration.

Even before it was advanced and progress was taking hold, early, freedom was being whispered for those in bondage across America.

I long ago realized that Caucasians or whites naturally exist on a higher level and the true American experience is not attainable for Blacks and people of color. The total freedom to explore all that the United States of America represents has always been a primarily white aspiration.

It’s a privilege that can be akin to feelings of invincibility that require you’ve been afforded the required standards.

America’s indoctrination is founded on anglicized principles and an agenda that consolidates a fictionalized account of human

existence because the liberal pursuit that it purports cannot be applied to everyone equally.

People of color can never experience a broad, open field, no matter how much you want it to be, their story cannot be ours.

America has never veered from its original social intent or been a fully assimilated society, equalized organism, and naturally welcoming community.

Every new group to come onto American soil has witnessed resistance of some sort.

The Christian experience freed the spirits of African Americans. It became an association that supplied a sense of protection and hope. Blacks’ depended on religion, Christianity — to a large extent — in accordance with the family to solidify their existence.

Therefore, I am grateful to be an African American in a society that embraces the idea of freedom and progress. I believe in the land of the free, home of the brave, spacious skies, and that we are the recipients of God’s grace. That’s the Good News!

Loretta Moore is a writer, playwright, and author. She is a member of Mt. Zion AME Church in Dover, Delaware.