DECEMBER 2021
$3.25
thechristianrecorder.com
VOLUME 171, NO. 3
DECEMBER 2021
THE LAST BUT NOT FINAL JOURNEY: ST. LUKE AME CHURCH, HARLEM, NEW YORK By Avis Hudson, 1st Episcopal District
After a fire forced out the tenants in my apartment building in 1997, I spent the next three years in a homeless shelter. Although appreciative of the help of the Red Cross, it was a very unpleasant, unsettling experience. I did not know then that God was working it out for my good. While living in that vermin-infested shelter, I gave my life to Christ. At the end of those three years, I found an apartment in an ideal location. God had a plan for my life. That experience reminded me of Jonah, “But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17) and the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace, declaring, “If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him de deliver us” (Daniel 3:17). On November 4, 2018, un under the leadership of th the Rev. Marcellus A. N Norris, St. Luke AME C Church celebrated its 93rd Anniversary with high praise A an and worship. Unfortunately, w we learned the following w week that the roof of the ch church needed repairs. T The insurance company ddetermined there was a liliability, and the flock on Su Sugar Hill were not allowed to enter the building again uuntil repairs were completed. L Like me, the congregation h lost its home. had St. Luke, whose history d dates to 1925 when the Rev. Fr Frank H. Haynes was asked by the Rev. Samuel H.V. G Gumbs, presiding elder of th Manhattan District, the to take the “Little Mission
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS IN LIBERIA By Rev. Dr. Alice Hubbard Crenshaw, 8th Episcopal District
Hi h Highlights of DuPage AME Church Girl Scouts… p6
God chartered his course, and the small congregation made their pilgrim journey, worshipping in various locations throughout Harlem. After the passing of Father Haynes, the Rev. William Lee Freeman led the congregation from November 1935 through February 1936. On July 14, 1936, the Rev. Freeman was assigned to pastor St. Luke and led the congregation for fourteen fruitful years. However, it was not until 1946 that the Lord blessed St. Luke with the present sanctuary at 1872 Amsterdam Avenue. As a church without a building, Pastor Norris, who is technologically inclined, delivered sermons on Facebook and rented school auditoriums and other venues throughout the Harlem community. Sometimes we did not know where we would be the following Sunday, but God always came through. Rev. Norris constantly fought with the insurance company that had become adversarial, but Pastor Norris was relentless in keeping the congregation together. Then COVID-19 emerged. It seemed at times as if the devil was trying to destroy our church and scatter the flock. Yet, tenacious, unwavering, and grounded in faith, Pastor Norris encouraged and inspired the membership to trust God. No longer able to meet in person because of the pandemic, Rev. Norris established a Zoom tech team,
PASSING THE MANTLE AND THE ANOINTING By Ms. Megan Doctor, 7th Episcopal District
In Liberia, there is gender inequality, by traditional aand religious perceptions, pportraying women as ssubordinate and men as ssuperior. Gender biases, ddiscrimination, and violence fface women and girls as a normalized part of L Liberian society. In focus ggroups, women of Liberia aand Sierra Leone share h how they ...continued on p2
A d They And Th Turned T d the Truth Into a Lie… p3
Group” that had begun with Sis. Georgana Robinson, under his spiritual leadership.
In Second Kings 2, it was Elijah’s responsibility to teach Elisha what was needed in order to continue working for t the kingdom of God by t teaching and administering G God’s prophecy.
A Journey from f Brokenness to Peace… p14
As the Prophet Elijah p prepared for his earthly d departure, he asked Elisha, “ “Tell me what I may do f you…?” Elisha asked for f a double portion of his for s spirit! At this point, God ...continued on p3
R Responding di to t Our Young People in Stressful Times… p18
and we began to have worship services on Zoom and through Facebook Live. Oddly, the separation from the building seemed to bring us closer together as a body. The Rev. Norris developed systems where people around the globe were able to join, visit, and tithe. After Sunday worship services, we even met virtually in the “Fellowship Hall” and had Zoom fundraisings, ministry meetings, and game nights. Shortly after entering the Zoom platform during the shut-down in 2020, the Rev. Norris, led ...continued on p3
NEW AMEC BISHOP CALLS CHURCH TO MEET IN EDWARDS, MISSISSIPPI – CASTING THE VISION By Shirley Hopkins Davis, Ph.D., 8th Episcopal District
Bishop Stafford Joe Nathan Wicker returns home to the 8th Episcopal District (Louisiana/Mississippi) to cast his vision of a debt-free church visible in building communities and lives of the people. On July 25, 2021, a host of 8th District and Conference leadership of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) welcomed their new bishop to Jackson, Mississippi, where the Episcopal District executive headquarters is located, and ...continued on p2
Methodist Racial History Recalled on the 250th Anniversary of Asbury’s U.S. Arrival… p20
The Rev. Dr. Stephanie N. Taylor, MD Appointed to the NIH Advisory Council… p25
