JULY 2021
$3.25
thechristianrecorder.com
VOLUME 170, NO. 10
JULY 2021
SPECIAL GENERAL CONFERENCE EDITION
THE CONNECTIONAL WOMEN IN MINISTRY ELECTS THE REVEREND DR. ERIKA D. CRAWFORD AS PRESIDENT FOR A SECOND TERM By Rev. Renita Green, Columnist
Elections were far from normal for the Connectional Women in i Ministry. Accustomed to electing at the seat of the General Concference, past years found us lined up in the corridor, C sometimes late past dinner, with our membership being checked s for f voting eligibility. Eligible voters filled the rows from the front to the back as others gathered around—some standing, f some sitting—all waiting to learn who would lead us into the s next n quadrennial. These pandemic days, however, have stretched our creativity aas well as our resilience. Utilizing Survey Monkey technology, women across our connection received an email from their w district WIM president, and by a simple click of a box, in less d tthan five minutes, we were able to cast our vote for our leaders of the next quadrennial (well, next three years). o
Our new leadership of the AME WIM is: • President – The Rev. Dr. Erika Crawford • First Vice President – The Rev. Ammie L. Davis • Second Vice President – The Rev. Joelynn Stokes, Esq. • General Secretary – The Rev. Dr. Louise V. Jackson • Communication Secretary – The Rev. Betty Watson • Herstoriographer – The Rev. Carolyn Baskin Bell • Director of Liturgy and Worship – The Rev. Dr. Emily Pardue • Central/Southern Africa Coordinator – Presiding Elder Beatrice Mamphethe Motokoa Leaders to fill the vacant seats of
...continued on p6
AN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE: THE ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL SCOUTS VIRTUAL CAMPOREE By Rev. Dr. Missiouri L McPhee, 11th Episcopal District
For the better half of a Quadrennium the Association of African Methodist Episcopal A Scouts (AAMES) had faithfully been planning its S Quadrennial Camporee to be held ahead of the 2020 Q General Conference at Camp LaNoChe, in Paisley, G Florida (just outside Orlando). The Quadrennial F Camporee has been a tradition of AAMES since its C iinception in July 4-7, 1996, in Louisville, Kentucky ((with the invaluable support of retired Presiding Elder ld Robert b E. Keesee, then h pastor of Quinn Chapel AME Church in Louisville, Kentucky). Unfortunately, the world, as we knew it, came to a screeching halt with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 51st Session of the General
Conference was postponed as was the camporee. As the pandemic raged on and a swift return to normal seemed all but lost, an executive decision was made to hold the camporee utilizing a virtual format with programing modifications. To that end, on June 25-27, 2021, AAMES held its first ever virtual camporee to include Episcopal districts 1 through 20. A virtual camporee during the challenging times of COVID-19 not only engaged our youth from across the connection in intergenerational learning interventions but also enabled all of them to share best practices of the scouting ministry. Our three-day virtual camporee offered programming for both youth and adults. It served as an opportunity to introduce scouts, scouters, and parents to the programs of AAMES as well as to teach leadership and practical skills to the scouts and youths alike. Presentations were made to ...continued on p6
AME CHURCH ELECTS NEW LEADERSHIP AT THE 2021 GENERAL CONFERENCE AND BEGINS LGBTQ DISCERNMENT PROCESS The 51st Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church met from July 6-10, 2021, at the West Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Over 1600 delegates met as the church’s supreme governance body to review and change the denomination’s laws and policies, receive reports from its agencies, and elect denominational leadership. Due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 200 delegates representing countries on the continent of Africa were unable to travel to the United States and were to participate via a satellite location in Cape Town, South Africa. After the South African government restricted in-person gatherings due to public health concerns, a virtual platform was created to allow these delegates to participate in the deliberations virtually.
Report from the 37th Biennial of the Connectional Lay Organization … p3
Thoughts on Missing the 51st Session of the General Conference…
p7
“The 2021 General Conference was truly a test of the denomination’s resilience and capacity to adapt,” stated Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, general secretary of the AME Church. “In spite of the last-minute difficulties, we were able to ensure that all members of our family were able to share in this important aspect of the life of our church. I am proud of our planning team and grateful to the AME Church leadership and delegates for their patience and understanding as we made this shift.” In addition to the business of the General Conference, greetings were received from the president and vice president of the United States. AME Church member Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida delivered a keynote address to the assembly as well. Demings exclaimed that the role of the church is to ensure that no one is left behind and that the most vulnerable among us are protected. Representative Demings called the church to collective action, “The urgency is now.” ...continued on p2
Opening Worship Service 51st Quadrennial Session Of The African Methodist Episcopal Church… p14
Election Results of the 51st Session of the General Conference… p25
Will the AME Church Be Healed? Reflections on the 2021 General Conference …p32
