JUNE 2021
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thechristianrecorder.com
VOLUME 170, NO. 9
JUNE 2021
BLACK FATHERHOOD: A RADICAL ACT OF RESISTANCE By Jioni Palmer
Being a father is the best job I’ve ever had. The wages are low and the hours are long but nothing beats being a dad. Being a father is nothing like having a job. You can’t show up late, call in sick, or take a vacation. You can’t quit, get laid-off, and collect unemployment insurance. With a job, once you’re done, your responsibilities cease. However, even if you walk away from your responsibilities as a father, they still exist. What a father does or doesn’t do matters. Parents teach us what to do and what not
to t do by the examples they set. Sometimes we learn bad habits by S observing their negative behavior. o It’s I easy to pick up bad habits this way; w but, it is hard to discern the right thing to do in the absence of r a positive role model. As a child, I grew up without my dad. d I don’t lament my fatherless childhood because that requires c ignoring the many surrogate dads i who stepped in and stepped up to fill the void. My stepfather, godfather, mentors, and uncles—even the play ones—have and continue to influence my life. They taught me many things that ultimately contributed to who I am and my youngest son is named after two of them. I don’t know what it’s like to have my dad
read me a story before tucking me into bed and kissing me on the forehead. Rather than dwell on this, I choose to focus my energy on being the best father I can be for my two boys by not only being the kind of father I didn’t have and for which I yearned but more importantly by modeling the examples set by the surrogate fathers in my life and the many actively engaged fathers I encounter today. While some shirk their responsibilities, most fathers endeavor to play an active and positive role in their children’s lives regardless of their relationship with the child’s mother. This is especially true of Black men who are often erroneously maligned as deadbeats and absentees. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Black fathers are just as or even more engaged in the lives of their children ...continued on p3
REV. DR. ELAINE M. FLAKE APPOINTED PASTOR OF GREATER ALLEN CATHEDRAL On May 2, at the 199th Session of the New York S Annual Conference, the A Reverend Doctor Elaine R McCollins Flake was M aappointed the pastor of Greater Allen AME o Cathedral in New York C City by Bishop Gregory C G. M. Ingram. Dr. Flake G ssucceeds her husband, the Reverend Doctor Floyd H. Flake, the church’s long-serving pastor who retired last year after over forty years of service. With over 15,000 members,
GAC is the largest congregation in the connectional AME Church. Prior to her appointment, she served as the church’s co-pastor. Dr. Elaine Flake was instrumental in developing the Allen Women’s Resource Center which houses women and children who are victims of domestic violence; the Allen Prison Ministry, and many other of the 100 ministries at the GAC that serve both church and community. She acts as Advisor to the Missionary Department and as Advisor/Coordinator of the Allen Women’s Ministry Department. Each year over 1,000 women from across the country and the Caribbean attend the retreats she hosts. In 2006, the conference attendees raised $64,000 for
Women of Darfur; and, in 2010 they raised $20,000 for Women in Haiti..She mentors many male and female leaders in the New York City area and is frequently invited to speak throughout the country. Dr. Elaine Flake is the author of the popular book, God In Her Midst: Preaching Healing to Hurting Women and has contributed to the Women of Color Study Bible, and Souls of My Sisters: Black Women Break Their Silence, Tell Their Stories, and Heal Their Spirits. She and her husband authored two books, Practical Virtues: Everyday Values and Devotions for African American Families Learning to Live With All Our Souls ...continued on p3
15TH DISTRICT PAYS OFF THE EPISCOPAL EIGHTH DISTRICT RESPONDS TO THE RESIDENCE AND SAVES MILLIONS JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI WATER CRISIS Bishop David R. Daniels, Jr., Supervisor Mother Irene M. Daniels, the 15th Episcopal District Team, and the members of the 15th Episcopal District have a reason to thank God and celebrate His intervention and greatness. The 15th District was able to pay off the outstanding debt on the Episcopal Residence and end the quadrennial completely debt-free. To God be the glory! In 2013, the District decided to purchase a new Episcopal Residence at 40 Duckitt Avenue, Constantia, Cape Town. The initial purchase price was R8,5 million. After negotiations with the owner by Bishop David R. Daniels, Jr., the price was reduced to R6 million. The selling price of the old residence of R3,6 million was paid on the present Episcopal Residence. On December 20, 2013, the Episcopal Residence was dedicated by the then Senior Bishop of the AME Church, Bishop John Richard Bryant. The Episcopal Residence was named after Bishop Bryant and his partner in marriage, ministry, and mission, the Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams-Bryant. ...continued on p3
Frederick Douglass Memorial Community Park, Port Tampa… p4
Several AME Pastors Share How They Have Been Blessed by Fathers in Ministry… p10
In mid-February 2021, unprecedented frigid weather swept through Jackson, Mississippi, and surrounding cities and communities, forcing residents to stay in their homes for at least four days because of ice- and snow-packed roads and highways. Weather conditions even forced the closing of parts of interstates 20 and 55. This ice storm, which also swept through Texas, froze plant equipment and burst many water pipes that lead from water treatment plants, making it extremely difficult to provide water to the homes across the city of Jackson and surrounding communities. The impact this had on the residents was not fully known until the streets were cleared of the ice and snow and some small semblances of daily routines were restored. It was then discovered that most homes across the city had little low water pressure or no water and were ...continued on p2
A Tale of Two Conference Sites: Preserving Legitimacy and Equity at GC2021… p14
Creating Space and Making Room: Our Reasonable Service… p17
The Pain of Racism Through the Lens of Calvary … p22
