October 2023 Edition of The Christian Recorder

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VOLUME 173, NO. 1

OCTOBER 2023

Ward Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church Sandra Bonner Hadley, Public Relations Director

It was 2:00 in the afternoon on a gorgeous day in the nation’s capital, May 8, 2023. Our proud and popular pastor, the Reverend Dederick O. Rivers, received his doctorate of ministry from Weslley University on the campus of the Washington National Cathedral.

Receiving his doctorate was an exciting, stimulating, and most certainly a time-consuming endeavor for the Rev. Rivers. He completed his studies while supervising the remodeling of Ward Memorial and working to purchase additional property for parking.

Indeed, the challenges were many, but the Rev. Dr. Dederick O. Rivers mastered them all! Congratulations, Pastor Rivers! We thank God for ...continued on p2

Lee Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church: Heart of a Community “AND THE KING WILL ANSWER THEM, ‘TRULY I TELL YOU, JUST AS YOU DID IT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF MINE, YOU DID IT TO ME’” (MATTHEW 25:40).

Minnie Butcher, Steward Vice-Chair

Lee Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church in Cleveland, Ohio, has always been known as the church with the heart of the community. Under new leadership, Pastor Rodric K. Reid has engraved a new spirit and energy that has heightened our commitment to God and outreach to the community. Pastor Reid established early that he wanted Lee Memorial to not only continue our community outreach but also to exceed all efforts of the past. Lee Memorial had already implemented a “Christmas Gift-Away” program providing food baskets and gifts to at least 40 families. Recognizing that families in the low-income community surrounding Lee Memorial have needs not only in December, Pastor Reid wanted to ensure that needs are met year-round. In his vision, he introduces the theme “An Intentional Journey.”

From this intentional journey was born the initiative “Miracle on 105th Street.”

Permission Denied

...continued on p2

I’m Not the Worship Leader! I’m the Chaplain!

Rev. Barry Settle, Contributing Writer

Rev. Tashara S. Void, Contributing Writer

THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED TO HIM AND SAID TO HIM, “THE LORD IS WITH YOU, YOU MIGHTY WARRIOR” (JUDGES 6:12).

The role of the chaplain is often misconstrued and misused. A quick search in the 2021 Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church

Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is given credit for saying, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Inferiority, according to Merriam-Webster, is a condition or state of being or having a sense of being inferior or inadequate, especially concerning one's apparent equals or the world at large. Inferiorities, according to psychiatrists, can stem from either real or imaginary sources. Sometimes what we feel, although our real feelings, is not based on actual sources or facts. But because they are real to us, they ...continued on p3

Psychology and Problematic Intentional Awareness and Peace Preaching: The Black Church and What to Preach Advocacy.… p12 After the Pandemic… p4

(AMEC) reveals how misunderstood this role is. Across organizations, chaplains are reduced to devotional periods, Bible studies, and leading worship experiences. A couple of organizations expand the role further, including programming and offering spiritual guidance to the organization. One organization even goes as far as listing “qualifications” for the position, which include - the “demonstration of Christian commitment, possessing a high level of spiritual maturity, ...continued on p15

American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel … the Church … p19

When Strength Closing the Gap Between the Becomes a Church and The Community: a Weakness… p20 Social Action Initiative by Mt. Zion AME Church… p25

OCTOBER 2023

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...From Ward Memorial p1 you and your endeavors

as you continue to lead the Ward Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Blessings!

The Right Reverend Harry Seawright, presiding prelate of the 9th Episcopal District, graced the

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Ward Memorial AME Church on August 6, 2023, to consecrate and confirm its officers.

Bishop Seawright challenged the officers to be change agents and to be humble.

He preached from Acts 6:1-6 challenging the stewards, trustees, class leaders, and presidents of the various auxiliaries to accept their roles as change agents. ❏ ❏ ❏

...From Lee Memorial p1

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in June, and our parking lot was transformed into a hub of activity. Various social and health services, including eye examinations, were administered absolutely free to community attendees as nearly 300 people enjoyed a healthy meal. Community entrepreneurs were stationed in the parking lot as a part of the initiative to promote black business. The centerpiece of this endeavor was the fifty (50) brand-new bicycles given away to neighborhood youth.

It was a sight to behold! One of Lee Memorial’s volunteers shared of a young boy who came and planted himself next to one of the bikes, waiting for his name to be called. However, another name was called, and away went his bike. Yet, all was not lost. The volunteer continued to pray with the young boy, and lo and behold, his name was called, and another volunteer presented the young boy with his very own bike. Prayers answered.

Inside the church, community attendees browsed through the “Lee Boutique.” There, clothes, toys, books, home goods, and educational materials that covered a wide range of ages and interests were available for the taking.

Did we mention that everything was free? What a profound blessing to bless others who may not be able to bless you in return.

Not neglecting the importance of social justice, our youth and young adults were at hand donning “Get Out the Vote” shirts to register persons to vote ...continued on p3

THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER: The Christian Recorder (ISSN 1050-6039, USPS 16880) is the official organ of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a member of the Associated Church Press and the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Founded in 1852, it is printed monthly by the AMEC Sunday School Union, 900 13th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212. Periodicals Postage Paid at Nashville, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Christian Recorder, 900 13th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212. Subscription price is $36 per year. Single issues are $3.25.

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OCTOBER 2023

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...From Lee Memorial p2

and to encourage them to get to the polls. Nearly 1,000 individuals have been served this year alone through this Intentional Journey.

Pastor Reid said that “many of the privileges to which we give no thought are considered miracles in the lives of others. To many of us, a new bicycle, a new outfit, a warm meal, and a complete health exam may seem normal. Yet for others, it is a Miracle on 105th Street.”

We thank God for the vision of our pastor and for all the members, sponsors, and community stakeholders who have made our efforts possible. Pastor Rodric Reid has taught us that “little” should be erased from our vocabulary. He says we should think “BIG” and without worry of provision in all things we do for Christ. For Christ does indeed give seed to the sower. ❏ ❏ ❏ ...From Permission p1

can paralyze us and cause us to remain stagnant and

There is a mighty warrior in each of us if we can just look past our reality now and grasp who God is pushing us to become!

God never wants us to be stagnant and mediocre. God always calls us to push to the higher calling in Christ Jesus. However, feelings of inferiority can make us feel as if we are not significant enough to do anything meaningful in life. If we are not careful, these feelings can lead us to depression, isolation, and sometimes other things that can harm us mentally and physically.

Stop making excuses. Gideon’s response reflects his looking at his current reality and using that to feed the doubt of God’s ability to work through his inferiorities. They become nothing but permission to feel inferior. He asks if the LORD was with him, why are things the way they are? Circumstances, regardless of how bad, do not indicate God's absence. Just because we may be in a place that we did not expect does not mean that God is not with us, right there in the midst of our unexpected reality. We deny the permission of inferiority by realizing the presence of the LORD is with us, always.

mediocre.

There may have been times in our life where we have felt inferior. Times when we felt as if we were not accomplished enough, not good enough, not smart enough, not tall enough, too tall, not attractive enough, too skinny, not skinny enough; too dark or too light, hair was too coarse or too straight. If you have ever felt like this, you understand the extreme power of these feelings and how they can keep you paralyzed.

Inferiority has the power to cause mediocrity in our lives, and that is an enemy of growth. When you are satisfied where you are, you will never understand how powerful God can move in your life for the benefit of the kingdom. We must believe that we are capable of being all that God has created us to be - no matter our history, past, and failures - those things will never disqualify us from the service of the Lord.

It is already in you. The LORD instructs Gideon and instructs us to go in the power with which God will invest in us as God commissions us. The specific instruction is to go in the might (strength) that we have. God will provide us the ability to accomplish all that is necessary for what is before us. We must remember it is not about us, but it is about God.

Inferiority can only be successful if we permit it. So let us challenge ourselves to tell inferiority, permission denied. We deny permission for inferiority to enter our mental space and dominate our feelings and behaviors.

In Judges 6, we see the story of Gideon, who received a direct call from the Lord to undertake a huge task, for which Gideon struggled with his feelings of inferiority. As the angel of the Lord interacted with him, he was able to push past his feelings of inferiority and fear by realizing a few things that I think may help us as well.

As Coco Gauff defeated the number two seed to become the youngest American woman to win the U.S. Open since 17-year-old Serena Williams, she said, “I don’t pray for outcomes but the strength to do my best.” Perhaps she is a modern-day Gideon for us to model, that if we see ourselves from what we are becoming in God, not make excuses and go in the strength we have, we will find that nothing is impossible for God, and we will see God’s glory manifest in our lives when we deny permission for inadequacy to exist in our life.

God views us by our potential. In verse 12, the angel assures Gideon that the Lord is with him. But he refers to him as a mighty warrior. A warrior is defined as a brave or experienced soldier or fighter. There is no record of Gideon ever being either, but God does not view us where we are but by our potential. We need to see ourselves as the potential of God’s mighty power working in and through us to deny permission for inferiority to stagnate us. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor once said, “God doesn’t call us to be something we are not. God calls us to be what we are becoming, to what we may be.”

Inadequacy, permission denied! ❏ ❏ ❏ 3

OCTOBER 2023

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Leading With Contentment Byron Washington, Columnist

Our world can be stressful, and stress for leaders is often more intense. Leaders, in general, must deal with ups and downs and many unexpected moments as they lead their organizations. In addition, social media is constantly pushing the idea that every leader needs to achieve more. We are constantly bombarded directly or indirectly with people in our professions, age range, demographic group, or other social spaces pushing us to do more. Expand your business, buy real estate, increase your membership, build an empire, grind, push, and be more determined.

Social media has leaders and professionals who are doing well stressing out as if they are not doing well. I know an individual who had two masters, was the director in their organization, was well respected in their field, and was pushing themselves to start a private practice. They soon realized they were chasing "better" because the world around them insisted they somehow had to do more.

Being content is a lost art. Nobody is content anymore, and it is pushing us to chase after things that God perhaps did not intend for us to have. Let me share this: if you have told yourself you cannot be happy and have peace or joy until you achieve "x,y, and z," I would caution that you may set yourself up for undue stress and frustration. Remember, Paul writes in Philippians 4:11, “Not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.”

As a leader, it is okay to have a dream. It is okay to want to achieve something great. However, do not let your dream become an idol. Do not

become so focused on "that thing" that you rob yourself of peace and contentment because you are worshipping at the feet of a distant desire.

learned to be satisfied with what we have in the present, not always longing for what we could have in the future.

The enemy's trick is to make us speed our lives up to an unhealthy pace, chasing money, fortune, and unrealistic dreams. Most car crashes happen due to people exceeding the speed limit. To be content, we must slow down. To win in life, you must slow things down. Why? Because when you slow things down, you can see things better and make better decisions.

Wherever you are, choose to be content. Do not always look for what is next; be thankful for what God has already blessed you with. The Apostle Paul reminds us that "6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it” (I Timothy 6:67). Paul tells us that there is a great benefit to having godliness and contentment because no matter what we acquire in this world, we cannot take it with us when we die. ❏ ❏ ❏

Consider this: contentment does not mean we cannot desire something or wish for a change in our life circumstances, but rather that we have

Psychology and Problematic Preaching: The Black Church and What to Preach After the Pandemic The Problem: Brothers and sisters, these past 3-4 years have plunged us into unknown psychological struggles!

Increased suicides can be documented in all areas of our community—especially our youth.

In 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death for black girls aged 12 to 14. In a May 2022 Forbes Magazine article, “Why Are More Black Americans Committing Suicide?”, author Maia Niguel Hoskin references unrecognized depression as a contributing cause of these suicides. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality have found that despite a 2020 rate decrease overall, there is an increase in black suicide.

Additionally, Mark Ramirez cites sobering information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate increase in suicide among those ages 10 – 24 represented the largest percentage jump among any demographic. 5 factors are listed as contributing factors to depression and, consequently, suicide completion. Among them is “the historical and ongoing stigma concerning mental health in black communities and inadvertent messages from church sermons regarding faith and prayer.” (“Black suicide rates, once among the

nation's lowest, have risen dramatically among youths.” (USA Today, July 2023) Problematic Preaching: A recent discussion on black suicide and the church with Mr. Jewel Woods, black Christian founder of Male Behavioral Health, sparked my decision to write this article.

“Certainly, we need to preach faith and hope,” I told him. But, I cautioned of a theological danger related to how faith and hope are preached that could inadvertently prove damaging and deadly.

This new era requires that preachers delve deeper into the biblical text to find that “Good Word” that ministers to the lives of the black people to whom they preach. Like the man blind from birth who was forced to live within a community whose approach to personal human difference/ disability/struggle was to seek out someone to blame---those with mental health struggles too often find themselves within the same milieu in the church. In ours and other communities, the persistent display of depressed behavior is seen as weakness. Any inordinate fixation on sex, drugs, or alcohol is seen as solely the result of weakness in morals or character. This kind of problematic preaching assumes a human failure of character and/or spiritual legitimacy or maturity as the starting point of any attempt to be of assistance. We search in the lives of bulimics 4

or the suicidal or manic workaholics to find the presence of selfishness, sloth, greed, or other personal flaws. Where do we get these troublesome ideas?

Certainly, our hearts are pure, and our honest intention is to help our suffering members.

The scriptures are replete with verses that tout God’s desire for our best, God’s ability to heal, and the power of prayer to effect change in the lives of believers. Prayer works. Ergo—if the scriptures can be trusted—praying in faith with hope should be all that is needed! But Jesus said he could not do any miracles in some places because of the people’s lack of faith. So then, unanswered prayers for healing must be the fault of the one making the request.

Right?

Wrong–having worked for some 40 years with persons who struggle against upsetting, destructive urges, thinking, and behavior, I have found this psycho-theological logic unequivocally inaccurate and harmful.

What to Preach: Hope for one struggling against physiological realities cannot rest upon ...continued on p5

OCTOBER 2023 ...From Psychology p4

an outcome that always results in receiving exactly what was imagined and requested. The preacher must give due diligence to the exegesis of texts on hope and healing. Preach that God is able—but take it a step further and preach that “in this world, you will have trouble”; that there is an experience of “weeping that endures for a night”– for many nights, even every night, but that there is an inevitable promised time when the morning will come.

Preach that “the creation groans waiting for the redemption,” and we in human bodies are part of that creation groaning in our humanity.

We have physical, mental, psychological, and

The Christian Recorder spiritual imperfections and challenges—some of which last a lifetime.

tolerance for those unable to control disruptive, self-centered, or otherwise annoying behavior.

Preach that we can discover paths that help us to endure and find joy in the midst. Preach the holy gifts of created medications, therapy, churches, and other groups that offer aid, love, and support. Preach that many possible answers to prayer may not be what we imperfects believe to be what is best for us.

We are black people whose history of racial injustice and torment has been ratcheted up during the COVID-19 pandemic. We must give voice to God’s concern for and anger about our pain by preaching a God of vengeance who hates injustice. We must preach the legitimacy of a “Holy Black Rage” while struggling with texts to teach Christian parents and black America the complex lesson of “turn the other cheek.”

Preach a deeper understanding of Jesus’ focus on the kingdom of God as the ultimate spirituallycreated intervention that heals our broken lives. Preach the legitimacy of the presence of a healing that goes beyond the physical---and believe it yourself! Preach love juxtaposed with

The Duty of Care, Loyalty, and Obedience Required of All Board Members Cynthia Gordon-Floyd, C.P.A., C.F.E., Contributing Writer

Our book of Doctrine and Discipline outlines the general roles and responsibilities of the established “boards” within our denominational structure. It is important to note that the role of any board in a nonprofit organization is critical to the management, oversight, governance, and effectiveness of the organization. We have “boards” with varying degrees of responsibility throughout our Zion, from the local church stewards, trustees, stewardesses, etc., to the Connectional level General Board and African Methodist Episcopal Church Inc.’s Board of Trustees. All these boards have the same general responsibilities to the organization they directly serve: the duty of care, the duty of loyalty, and the duty of obedience.

The Duty of Care: Ensures the nonprofit makes efficient and effective use of all assets, including its facility and applicable human resources, and that both function with goodwill.

The Duty of Loyalty: Ensures that all organization activities advance the nonprofit’s mission. It

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should avoid and expose conflicts of interest and make decisions that are solely in the best interest of the organization. (We should always remember that all nonprofits are formed to serve the public good, not personal enrichment.)

The Duty of Obedience: Ensures that the nonprofit obeys applicable laws and regulations by first ensuring it carries out its organization's regulations (for the AME Church, these are found in our Doctrine and Discipline) and all federal, state, and local laws that govern our activities which should not conflict with the bylaws of the organization. Romans 13:1-7 admonishes us to submit to governing authorities that God has established.

Are we confident that those at all levels of our church operating in these various roles understand and embrace the duties outlined above? In many instances, board members subserviently follow those who placed them in their various roles and intentionally ignore the duties of their office and the overall well-being of their church and our Zion.

Don’t just preach that the wages of sin is death— tell them that the gift of God is eternal life! ❏❏❏

Our clergy and many others have suffered major losses throughout our church history due to our unwillingness to carry out these oversight responsibilities and enforce the adherence to these responsibilities built into our Doctrine and Discipline. Are we prepared to step forward and stand for what is right and in the best interest of our church? Are we ready to do the hard work of looking in the mirror and making the difficult changes so desperately needed? Change is required.

Cynthia Gordon-Floyd is a certified public accountant and a certified fraud examiner. She is the founder of Willing Steward Ministries, LLC. Willing Steward Ministries (www.willingsteward. com) is a financial consulting and accounting firm for churches and other faith-based nonprofits, specializing 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 holds her MBA in Accounting from DePaul University. She teaches a certificate program in Church Financial Management at Turner Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.

CONNECTIONAL NEWS

Wilberforce University's New VP of Development Wilberforce University announces alumnus Steven Miller as the newly appointed vice president for Development.

In this role, Mr. Miller will provide executive leadership in development and institutional advancement. His responsibilities will include developing objectives and strategies in fundraising, major gifts and gift planning, foundation and corporate relations, annual giving, communications and marketing, alumni and constituent relations, public relations, and capital campaigns.

A member of New Birth Christian Ministries in Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Miller also serves on the board of St. Charles Preparatory in Columbus. His commitment to service includes the Columbus chapter’s Big Brother Big Sisters African American Advisory Council. He is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

In his most recent position as the Central and Southern Ohio director of Development for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Mr. Miller led all fundraising for the area office. Before joining UNCF, he was a director of Corporate Relations for the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council.

Mr. Miller earned a bachelor of science in Organizational Management from Wilberforce University. He will become an official Wilberforce University Bulldog family member on October 9, 2023.

For further information, contact Marsha Bonhart at 937-286-0023. ❏ ❏ ❏ 5

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Hate and Racism Have Struck Again; This Time, It Was in Jacksonville, Florida James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D.

Hate is traveling around America. It does not discriminate regarding city, time, or location. Its venomous head shows up, and people are killed.

a community of hate.”

The mayor of Jacksonville, Donna Deegan, said, “We have to talk about hate. I am heartbroken over this incident. We need common-sense gun legislation.”

The tragedy is that citizens are assaulted simply because they are black. I am black, and I know that when I am in some stores, some people do not want me there because I am black, but killing me there because I am black changes the trajectory of so many left to mourn.

Is racism boiling over in America these days? There is a strong case to be made to say that it is. For example, Florida and its leadership are creating barriers that they believe will whitewash history. Recently, the NAACP advised African Americans not to travel to the “Sunshine State.”

Leaders like Governor Ron DeSantis said slavery had some intrinsic and meritorious value for black people. Floridians in positions of power, whom I call “DeSantis Minions,” have lost their minds and will not acknowledge the racist history of this country. They want to minimize it and sweep it under the rug of ignorance. These are my opinions.

On Saturday, August 26, 2023, a gunman entered a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida, and killed three African Americans. The victims, Angela Carr, Anolt Laguerre, Jr., and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, will never see another sunrise or sunset. Church pews where they sat will be empty, and family gathering places will have one less seat.

The gunman, who was white, made it clear through messages to his family that he was going to commit this horrific act. He did, and now families are tragically torn apart. The shooter, Ryan Palmeter, later took his own life, which was perhaps his demented way of declaring, “I did my job.” He lived in nearby Clay county. We can only speculate where and how he or others learn to hate.

How do you stop hate? How do you stop senseless acts of racial violence?

These are questions that have been on the minds of many for many years.

Some solutions rest in the laws legislators can pass if they will. One solution is to ban the sale of AR-15-style weapons. Until that type of legislation happens, we will sit by and have vigils for lost lives who are gone too soon because of people who do not like the color of our skin. ❏ ❏ ❏

The Jacksonville Sheriff, T.K. Waters, has called the shooting a racist act.

He said, “His sickening ideology is not representative of the values of this Jacksonville community that we all love so much.” He added, “We are not

PHEN Partners With the International Health Commission of the AME Church to Expand Free Prostate Cancer Educational Resources and Support; September Is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month The International Health Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) are partnering to expand free prostate cancer educational resources and support to AME churches. The partnership agreement was signed in July 2023 by Bishop Francine Brookins, chair of the Health Commission, the Rev. Dr. Natalie Mitchem, RDN, executive director of the Health Commission, the Rev. Miriam Burnett, MD, medical director of the Health Commission, and PHEN President Thomas Farrington, and includes the introduction of a new online portal link.

Under the agreement, PHEN will provide materials to the churches for distribution to their members so they can access PHEN's online educational resources for early detection screening (PHENPSA.com), treatment options (PHENPath.com), and clinical trials (PHENTrials.com). In addition, PHEN will host a special monthly online support session for church members.

"We have collaborated with PHEN over a number of years to raise prostate cancer awareness, and we are excited to expand the partnership with PHEN to provide educational resources to our churches to support our members, leadership, and communities in the fight against prostate cancer. Our goal is to save lives by increasing vital knowledge about this deadly disease," says the Rev. Dr. Natalie Mitchem.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer for black men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates physicians will diagnose 288,000 men with cancer and 34,000 will die from the disease in 2023. Physicians diagnose Black men with prostate cancer at a rate

founding in 2003. However, this partnership with the AME Health Commission is unique and provides the information and support of the AME Church body to enhance our efforts at a time when the prostate cancer crisis in black communities across the country is accelerating," says Thomas Farrington, PHEN

more than 70% higher and black men die at a rate 120% higher than all other men. This is the leading racial disparity for any type of major cancer for men or women.

"PHEN has worked with hundreds of churches through our church partnership program since our

founder and president.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month; visit AMEChealth.org to access the new portal: PHENChurch | Prostate Cancer Educational Resources & Support.

About PHEN The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) is the leading prostate cancer patient education and advocacy organization focused on the needs of black men. Thomas Farrington, a prostate cancer survivor, founded the organization in 2003 with a mission to eliminate the prostate cancer racial disparity and provide resources for the fight against prostate cancer to support the needs of all men.

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The Call for Intergenerational Leadership to Steward the New Move of the Holy Spirit I consider it a privilege to have grown up in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC). The doctrine, culture, and traditions of the AMEC have shaped my faith and identity as a 23-year-old intergenerational leader in God’s kingdom, driving my values for service, justice, and obedience to God. My home church, Bethel AMEC, has served as an anchor institution in Morris county for 180 remarkable years. The longevity of churches like Bethel is a testament to God's faithfulness and the power of tradition. It is an intergenerational ministry in which one has watered, another has sowed, but God has brought the increase to build a house for which only he can take the glory (1 Corinthians 3:6-8). As a young person, growing in the unique way I encounter and relate to God within the context of the AMEC, I see that our congregation is confronted with the challenge of bridging the gap between these time-honored traditions and the evolving needs of newer generations. Using Bethel as a case study, in this article, we will explore how intergenerational leadership is made possible through cultivating the social capital within the congregation, embracing both the past and the future to bring forth the unity of the faith in our local church context (Ephesians 4:13-14). from Sunday to Sunday.

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, Princeton University sent me home to finish my sophomore year virtually. Simultaneously, I was thrust forth to be the worship leader of our small local congregation of 50 members because the choir could no longer gather in the sanctuary. My dad and I led the 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. service from the comfort of our home office. I sang; he preached. As I grew in my confidence as a worship leader and exhorter, I was responsible for song selection. I worked hard to learn the hymns familiar to our congregation while incorporating newer worship artists. Over time, I learned to mix worship sets to bridge what might seem like two different sounds, to create something new: something uniquely “Bethel.” Having grown up in this local congregation since I was 10 years old, this church literally raised me. While how I sang and some of the songs I selected differed from what some of the more seasoned members of our congregation knew, they welcomed it because they knew me: I was their daughter. Here, in plain sight (it is almost too easy to miss), lies the secret to intergenerational ministry.

Having led worship in our intergenerational congregation for nearly four years, I have learned some core principles that make the work possible.

Intergenerational leadership begins with a profound reliance on the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, hearts are transformed, and lives are touched. Praying for God's wisdom and discernment is paramount in understanding how to navigate the delicate balance between tradition and modernity. Our journey towards intergenerational leadership requires embracing both tradition and modernism. The AMEC’s rich history is a source of strength but should not be a barrier to change. Modernizing certain aspects of church life, such as worship styles or communication methods, can make it more accessible and appealing to newer generations.

However, this must be done by building relationships with all generations and having honest dialogue in love about what needs to be changed (and what can stay the same). For example, our pastor recently replaced the pews with chairs so that the church can rent out the space to local organizations.

Our pastor spent over a year teaching on the importance of “preparing the sanctuary for our grandchildren” and hosting several discussion groups before finally making the decision.

The Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams, Jr., our pastor (who also happens to be my father), argues in his book Fishing Differently the need to cultivate the congregation’s social capital to make true kingdom impact. The social capital of a congregation can very simply be understood as the network of relationships that make up the congregation. This capital is not limited to the congregants’ members but also those in the local community.

Cultivating social capital comes through the intentional relational building with members of the congregation. Without this relationship capital, the resources that the church needs to move forward will remain inaccessible.

Leading intergenerationally means recognizing the importance of both older and newer generations in our churches. It acknowledges that the Holy Spirit is at work in all age groups, and we must create an environment that facilitates spiritual growth for everyone. I would continuously check in with members of the congregation to receive feedback on the worship, asking them for song recommendations. I listened. As we returned to the sanctuary to worship in person, I kept listening, ensuring that all unique expressions of worship were exemplified in the diversity of song selections

An intergenerational church is inclusive, ensuring people of all ages feel valued and heard. Older generations bring wisdom and experience, while younger ones offer fresh perspectives and energy. Engaging in open dialogues and seeking input from both ends of the age spectrum has fostered unity and growth. Intergenerational leaders must strike a delicate balance between honoring the past and envisioning the future. Acknowledging the importance of tradition doesn't mean resisting change; rather, it means adapting tradition to meet the evolving needs of the congregation. Jesus' metaphor of new wine in new wineskins reminds us that a changing world requires flexibility and innovation (Matthew 9:17). As leaders, we must be willing to let go of outdated practices that hinder our church's ability to reach newer generations effectively.

Intergenerational leadership is not about choosing between the old and the new but about blending them in harmony. It is about cherishing our history while being open to the transformational power of the Holy Spirit in today's context. The AMEC’s legacy is indeed a treasure, but it is our responsibility to ensure that this treasure continues to shine brightly for generations to come. As we move forward, let us be guided by the Holy Spirit, embrace tradition and modernism, foster inclusivity, bridge the past and the future, and, most importantly, prepare new wineskins to hold the new wine of God's message.

In doing so, we can ensure that the AMEC and all historic congregations remain vibrant, relevant, and welcoming places for all, regardless of age, as we continue our sacred mission to spread the love and teachings of Jesus Christ. Recently, I have begun leading worship on guitar with songs I have written— all a completely different genre to what Bethel has been used to. I was initially afraid, but our church mothers welcomed and celebrated me for the new sound. They have raised me, and I am a product of their discipleship, and I have vowed to carry the torch of the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation (Hebrews 12:1-2). ❏ ❏ ❏ 7

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The Devil Can't Do Me Any Harm Rev. Dr. Maxine Thomas, Columnist

NO WEAPON THAT IS FASHIONED AGAINST YOU SHALL PROSPER, AND YOU SHALL CONFUTE EVERY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST YOU IN JUDGMENT. THIS IS THE HERITAGE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD AND THEIR VINDICATION FROM ME, SAYS THE LORD. (ISAIAH 54:17) We live in a world with wars and rumors of wars. Not only is there strategized warfare where nations are rising against nations, but also in our neighborhoods, on our street corners, and in our homes. There is a war going on. But to fight in a war, weapons are needed–some means of conquering the enemy is necessary. If you are going to fight in a war and win, you have to have some heavy ammunition–some powerful weapons.

My friend, truly, we can say that the world is equipped with weapons. Guns and knives are used to maim and kill. Atomic bombs and explosives are heavy-duty types of weapons. Still, there are weapons of racism and weapons of discrimination, weapons of oppression, and weapons of selfcondemnation.

While some seek to destroy with physical weapons, some seek to destroy others by using their tongue.

The Bible says, "So also the tongue is

a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!" (James 3:5). The tongue can be a dangerous weapon.

mighty fortress.

There is nothing weak and pitiful about me. I am a royal child of the king. I can do all things through Christ, which strengthened me. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. I have the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and if I drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt me.

Yet, as believers, we can find comfort in knowing that no weapon formed against us shall be able to do us any harm. Although Satan may try to set snares and traps for us, although enemies may rise up on every side, I am not defeated. The victory belongs to me. I am on the winning side. The Lord is my rock and refuge; he is a

All I have to do is speak the name of Jesus, and my enemies have got to back up. In the name of Jesus, Satan

cannot touch me. I am covered by the blood of Jesus. I am shielded by the right hand of the almighty God. I am protected from the demonic forces in this world.

In Christ Jesus, I am more than a conqueror. Liars and backbiters cannot hurt me. No one can destroy my dreams. I have the power to wage war against the devil. 1 have the power to pull down strongholds. I have the power to bind and to loose.

Hallelujah! This is my heritage!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah. ❏ ❏ ❏

St. Paul AME to Get New Roof at No Cost Amy Quesinberry, West Orange Times and Observer

West Orange Roofing has agreed to replace the church’s roof, which was damaged during the 2022 hurricanes. All services and materials are being donated for the project.

When the Rev. Terrell L. Blair accepted the call last November to lead St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Winter Garden, it was a full-circle moment for the pastor, who grew up in east Winter Garden and the church.

The church has provided many memories for Blair through the years — but it also has given him a challenge in the last ten months.

During the 2022 hurricane season, the church was severely damaged by rain and wind and has been closed for most of that time. The rain leaked into nearly every room in the church, forcing administrators to spread plastic sheets over the roof, tear out all the carpeting, and remove large patches of the ceiling.

Church secretary Carlisa Davis said the insurance company denied the claim and canceled the policy.

“The insurance company has been giving the church the devil because, just before the hurricane happened, a general claim was submitted — and (the insurance company) said because there were two active claims, they couldn’t (process the claim),” Davis said. “The church has not been able to reopen because all the rain caused mold in the church, and the congregation had very little money because the church was closed for a year during COVID then, soon after, the hurricane.”

When Blair arrived at the church last fall, he wanted to keep his congregation together, so he continued holding church services online.

“But that’s not church to me,” he said.

He opened up the sanctuary and invited people to return to church.

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“We had people come and get rid of the smell, and we were doing church inside, and people were loving it — (but) a group of people were saying they were still smelling mold and mildew, so we went back to Zoom in the spring,” Blair said.

REACHING OUT Blair and Davis started calling area roofing companies to get reroofing estimates. Davis reached out to West Orange Roofing because one of her high school friends, Jamie Nelson Swindle, is employed there.

“I was just reaching out to different people that I knew who were contractors and in the construction industry, and something in my spirit led me to reach out to Jamie,” Davis said.

“When I first approached Jamie, I asked her to see if they would just donate their labor, and we could probably do some fundraising to get the materials.”

West Orange Roofing is a family business that dates back several generations.

In the 1980s, Carolyn Anderson, Davis’ grandmother, handed out commodities at the Maxey Community Center to families in need.

“Jamie’s ex-husband (Bobby Swindle) used to pick up commodities with his dad, and (they just loved) my grandmother,” Davis said. “When Jamie told her ex-husband who my grandmother and my family were, he remembered how she used to ...continued on p9

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...From St. Paul p8

help his family when he was little. He volunteered to do the roof, as far as labor goes.”

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The roof work comes to $40,000 and is all being donated.

“This has been such a Godsend,” Davis said.

ABC Roofing Supply agreed to provide the materials at no cost to the church.

“West Orange Roofing wanted to invest in their local community and thought it was a great opportunity to be able to give back,” Mooty said.

Odis Mooty of West Orange Roofing did a walk-through of the church, noticed the damaged drywall, and reached out to some colleagues to make the repairs.

The pastor said the work is expected to begin on September 14, 2023. Once the roof is replaced, the drywall work will start. Blair is hoping the drywall materials and labor can be donated.

Mooty asked Blair how much money the church had in its building fund.

He is ready to have his congregation back in the sanctuary for weekly messages.

“I said, ‘We don’t have any building fund,’” Blair said. “We prayed in the parking lot. Odis Mooty called the next morning and said they’re going to put the roof on.”

“It means a lot that God is still in the blessing business,” Blair said. “He proves it to us. The Bible says, ‘Give, and it shall be given until you.’”

Reprinted from https://www.orangeobserver.com/news/2023/sep/06/st-paul-ame-to-get-new-roof-at-no-cost/.

Fundraising Efforts Underway to Repair Historic African American Church in Santa Barbara John Palmintieri, KEYT TV

A community fundraising effort continues to help repair and restore the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Santa Barbara, a landmark building in the city and religious community. The urgent need has been a roof project and interior dome work. Due to the weather damage three years ago, the church has been unable to open for in-person worship and fellowship.

to come in and fellowship and sit and just time to have fellowship and be refueled and renewed, all in the same time and place and space."

There is hope the funding and work can come

The church was built in the early 1900s. It is on the corner of Haley St. at Olive St. on the lower east side of downtown. The city has six AME churches, and St. Paul is the oldest.

The church is a leader in supporting African American culture and spirituality in Santa Barbara and educating the community.

In 2020, the church was designated a Santa Barbara City Historic Landmark in recognition of its architectural distinction and significant cultural history.

The church is seeking community fundraising through a continued donation drive. Currently, the church needs about $46,000 in donations to make the interior safe.

A roofing project was just completed. That went a long way to help the church in its comeback.

"We want to make it safe. We take care of this and smooth it over with some paint, and then we can have service," said AME church pastor the Rev. Elbert Sherrod.

The need to keep the landmark open is apparent, and its service to the community is vital.

Church Trustee Wendy Sims-Moten said, "We don't want this to be a historical landmark that is not being used in the community. We want you

together in the next two months. Sherrod said, "We want to get in. That's how we can share this with the community, this historic landmark."

One large donor could step up, but the church says the repair project, with many people contributing, will be the community unity it strives for going forward.

"We wouldn't have the community ties that we built in this. It's going to strengthen us to help others,” said Sherrod.

For so many people who have been disconnected, Trustee Julie Carlson said the church will help them, including some who were once connected but now feel isolated. "We feel the loss of that ourselves personally, but (this) also brings up this 9

space for people feeling like that."

Carlson is a longtime organist for the choir and congregation.

Information from the church website shows the progress to date following the roof replacement: Phase 2 Revitalization (supported by ongoing fundraising). The second phase is motivated by two goals. One is to stabilize and renovate other portions of this historic building (renovating the fellowship hall and upstairs meeting rooms to increase accessibility) to resume our worship and fellowship activities, expand them, and grow our congregation. The second is to resume St. Paul’s reputation as a beacon for justice by expanding our mission and service to the surrounding community, focusing on our youth and seniors. We will continue to conduct historical tours for students, politicians, and visitors in the area while at the same time renewing our cultural contributions to the regional community.

Donations can be made by check to St. Paul AME Church, 502 Olive Street, Santa Barbara 93101, or online via the Givelify APP using St. Paul AME Church Santa Barbara.

"We are under the African Methodist Episcopal Church Denomination Group Exemption Number 2632, 00-53-0204696, 501C (3), and a California Non-Profit Corporation Entity No. 0046107," wrote St. Paul AME Capital Campaign Committee, Pastor Elbert Sherrod, trustees Julie Carlson, and Wendy Sims-Moten.

Article reprinted from https://keyt.com/ news/santa-barbara-s-county/2023/09/07/ fundraising-efforts-underway-to-repair-historicafrican-american-church-in-santa-barbara/.

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Juneteenth Celebration at North Stelton AME Church in Piscataway, New Jersey Pastor Eric R. Billips, Sr., and the North Stelton African Methodist Episcopal Church made history on Saturday, June 17, and Sunday, June 18, 2023, when they hosted their first Juneteenth celebration, entitled “Juneteenth Freedom Festival” on the grounds of North Stelton, located at 123 Craig Avenue in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The Juneteenth Freedom Festival was birthed when Pastor Eric and Assistant Pastor Myra Billips decided they wanted to host an event to bring the community of all ages together to celebrate, educate, and advocate for the freedom of all individuals. With assistance from cochairs Lisa Scott and Derick Dailey, the pastors planned the event that featured music, food, outdoor games, African dance, spoken word, and a traditional drums ensemble.

Juneteenth participants receiving food.

The celebration also included an essay contest for youth on “What Does Juneteenth Mean to You and Why Is It Important to Celebrate the Holiday?” Contestants had the opportunity to win up to $500 in cash awards.

The Saturday event was supported and attended by Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler, Township and Middlesex County Commissioner Chanelle Scott McCullum, Piscataway Township Civil Rights Advisory Commission (the Reverend Dr. Kenneth L. Saunders, Sr. Chair), and the Piscataway African American Seniors Club. The Middlesex County Health Education and Community Health Improvement coordinator, Twyla Paige, and others were on-site to provide health information to event attendees. Piscataway Council Member Sharon Carmichael hosted a voter registration table in partnership with “When We All Vote,” a leading national, non-partisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each election by helping to close the race and age gap. There were also presentations by Reginald Johnson, president of the Metuchen-Edison NAACP L-R: the Reverend Dr. Eric R. Billips, Sr., Mayor (New Jersey), and Piscataway resident, William Davis, spoke concerning reparations.

Brian C. Wahler, Brother Derick Dailey, Co-Chair, the Reverend Dr. MyraT. Billips, and councilwoman The event was also supported by local pastors, Lost Souls Project of New Jersey; Raritan Sharon Carmichael.

Valley New Jersey Chapter of Links, Inc.; Progressive Lodge #17, New Brunswick, New Jersey; New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; National Association of Mental Health; Penn State University; and Job Corp of Edison. The office of the Attorney General of New Jersey, Matthew J. Platkin, and State Senator Bob Smith sent special letters of congratulation.

On Sunday, the celebration culminated with a Commemorative Worship Service. Pastor Eric Billips, Sr., preached the sermon, “I’m Not Going to Be Bound Anymore,” using Matthew 11:25-30. Co-Chair Derick Dailey announced the winners of the essay contest. There were eight submissions, and everyone received an award for a total of $1050 in cash prizes: ❖ 1st Place – Layani Austin – Heard AME Church, Roselle, New Jersey - $500 ❖ 2nd Place – Jameel Lewis – Heard AME Church, Roselle, New Jersey - $200 ❖ 3rd Place – Sanai Austin – Heard AME Church, Roselle, New Jersey - $100

North Stelton Royal Priesthood Dance Ministry.

❖ 4th – 8th Place participants each received $50 The program was topped off with a video presentation from Ms. Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” member of Baker African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Mother Lee talked about the history of the celebration of Juneteenth and suggested things to do on Monday, June 19, the actual Juneteenth holiday. Her highlighted suggestion was to take a 2.5-mile walk in commemoration of the 2.5 years it took for all the 250,000 slaves in Texas to be freed after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln.

Pastor Billips concluded with acknowledgments to all who assisted in the organization and support for the two-day celebration. He and the North Stelton African Methodist Episcopal Juneteenth essay contest participants.

Church family look forward to continuing the historic celebration with an even bigger and better event next year. To God be the glory! ❏ ❏ ❏ 10

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A Church Problem Quardricos Driskell

There is one universal problem with the church, especially among rural, historical, and smaller churches – they are youthless.

The secretary-general, the Rev. Professor Jerry Pillay of the World Council of Churches (WCC), echoed this sentiment during his visit to the United States. The World Council of Churches is a global ecumenical body of churches. The WCC is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism.

Bread for the World, a global ecumenical Christian advocacy organization dedicated to ending hunger, convened all mainline protestant denominations together, including the Rt. Reverend Jeffrey N. Leath, president of the AMC Council of Bishops, and Bishop Vashti McKenzie, leader of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. The discussion centered on strengthening ecumenical relationships and cooperation in North America, addressing the challenges and opportunities facing Christian communities and the church's role in promoting social justice, reconciliation, and peace.

The Rev. Professor Pillay noted that the WCC has formed a Commission on Justice that would center on ecological justice, gender justice, and economic justice while acknowledging the other challenges facing the church. While other challenges plaguing the universal churches were discussed, such as health equity, hunger, global racism, and religious fundamentalism, significant attention was paid to the absence of young people.

Churches worldwide have been facing a notable decline in attendance among young people. The absence of younger generations from religious congregations has raised concerns about these institutions' future vitality and relevance.

Understanding the reasons behind this trend and implementing effective strategies to engage and reconnect with young people is crucial for churches' continued growth and significance.

“How do we grow and mentor and create a space for them?” asked the Rev. Pillay. “We must go where they are; what did Jesus do amongst the poor? He went to where they were; he understood and healed them.”

If our churches do not have youth, the churches will die; this is a global crisis. Young people are starting to think differently about faith and church, and their thoughts and questions should guide us. Pillay poignantly said, “We think [youth] have a faith problem; they have a church problem.

In some ways, they are teaching us about God.” The Rev. Professor Pillay’s words are congruent with various studies on the decline of youth within

various congregations.

Here are some reasons behind the exodus of young people leaving the church: 1) Lack of Relevance: Many young individuals perceive churches as disconnected from their daily lives and struggles. The teachings and messages may seem outside contemporary challenges, leading them to seek guidance and meaning elsewhere.

2) Busy Lifestyles: The demands of education, work, and extracurricular activities often leave young people with limited time. The rigid schedules of traditional church services may clash with their already crowded agendas.

3) Authenticity: Young people value authenticity and are quick to spot insincerity. If churches come across as overly focused on rituals without addressing genuine concerns, they may fail to resonate with younger generations.

4) Social and Community Alternatives: Online platforms and interest-based communities offer young people a sense of belonging that they might not find in conventional religious settings.

These alternative spaces provide opportunities for connection and shared experiences that churches must compete with.

Here are some strategies for reconnection with youth: 1) Modernize Worship Formats: Adapt the format of services to align with the preferences of young attendees. Incorporate contemporary music, interactive discussions, and multimedia presentations to make the experience more engaging and relatable.

2) Address Relevant Issues: Offer sermons and discussions that address current societal challenges, demonstrating the continued relevance of religious teachings in navigating modern life.

3) Flexible Scheduling: Introduce flexible service timings or alternate gatherings that accommodate 11

the busy schedules of young people to include evening services during weekdays or shorter, more focused gatherings.

4) Interactive Learning: Create opportunities for open dialogue, where young attendees can ask questions, express doubts, and engage in meaningful conversations, fostering an environment of understanding and inclusivity.

5) Community Involvement: Encourage involvement in community service projects, giving young people a chance to positively impact and embody the teachings of compassion and charity.

6) Mentorship and Guidance: Pair young attendees with mentors who can provide personal guidance and a sense of belonging within the church community.

7) Utilize Technology: Leverage technology to connect with young people, such as streaming services online, maintaining an active social media presence, and using apps for communication and event updates.

The absence of young people in churches is a multifaceted challenge that requires a comprehensive response. By recognizing the changing needs and preferences of younger generations and implementing strategies that foster relevance, authenticity, and community, churches can create environments that resonate with and engage young attendees. Embracing innovation while maintaining the core values of faith and spirituality can pave the way for a brighter future where churches continue to play a meaningful role in the lives of current and upcoming generations.

If we fail to address the absence of youth in our churches, our churches will surely perish - maybe then, we can see Jesus again.

Reverend Professor Quardricos Bernard Driskell, a federal lobbyist, an adjunct professor of religion and politics at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, and pastor of the historic Beulah Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. Follow him on Twitter @q_ driskell4.

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Intentional Awareness and Peace Advocacy Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, President/Publisher, AMEC Publishing House

In a world marred by the cacophony of conflict, the cries of the innocent often echo across lands far beyond the epicenters of violence. The heartwrenching narratives from the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine-Russia war reverberate with every soul who yearns for justice and peace. Yet, as Christians tasked with a divine mandate to be peacemakers, our gaze must transcend the immediacy of high-profile crises to discern the less visible yet equally grievous injustices unfolding globally.

Here are some resources and websites where you can pursue intentional awareness. These resources encompass a range of platforms providing news, analysis, and reports on global conflicts, human rights issues, and social injustices, facilitating a deeper understanding of these critical issues: International Crisis Group: www.crisisgroup.org Provides in-depth analysis and updates on ongoing conflicts and crises worldwide.

We are called to intentional awareness. This call is not a mere appeal to broaden our informational horizons but a Christian duty to foster a profound empathy for the marginalized. Mainstream media may not always shed light on the myriad conflicts affecting black and brown communities globally; hence, the onus falls upon us to seek the truth, going beyond the familiar narratives.

Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org Offers reports on human rights abuses and injustices around the globe.

United Nations Human Rights Council: www.ohchr.org Provides information on human rights issues and international humanitarian law.

While the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia conflicts capture global attention, simmering crises in places like Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and others often escape the spotlight. These lesser-known conflicts, underpinned by economic disparities, climate injustice, and the shadows of colonial legacies, reflect a broader pattern of oppression and violence that afflicts the vulnerable.1

Amnesty International: www.amnesty.org Publishes reports on human rights violations and advocates for justice.

The Christian faith impels us towards love, peace, and justice—values that starkly contrast with the hatred, nationalism, authoritarianism, and populism fueling many global conflicts today. The scriptural exhortation to live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18) is a call to action in a world where economic hardship, climate breakdown, and far-right populism threaten social harmony.2

Al Jazeera: www.aljazeera.com Covers global news, including conflicts and social injustices, with a focus on underreported regions.

Navigating the complex landscape of global conflicts demands a commitment to research, study, and prayer. Our endeavor to understand the roots of conflicts, the economic and environmental interplays, and the political dynamics is essential for meaningful advocacy. Engaging in informed dialogue within and beyond the Christian community can foster a culture of empathy and a collective pursuit of peace.

Reuters: www.reuters.com Provides international news coverage including conflicts and crises.

BBC World Service: www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Offers a global perspective on current events and ongoing conflicts.

The Guardian Global Development: www.theguardian.com/globaldevelopment Focuses on global development issues, including conflict, poverty, and inequality.

As we respond to the call to be peacemakers, we, as a Christian community, venture beyond the readily accessible narratives to grapple with the intricate web of global injustices. Our quest for peace is a testament to the Gospel's transformative power, urging us to advocate for a world where love overcomes hatred, justice triumphs over oppression, and peace prevails amidst discord. Through a culture of informed advocacy and unwavering commitment to our Christian values, we move towards fulfilling our divine mission in a tumultuous world.

Council on Foreign Relations: www.cfr.org Provides analysis and context on international politics and foreign affairs.

Global Conflict Tracker (by CFR): www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker Offers real-time updates on ongoing conflicts around the world. ❏ ❏ ❏

1 https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/10-conflicts-watch-2023 2https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/10-conflicts-watch-2023.

A Christian Teen’s Guide to Mental Health Robert Williamson, Calvary Fellowship AME Church, Rev. Dr. Lisa Williamson, Pastor

MENTAL HEALTH IS REAL According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness: ❖ 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year ❖ 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year ❖ 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year ❖ 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24 ❖ Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 1 Throughout the Bible, there were many who struggled with mental health. King Saul suffered from depression, Elijah laid down after battling Jezebel’s prophets and asked God to take away his life. Addressing mental health in the church is as simple as discussing some of the biblical stories mentioned previously ...continued on p13 12

OCTOBER 2023 ...From A Christian p12 within a Bible study or church school lesson. We must break the cycle of silence and have these difficult conversations within the church.

Psalm 42 verse 11 states, “Why, my, soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 41:11 NIV). 2 This passage of scripture acknowledges there are times when God’s people will be depressed and in despair over life’s challenges, but it also gives a prescription for us to place our hope in God and see his goodness for us. This is a personal topic for me to address because I, too, went through a period of time in my life where I struggled with depression.

On August 17, 2012, my life changed forever. Even though I was still young, I knew my life would never be the same. On that day, my father passed away. Being that young, I did not really understand how sick my dad was; even with him having Stage 4 bladder cancer, death just never crossed my mind.

To be completely honest, the reality of his sickness did not hit me until it was too late, and he was gone.

Growing up without a father has

The Christian Recorder been the toughest obstacle I have persevered throughout my life.

I have always felt different from other kids with two parents. I would go to school and hear kids tell stories about their parents and what they did over the weekend together. I would watch my friends get dropped off and picked up by their fathers, wishing I could have the same relationship with mine if he were alive. Without a father in my life put me in a huge state of depression, my life was getting harder and harder every day. I would try to hide my emotions and not let my depression bring others down.

In school, I was the class clown, making everyone laugh, getting in trouble for dumb things, and just doing anything to get attention. I sought attention, and I wanted to feel important. I wanted to receive a father’s love and attention, which was missing from my life, but others had in their lives. As I grew older, my search for attention started to affect my academic performance. My behavior started being reflected in my grades. My mother placed me in counseling, and through her prayers and honest discussion with me, I was able to deal with my feelings in a healthy way. I would pray and ask God to be my Father and to help me with

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my sadness and grief. I remember my mother preaching one day, and she stated that we serve a God who is acquainted with grief, so I knew God would understand me.

The church must affirm from the leadership and pastor that mental health is real. Invite mental health professionals to conduct information sessions for both youths and adults regarding mental health. These sessions can teach us signs and symptoms and how to get the person help if needed. Churches can set aside prayer time solely focused on allowing people to vent and share their feelings. Most importantly, mental health focused Bible studies which can affirm that everyone deals with mental illness, including Christians. Churches can establish 911 prayer lines where there are people on call to jump and offer prayer whenever someone may be experiencing a crisis.

Many believe that our faith in Jesus Christ makes us immune from depression, anxiety, and mood disorders, but God lets us know that we will face trials and tribulations; but even though the weapons may form, they will not prosper. The church has to be the instrument of hope and faith amid mental health challenges.

My mother, who is also my pastor, gives the people permission to not be okay and offers them the opportunity to take a step back and be ministered to every Sunday. Our YPD should take up the mantle and lead mental health discussions and invite professionals that work with children and adolescents.

My journey with depression and sadness was conquered because of my faith, my mother recognizing my need for counseling, but most importantly, I was made aware of a God who understood grief and, in his Word, provided me comfort and relief for my grief. Mental health is real, but God is also real, and he is willing to be our very present help in times of trouble. This message is especially empowering for those who deal with mental health problems, so take up the banner, church of Jesus Christ, and be the light in this place of darkness.

Bibliography 1. “Mental Health by the Numbers.”

National Alliance on Mental Illness.

June 2022. https://www.nami.org/ mhstats.

2.

Attridge, Harold W. 2006. HarperCollins Study Bible.

New York, NY: HarperOne.

Pause and Remember Dr. John Wm. Roberts, ED.D., Contributing Writer

As we transition from the long, languid days of summer into the short, brisk days of autumn, the time for celebrations of family, friends, church picnics, and pastoral appreciation have passed. These summer days were times to pause and remember. It was a time to take stock of all the sacrifices ancestors, church pastors, and elders made to allow us to celebrate. These celebrations remind us of the life’s journey we still are traveling. Upon reflection, there’s a song that comes to mind… “What a Fellowship.” As I looked around the venue where my family’s 151st celebration was held, I was amazed and, yes, inspired to see five generations of the family fellowshipping, reconnecting, and re-examining the family’s legacy. It was a great time to fellowship, but we were all mindful of those who have gone before, which made this fellowship possible. Interwoven within the lines of “What a Fellowship” are the threads of many other songs of the faith.

The repetitive phrase “leaning on the everlasting arm” evoked the sense of memory of those ancestors who relied on the strength of Christ and his assurance of his constant presence in their lives and endeavors. Most of them understood that without God’s presence in their lives, nothing could be achieved which would endure.

Looking over the crowds of relatives, I remember the a capella singing of “The Old Ship of Zion.”

One phrase stuck in my mind as I surveyed the crowd: “It has landed many a thousand.”

This phrase made me think of the hundreds of ancestors who have died and crossed the River Jordan to reach the Promised Land. I am sure they

felt like everything was falling apart at various times on their Christian journey and life was without hope. These words from “Tell It Like It Is” came to mind: “When that old ship of Zion gets to reeling and a-rocking, seems like I’m gonna be thrown overboard. I know everything will be alright if I just call on the name of the Lord.” They called on God’s name, giving them the strength and courage to continue and thrive. They believed God’s promise and, throughout their lives, worked hard to be on the old ship which would carry them to “the land of milk and honey.” I asked myself, “How many of us present at this celebration have the assurance of our passage on the ship of Zion?”

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Have we said to God, “My Life Is in Your Hands?”

Pausing to remember is a time to stop and take stock of our relationship with family, friends, and God. During this period, never forget to reflect on “How I Got Over.” As we approach the sunset of our lives and Christian journey, can we say with confidence… “As I look back over my life, and I think things over, I can truly say that I’ve been blessed. I’ve got a testimony”? Our ancestors had a testimony. The testimony of their strong, unyielding belief in God, trust in his Word, and belief he would never leave or forsake them. Let us hope the same will be said of us when our descendants take their time to pause and remember. ❏ ❏ ❏

OCTOBER 2023

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Transitions REV. CLINTON LAMAR STANCIL, SR. (1962-2023) September 6, 2023, the Rev. Clinton Lamar Stancil, Sr., 61, resident of St. Louis, Missouri, passed away peacefully at St. Louis University Hospital with his beloved wife Christine and sons at his side.

television documentary about the same. He loved his sons and was proud of all their accomplishments. He loved to travel and enjoyed fishing and spending every day with his wife doing ministry around the country.

Clinton accepted Christ at an early age at Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church, Mulberry, Florida, under the leadership of Pastor Leonard.

Clinton was captivated by the Episcopalian organizational style of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and joined the church in 1988.

Clinton and Christine were married on August 14, 1986, and for ten years, they partnered in ministry at Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Their tenure in ministry included assignments at Allen AME in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookins AME in Oakland, California, Greater Bethel AME in Phoenix, Arizona, and St. James/Brown Chapel AME in Paola, Kansas.

Clinton loved sports and was a dynamic basketball player and football player, breaking many high school and college records. He will forever be remembered as someone who was punctual and did not like to waste time. He always said, "God only gives us so much time, and it is vital that we are good stewards over the time we are given on this earth." Clinton loved having fun and believed Christians should be the most joyful people.

Clinton loved cars. He spoke of owing a Maybach one day. Clinton was an amazing father, brother, uncle, friend, and husband who will be missed dearly.

Clinton, the youngest of five, was born on June 17, 1962, to Willie Issac and Essie Mae Stancil in Bartow, Florida. His early jobs, which he held down while in school, included working at a phosphate mine in Florida. In 1980, he graduated from Mulberry High School. Afterward, he attended Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Florida. He would later accept a basketball scholarship to attend Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, where he met his wife, Christine. Upon graduating from Ottawa, he worked in the financial field at various Fortune 500 companies, including IBM and Monster.com. In 1992, he accepted his call to ministry at St. Paul AME Church in Olathe, Kansas, and was ordained an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1996.

Clinton was preceded in death by his father, Willie Issac Stancil, and mother, Essie Mae Stancil. Sisters: Deborah Pillman and Elease McKinney.

He is survived by his wife, Christine Pennington-Stancil. Sons: Clinton Lamar Stancil, Jr. (Jayne); Brandon A. Stancil; Blake C. Stancil and Bryan W. Stancil. Grandson: Micah Stancil. Granddaughters: lyanna Stancil, Zoe Stancil; Auslyns Stancil, Aspyn Stancil, Braylen Stancil, and Kali Stancil.

He is also survived by two brothers: Willie Herbert Stancil (Gale) and Rottice Stancil (Petronia). Nieces: Sunseria Smith; Gwen Gentry (Fred); Kelly Bishop; Coco Chanel Stancil; Brittany Pennington; Alicia Williams; Melissa Templeton. Nephews: Fred Gentry; Charles Pillman; Cedric Pillman; Antonio Stancil; Miles Pennington-Thuman; Matthew Pennington; and Errol Stancil. Sisters-in-law: Dorisalene Hughes, Wilma Pennington-Thurman, and Jessica Pennington. Brother-in-law: Rev. Anthony Hughes. Along with a host of other family members, friends, nieces, nephews, and cousins. ❏

Clinton loved to preach the Gospel and was a "preacher's preacher." He had a masterful way of delivering the Word of God and reaching people in his weekly Sunday messages. So much so that more than twenty people have answered the call to the ministry under his leadership. He was a gifted administrator, organizer, leader, preacher, worship leader, teacher of the Gospel, prayer warrior, community leader, and fighter for justice around the country. Mostly, he was not shy about using his position and voice to speak up for the marginalized. He wrote national articles for The New York Times on protecting women's reproductive rights and was featured in a REV. DR. ARTHUR L. HOLMES (1965-2023) The Reverend Dr. Arthur Holmes, son of the late Julia Gregory Holmes and Cephus Pinckney, was born September 19, 1965, in Charleston, South Carolina. He was raised in the Rantowles area of Hollywood, South Carolina, the epitome of a village rearing a child.

degree (educational leadership) and the doctor of ministry.

Arthur answered the call to preach in 1983 under the leadership of the late Reverend Elijah Green, Sr. He was licensed to preach on June 3, 1983, by the late Bishop Z.L. Grady, who served as the presiding elder of the Edisto District in the South Carolina Annual Conference of the Seventh Episcopal District. In October of 1986, Licentiate Arthur Holmes was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church as an itinerant deacon in the South Carolina Annual Conference by Bishop Frederick Calhoun James and was then called the Reverend Arthur Holmes.

At an early age, family members knew ministry was in his future, for Arthur Holmes would perform the funeral services for the animals that would die on his grandfather’s farm.

In 1987, the Reverend Holmes began his 36-year journey in education and ministry. In August of that year, the Reverend Holmes put his passion for education into action by empowering the lives of third graders at Mt. Zion Elementary School on Johns Island, South Carolina. In October of that same year, Bishop Frederick Calhoun James appointed him the pastor of Graniteville Circuit.

Arthur was blessed with the gift of being an eloquent wordsmith. He used this gift to show his passion for his solid rock, Jesus Christ! Through these lessons, Arthur wanted us to develop a stronger relationship with God and ourselves, which would lead others to Christ.

Arthur was educated in the public schools of Charleston county. He was a proud Bobcat, leaving his mark as a 1983 Baptist Hill High School graduate.

Arthur is a spring 1987 graduate of Winthrop College in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where he earned bachelor of sciences in Elementary Education and Philosophy and Religion. Arthur furthered his education as a lifelong learner dedicated to education by earning two masters in education in Curriculum and Administration and Supervision, respectively. Arthur continued to travel the road of education to earn an educational specialist

The Reverend Holmes humbly served under the leadership of the esteemed presiding elders: the late Reverend Alonzo Middleton, the late Reverend LaVern Stevenson, the late Reverend John H. Gillison, the late Reverend Charles Graves, the Reverend Dr. Norvel Goff, Sr., and the Reverend Dr. Juenarrl Keith. The Reverend Holmes had the privilege to pastor God’s people at Graniteville Circuit, St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church in Summerville, St. James African Methodist Episcopal ...continued on p15 14

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...From Transitions p14 Church on John’s Island, Calvary African Methodist Episcopal Church on Edisto Island, Mt. Nebo African Methodist Episcopal Church in Awendaw, Charity African Methodist Episcopal Church in Huger, Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on James Island, Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Petersfield, Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church on Edisto Island, and Holy Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church in Mt. Pleasant.

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and Pure White Family.

Arthur was preceded in death by two brothers, Franklin Holmes, Jr. and Isaiah Holmes. Arthur Holmes impacted the lives of many, and those memories will forever be etched in our hearts. Those left to cherish his fond memories are his loving wife, Souvillia Colette Rice-Holmes; his two children, Megan Cierra Holmes and Julius Rámon Holmes; his student whom he loved as son, Irving Stevens, Jr. (Felica Stevens) and Joya Singletary, Julius’ fiancé. There will be a special memory and his legacy of love left for his one granddaughter, the apple of his eye, Legacii O’ Shea Smart; Irving’s children, who he loved dearly as his grandchildren, Daja Butler, Malachi Stevens, and Amiyah Stevens. Stories and laughs will forever be told by his sisters, Julia Dorothy Whidbee, Peggy Holmes-Sumter, Arletta HolmesSumter, Helen Hill, and Mary Alston; his brothers, Edward Holmes and Cephus Holmes. His love will forever be remembered by his sisters-inlaw, Annie Holmes, Rose Holmes, and Gwendolyn Rice, and his brothersin-law: Alonzo Whidbee, Eugene Sumter, Jr., Deacon Don Sumter, Sr., Deacon Albert Hill, and Orlando Rice. His caring spirit will forever be felt by his special friends Alphonso Rollerson and Kelsey Lodge and two aunts, Lousie Gregory and Rose West, along with Mildred Douglas and Doris McCollough, whom he loved as aunts. His wisdom through preaching and the sound of his voice when he sang will be remembered by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, former classmates, students, church members, and colleagues. ❏ ❏

While in high school, God ordered his steps to attend the Upward Bound Program at the College of Charleston. At the College of Charleston, he met Miss Souvillia (Colette) Rice, daughter of Mary Rice and the late Elijah Rice. The two courted and believed God for greater when they married on August 10, 1991. He always proclaimed that he married the love of his life.

In this God-ordained union, two children were born, Megan Cierra Holmes and Julius Rámon Holmes. Their family love knew no boundaries, so their love was extended to Irving Stevens, Jr., a 5th-grade student who was as close to him as a son.

The Reverend Dr. Arthur Holmes was an extremely proud and devoted member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. since December 1992. He proudly served on the chapter and state levels as director of Education served on the Southeastern Regional Level as the director of Education.

Holmes served as one of the advisors for the Sigma Beta Club of his local chapter. Anyone who knew him knew how much he loved his Royal Blue REV. LAKENYA ANDERSON (1982-2023) The Reverend LaKenya Anderson was born on September 17, 1982. She was the oldest of two children born to Arthurine Pitts and Eddie Anderson of Brantley, Alabama, and Opp, Alabama, respectively. She departed from this life on June 18, 2023. She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Bernia Dean Anderson of Opp, Alabama.

an early age. She served as the pastor of New Mount Zion AME Church of Eufaula, Alabama, at the time of her death. She served on the Southeast Alabama Conference as the chair of the Board of Examiners, Christian Education director, and the secretary for Women in Ministry. She was a member of the Kappa Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The Rev. Anderson leaves to cherish her memory her beloved son, Braden Green of Brantley, Alabama; her mother, Arthurine Pitts of Brantley, Alabama; her brother, O’Darrius Anderson (Keyana) of Brantley, Alabama; one niece, Olivia (Livvy) Anderson of Brantley, Alabama; her father, Eddie Anderson (Gail) of Cleveland, Ohio; her grandparents, Arthur and Juliett Pitts of Brantley, Alabama, and Edward C. Anderson of Opp, Alabama; her loving aunts, Pastine (Terry), Julie (Joe), Katherine, Portia, Lakita, Joyce (Tammy), Vanessa (Terrence) Roland Veronica (Tony) and Cindy; her loving uncles, DeWayne (Pam), Dwight (Inge), Bridges (Cassandra) and Tyrons; a host of great aunts and uncles, cousins and friends; and one special fur baby: Stormie Sky. ❏ ❏ ❏

The Rev. Anderson confessed her life to Christ at an early age and joined St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church of Brantley, Alabama, where she remained a faithful member until her death. She was a 2000 graduate of the Alabama School of Math and Science. She furthered her education at Springhill College, where she studied religion. She then went on to study Biblical and Theological Studies at Samford University of Birmingham-Alabama. She finished her education at the University of Mobile, where she received her master's degree in child psychology. She accepted her calling for Christ at ...From I'm Not p1

effective interpersonal and communication skills; training and experience in Christian Education; knowledge of the Bible and the AMEC Hymnal; and experience in preparing and conducting Bible study and worship.” Yet, if one does a quick Google search, one will find the general definition of a chaplain as one who provides spiritual care - “attending to a person’s spiritual or religious needs as they cope with illness, loss, grief, or pain to help them heal emotionally as well as physically, rebuilding relationships, and regaining a sense of spiritual wellbeing.” Notice it does not say anything about offering prayer, scripture, song, or a sermonette, which are tools utilized to administer care but not their primary function.

How insulting this is for those who serve as chaplains in a professional capacity to see their

charge minimized to prayers, worship, and Bible study when the requirements alone require a master-level theological degree, completion of a one-year residency program, an accumulation of 2,000 post-residency hours, and the acquisition of national board certification.

(For military chaplaincy, the process is slightly different but no less rigorous or demanding.)

A candidate must show written and verbal proficiency in (1) the knowledge, application, and integration of the theories (spiritual care, psychology, social science, ethics, and group dynamics), research, and research literacy; (2) maintaining a professional identity and conduct through self-awareness and critical judgment skills; (3) professional practical skills (engage in relationships, provide effective support, manage crises, and facilitate group processes), assessing the spiritual needs of the care 15

recipient and formulating a plan of care with interventions, goals, and anticipated outcomes; (4) organizational leadership, contributing to staff support and the integration of spiritual care; and complete ongoing training and education to maintain their certification.

With all the skills, knowledge, and experience one acquires, how did the role of chaplain get reduced to someone within an organization whose role is to pray and lead worship? In a place like the church, where we are responsible for the souls of the people, the role of the chaplain takes on a whole new meaning, which does not take away from the role of the pastor. I assert that the two work in tandem as complements to one another. Whereas the pastor's primary responsibilities are preaching, teaching, and administration, a chaplain presses into the ...continued on p17

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spiritual needs of the people. The chaplain keeps k p their th i ears in the pews and their feet on the ground, actively listening for moral or spiritual injury, meaning and purpose, connectedness to self and others, and beliefs and values, which can inform the central message of the pastor.

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I ffurther th submit that the role of chaplain be elevated and fully integrated into the work of the church as a viable and necessary voice for the development and growth of the internal church. I strongly encourage individual organizations with a “chaplain” as one of their officers to handle with care and intentionality the duties, roles, elections, and appointments of these positions. The chaplain is not the opening and closing of your meetings, creator of your worship services, and teacher of your Bible study.

The chaplain is the assessor of your members’ spiritual needs. They are the creators and facilitators of your spirituality groups. They are the specialists who journey with the members in search of meaning and, purpose, hope, and connectedness. Think about this the next time you see or hear a chaplain in front of someone’s name, and do not minimize their role. Slide over and make room for the necessity that it is. ❏ ❏ ❏

Chaplains are the subject-matter experts on spiritual care, assessing and speaking into spaces of deficiency and pain. They are uniquely positioned to create resources and programs that help those who have experienced hurt and those who are doing the hurting. They are the leaders and facilitators of the spiritual care team. I posit that every church, or cluster of churches for smaller congregations, needs a chaplain skilled and proficient in spiritual distress and struggle.

ECUMENICAL NEWS

American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church: A Conversation With Author Andrew Whitehead About His New Book Robert P. Jones, White Too Long

A conversation with author Andrew Whitehead about his new book, American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church Q: Andrew, you describe coming to a disturbing revelation in this book. What was it?

WHITEHEAD: If your experience growing up in primarily white Christian spaces was anything like mine, we heard repeated warnings concerning ...continued on p19

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what was going to destroy Christianity and the United States—secularism, Democrats, feminism, divorce, homosexuality, or non-Christian faiths. Each was commonly mentioned, among other threats.

Particularly in election years, we were encouraged to “vote our values” and ensure God’s blessing on the United States by placing the right people in positions of power to turn our nation back to God. Many well-meaning and earnest Christians, like myself, fell in line and did what we felt we had to do to be faithful Christians and good Americans.

But what if the greatest danger to the witness of Christianity in the United States wasn’t any of these or another outside threat? What if the greatest danger looked so familiar it was able to evade detection? What if the greatest threat to Christianity in the United States was white Christian nationalism?

After years of examining Christian nationalism as a social scientist, leading to my first book with Sam Perry—Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States— I’ve become convinced that the greatest threat to Christianity in the U.S. is white Christian nationalism. Over and over, we find evidence that the practical fruit of Christian nationalism is not love. It is power, control, domination, fear, and violence.

Christian nationalism makes Christians less Christ-like.

American

It was this realization that motivated me to write American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church. In American Idolatry, I weave together my professional and personal journeys to explore why and how American Christians should confront white Christian nationalism.

I show how it betrays the Gospel and actively impedes Christians from participating in the work of the kingdom of God, seeking the good of those around us.

Q: Ok, that’s a jaw-dropping, disturbing claim.

How do you make the case for this argument, especially when some of what you’re describing has become a familiar part of many churches, especially conservative white churches?

WHITEHEAD: In the book, I provide an empirically supported definition of white Christian nationalism—a cultural framework that idealizes and advocates for a fusion of a particular expression of Christianity with American civic life—and a “field guide” for recognizing Christian nationalism out in “the wild.” I discuss flags in sanctuaries, the 4th of July “Celebrate America” services, and several other important signals. I also highlight five basic facts every American should know about Christian nationalism.

Q: The title of the book is American Idolatry. What do you mean by the word “idolatry”?

WHITEHEAD: Central to this book are the three main idols of Christian nationalism: power, fear, and violence. I show how each idol continues to tempt American Christians and how Christians’ embrace of each idol harms our neighbors, ourselves, and our nation.

Power is the ability to get others to do what you want despite their resistance. Wielding power to serve one’s own group is tempting. Especially when it is contrasted with the political realities of living in a pluralistic, democratic society where collaboration and compromise are vital, but when it comes down to democracy or power, white Christian nationalism chooses power every time.

In American Idolatry, I write how “the final goal of Christian nationalism is a United States where white, culturally and religiously conservative, natural-born citizens occupy the unquestioned center of the culture and enjoy privileged access to interpersonal, organizational, and institutional control” and is “not interested in a government for the people by the people, but rather for a particular people, by a particular people.” Christian nationalism weakens the church by demanding it seek earthly, selfinterested power rather than seeking to support and serve the marginalized.

Fear and a sense of threat, particularly concerning the loss of privileged access to power in service of protecting one’s own group at the expense of others, is the second idol of Christian nationalism. Christians in America have a long history of succumbing to fear-mongering toward perceived out-groups. I explore how Christian nationalism weakens the church by constantly stirring up fears of others rather than encouraging peacemaking, hope, and love.

The final idol of Christian nationalism, violence, is intimately intertwined with worshipping power and demonizing out-groups through fear. When we are constantly stoking the fires of fear and threat because “they” are out to steal “our” rightful power, violence is a natural result. A comfort with interpersonal and institutional violence is endemic to Christian nationalism.

Ultimately, the use of violence signals a distrust of the work of God in the world and seeing the image of God in all people. This weakens the church by building up dividing walls of hostility rather than breaking them down.

Q: How does all of this connect to white supremacy and racism? After all, the problem we’re talking about is an overwhelmingly white Christian phenomenon.

WHITEHEAD: The final two chapters of American Idolatry explore how these three idols—power, fear, and violence—conceal the 19

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reality and harm of racism and xenophobia. I show how Christian nationalism weakens the church and threatens democracy by blinding us to the cries of those speaking out against social inequality.

As I write in the book, “White Christian nationalism obscures the structural and systemic causes of racial inequality in service of upholding a narrative that the United States has a special relationship with the Christian God.” What use do white American Christians have for overturning systems of oppression when we have long benefitted from those very systems?

My goal for this book is to thoroughly examine and document the empirical evidence social science provides us concerning Christian nationalism so we can all—whether Christian or not—recognize how Christian nationalism betrays fuller expressions of the Christian Gospel and only leads to harm for our neighbors.

Q: Andrew, this is such a challenging topic, written in troubling times. Where are you finding hope?

WHITEHEAD: While this book is the result of my professional journey studying Christian nationalism, it is also deeply personal. I have long wrestled with the implications of Christian nationalism for my Christian faith. I reflect on how power, fear, and violence were a natural part of my religious experiences over the years.

Throughout the book, I provide examples of people moving toward expressions of Christianity that confront and oppose Christian nationalism and lead to the flourishing of all.

These are people defending true religious liberty, taking reparative steps toward racial justice, exhibiting true neighborliness, and welcoming refugees coming to their communities.

It’s these stories that ultimately give me hope. It’s these people who are showing us the way forward.

They believe in and are busy establishing a future where all people can flourish—not just the chosen few.

It is time for the American church to regain its prophetic voice and no longer make itself a servant to the nation’s interest rather than the kingdom of God. Empire is not at the center of God’s story. I believe American Christians are starting to take seriously the threat of Christian nationalism to their faith and American democracy. I hope others will join me on this journey. There isn’t a moment to lose. ❏ ❏ ❏

OCTOBER 2023

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When Strength Becomes a Weakness Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, Columnist

Please be aware that your strength can become a weakness. Does this sound like an oxymoron to you? It is possible for the gift that makes you a strong individual, spouse, friend, or leader to fail, leaving you in an undesirable space. This paradoxical strength-to-weakness shift can derail even the best-intended efforts. You may have experienced this phenomenon and were not aware of what was happening. If this is not registering for you, please read on as we go deeper.

Strength to Weakness Mini-Case Analysis ❖ You are known as the “go-to” problem-solver. Your phone is always ringing, chirping, and vibrating day into night. You never refuse a request to help others until you sadly discover you have no strength for yourself. You begin to step back from the crowd, a behavior that counters how others know you.

The family and friends who depend on you are concerned that their warrior has become a worrier. You, the once strong person, do not have anyone to reach out to for help because you never needed to cultivate a personal support system. Your strength has become your weakness.

give to yourself. You do not know where to turn or how to ask for help.

Your strength has become your weakness.

Finding people who love talking about their strengths is relatively easy. We can find “strengtheners” sharing their prowess and success on their blogs, websites, social media, or via old-fashioned onesided conversations. What is hard to find are people strong enough to admit they have a weakness.

Before you look around for others who may have succumbed to this heretofore-undiagnosed strengthto-weakness malady, look at yourself. Has your strength ever become a weakness? When did it happen? How did it happen? What did you do, if anything, to keep it

❖ You are a visionary known for clearly seeing what others fail to glimpse.

You tend to attract other visionaries-in-training around you. Words like intuitive, brilliant, and profound strengthen your desire to see more possibilities. You love seeing visions and having dreams, but you do not love doing the work it takes to make dreams become reality. You have resigned yourself to fall in love with the next great idea—and consequently, nothing is accomplished. Your strength has become your weakness. ❖ You have been an “earth angel” to others through your generous offering of your time, talent, and treasure. You will give your last dollar to a stranger. Giving makes you feel better about yourself and

the world. A series of unforeseen incidents now render you in dire need of assistance. In your forced solitude, it has become clear that while you are adept at giving to others, you never learned how to

from happening again?

If you see weakness only as a personal failure and not an opportunity to learn and grow, you may continue taking desperate actions in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Your fighting spirit will not allow you to back up, give up, look up, or be self-reflective. You are so used to being right it never comes to your mind that you cannot figure a way out of your present pressing situation. Your strength has become your weakness.

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9. ❏ ❏ ❏

The Truth Is the Light Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., Columnist

Based on Biblical Text: Deuteronomy 26:10 (NRSVUE)

we explain the great depths to which so many plunge into sin? We would pursue the prize of heaven and eternal life once we have determined it to have value.

‘So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God.

To be grateful for anything, it is necessary that we place value on what we have received. When we are full, we may not place the same value on a meal as we would if we were starving. Full and satisfied, the meal represents an enjoyable intermission; while starving, the meal could very well represent a lifeline. In other words, we determine the value of our blessings by our presumed need. If we do not need it, it is not worth much to us.

Sunday after Sunday, and sometimes on Wednesdays, we come together to worship God and to assess and reassess our priorities in light of God’s promises. It is during these worship experiences that we, in a real sense, come to give our value system an examination and reassess our needs. We are reminded in our praise and worship, that life is not just fate. We understand that life is God’s orchestrated and deliberate response to our confession of faith. Our confession honestly reveals who we are, whose we are, and what we value.

The question is, what is our greatest need? The answer, of course, is varied according to our circumstance. The sick among us would call out for good health. The less fortunate among us may need a financial blessing. Those in the midst of domestic upheaval would cry for peace. Our greatest desire is always tied to what makes us happy and whole.

God is concerned about what we confess to be of value. We see, in our text, that he established special annual services of confession for the Israelites.

Twice a year, they were instructed to approach God with hearts filled with gratitude, to make a strong confession of faith in him. It was a chance to demonstrate to God that they valued him above all else.

Our private confessions reveal a lot about us. Our private confessions reveal how we live from day to day. If, for example, we place a high value on the material possessions of this world, we could very well find ourselves with an unhealthy attachment to our possessions. We will reveal that we are worldly by our behavior and our speech.

God expected his people to show gratitude for their salvation and blessings all year, but these specific times required a very special confession. The purpose of the confession was to declare the great salvation of God and the wonderful blessings of God. Immediately following the harvest, each person was required to take some of the very first produce from their harvest, put it in a basket, and take it to the tabernacle as an offering.

What we confess is important because what we value determines how we live. One can certainly argue that many among us do not place any significant value on heaven and the prospect of eternal life. How else can

Note that this was a strong confession of faith. Each person stood before the Lord to declare that they had now entered the Promised ...continued on p21 20

OCTOBER 2023 ...From The Truth p20 Land, the very land that the

Lord himself had sworn to give his people. Each person was to confess that they trusted God and rested in God. We always say we trust God, but when was the last time we rested in God? To rest in God requires an incredibly high level of trust. You cannot rest if you cannot trust! God’s purpose for this firstfruit celebration was to raise the Israelites’ awareness of their trust level and to remind them that they could rest in him. It was to measure the level of their gratitude.

We need to measure the level of our gratitude to help us find what needs fixing up. God is not

The Christian Recorder just asking that we be grateful enough to send a fruit basket. We, like the worshippers in our text, are required not just to declare the great salvation of God before the priest and all the other worshippers. We are encouraged to name our blessings one by one. There is something quite therapeutic about naming our blessings.

Naming the blessings God has bestowed upon us helps us to realize the magnitude of God’s generosity. Our forefathers and foremothers understood that in spite of their lack of formal education. I can hear them crying out, Thank you, Lord, for food on my table, for clothes on my back, for a roof over my head, and for shelter in a time of storm.

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How grateful are we? We need to measure our level of gratitude and then take the time to name our blessings! We have so much to be grateful for! Thank you, Lord, for life, for health, for strength, and for the opportunity to serve you.

Thank you, Lord, for food and shelter. Thank you, Lord, for the roof over our head, the clothes on our back, and the shoes on our feet. Thank you, Lord, for delivering us from the enslavement of sin. Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful gift of salvation through Jesus the Christ. Thank you, Lord, for your promise of eternal life to all who confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The Reverend Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., is the pastor of James Chapel AME Church, Charleston, South Carolina.

Discerning ‘When to Which’ Rev. Jason D. Thompson

I love words. I make my living using words. In both my pastor and faculty roles, I read and write and speak words. And yes, words matter. I hear many words spoken in any given week. Sometimes, those words are overwhelming, and they saturate the atmosphere with nonsense, what the R&B prophet James Brown described as people “talking loud and saying nothing.”

Similarly, my grandmother suggested that “some people talk to see if their mouths still work.” In those situations, I tend to grow weary of words.

For the sake of sanity and my own spirit’s serenity, I cannot listen to all the words I hear. Something dangerous happens when I fail to protect myself from their mischief and destruction. Words become tools to either lift or to lie. They have the potential to encourage or crush, enhance or eviscerate. Words can easily heal or undoubtedly harm.

The “Sunday School” answer is to cultivate the practice of listening to Jesus as Mary did in Luke’s Gospel account. I acknowledge that there is, at times, a “Mary” in me who longs to sit still and quiet, to be attentive while listening prayerfully to Jesus. I also confess that within me is a “Martha” who desires to be active, to see things get accomplished, and to be productive.

Herein lies the challenge the binaries within this text present, an “either/or” proposition where one must be either busy or contemplative; there is no suggestion that diligence is unspiritual, or that reflectiveness equates to laziness. This is a case of “both/and,” not “either/or.” When is the time to be like “Martha” (active, doing, or engaged) or to be like “Mary” (sit still, be quiet and listen)? Both are necessary, and wisdom and discernment are paramount.

In “If I Were a Pastor,” W. McFerrin Stowe (1983) tells a story of a little boy who watched his father pack lunch before work. He observed his father put something in his lunch box and asked what it was. “This is a thermos,” the father said, to which the boy asked what a thermos does. The father explained, “Well, a thermos keeps hot things hot and keeps cold things cold.” This explanation left the boy confused, and he asked, “So how does it know when to which?”

I, too, am as curious as the boy because I wonder if church leaders, like thermoses, know when to which. This inquisitiveness stems from my observations of leaders who may be Martha-like: “But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me’” (Luke 10:40, NRSV). Here, Martha shifts from a “ministry” emphasis to a “ME” project, even while Martha is serving.

Something dangerous happens in our churches when we stop serving and shift from a ministry focus to “me” intentions: “A church that has been led to be ‘worried and distracted by many things’ inevitably will be a community that dwells in the shallows of frantic potlucks, anxious stewardship campaigns, and events designed simply to perpetuate the institution. Decisions will be made in meetings without a hint of God’s reign. Food and drink will appear at table without Christ being recognized in the breaking of bread. Social issues may be addressed, but the Gospel is missed in acts that partake of politics as usual. Endless meetings breed resentment in otherwise pleasant Christians because the church’s business is being done without any word of the God whom they thought they had agreed to serve” (Feasting on the Word Commentary, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 264).

Listen to Jesus! His words help us discern when to which.

The Rev. Jason D. Thompson, Ph. D., is pastor of the Historic St. Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church in Sacramento, California, the oldest African American congregation on the Pacific Coast. Additionally, he is the Ducree-Turner scholar in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

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CONGRATULATORY LISTINGS

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*Purple font connotes Episcopal Family; Red font, General Officers; and Blue font, Connectional Officers.

Dr. Thema Bryant Davis Selected as one of the Black Activists Who Changed the Mental Health Industry Dr. Thema Bryant, a leading psychologist and activist, is the 2023 president of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology with more than 120,000 members. Under her coordinator role at Princeton University, she created the historic SHARE program, an initiative that brought awareness to sexual assault and harassment through intervention and prevention resources.

She is currently a tenured professor of psychology in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University, where she directs the Culture and Trauma Research Laboratory. Her clinical and research interests center on interpersonal trauma and the societal trauma of oppression. She is a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Women and a past APA representative to the United Nations.

Dr. Thema also served on the APA Committee on International Relations in Psychology and the Committee on Women in Psychology.

Dr. Thema has raised public awareness regarding mental health by extending the reach of psychology beyond the academy and private therapy office through community programming and media engagement, including but not limited to Headline News, National Public Radio, and CNN. Dr. Thema was honored with a media award in 2016 for her work on the film Psychology of Human Trafficking. The emotional project dove deep into the psychology and understanding of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.

She was also a recipient of the 2018 Donald Fridley Memorial Award for her excellence in trauma mentoring.

She is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She directs the mental health ministry at First AME Church in South Los Angeles. Dr. Thema also utilizes sacred dance and spoken word in therapy, community forums, and faith communities. She is the daughter of Bishop John R. Bryant and Supervisor Rev. Dr. Cecelia Bryant.

Congratulatory responses can sent to: queenakosua@icloud.com.

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Congratulations to Judicial Council Member Augustine, on Political Activism Award The Reverend Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, senior pastor of St. Joseph AME Church in Durham, NC, and a clergy member of the denomination's Judicial Council, received the Excellence in Public Service Award, from North Carolina State Senator Natalie Murdock and State Representative Zack Hawkins. The award was presented on October 15, 2023 during St. Joseph’s “Sneaker Sunday,” as congregants were encouraged to wear sneakers to church. St. Joseph welcomed a record number of young people and young adults to worship.

Dr. Augustine serves as a consulting faculty member at Duke Divinity School, where he teaches courses through the Office of Black Church Studies, and as chaplain for the Duke football team. He has spearheaded numerous “Souls to the Polls” activities, where St. Joseph has welcomed the community-at-large to the church, before caravaning to neighboring North Carolina Central University to vote. The church has also provided a community hotline for people to call for rides to the polls, utilizing the church's multiple vans and bus service. For the last year, he is also working collaboratively with the Duke Center for Reconciliation in raising awareness about antisemitism and how it, and Christian nationalism, must be addressed by faith leaders. Over the last two years, Dr. Augustine also wrote two books: When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit (Fortress Press, 2023) and Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity and Inclusion (Baker Academic, 2022).

In addition to having been featured this year on C-SPAN BookTV, he also preached and presented at the Festival of Homiletics.

A proud graduate of Howard University, Dr. Augustine received an active duty commission to serve as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army before earning his law degree at Tulane University. After accepting the call to ministry, he graduated from United Theological Seminary and completed a fellowship at Princeton Theological Seminary, before earning his doctorate from Duke University. He is happily married to St. Joseph's first lady, Michelle Burks Augustine, and is the father of two college students. He serves as the general chaplain of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boule).

Congratulatory notes may jayaugustine9@gmail.com.

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Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr. selected to Be featured in the Boston University Alumni Magazine Regarding Life Career, “ThebSwimming’s Spiritual Warrior” Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr., pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been selected to be featured in the Boston University Alumni (class of 83) magazine “The Bostonia” - regarding life career activities as an alum, as it relates to his swimming career as a master swimmer after age 50 and state champion and National Olympic participant.

You can talk about skill, physical ability, and focus as key elements needed to be a successful athlete at any age. One also needs the intangible boost and motivation that comes from having a passion for your sport to see it through.

His passion for swimming goes much deeper than the confines of a pool or his own goals and has impacted many more lives than his own.

Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr. earned his doctoral degree in ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary, and now serves at Louisiana State University. Dr. Kelly teaches in both the School of Education and the African and African American Studies Program, for which he is the co-chair of the Finance Committee. His courses include the history of the civil rights movement and black rhetorical traditions. He has most recently published Moments of Meditation Celebrating the Bicentennial of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, In Times Like These, and Black Rhetorical Traditions in the Civil Rights Movement: Voices of Struggle and Strength. Dr. Kelly is a past recipient of the NAACP Man of the Year Award, and recipient of the Kumba Community Member/ Organization Award, a part of the 2017-18 LSU Black History Month held by the LSU Cultural Center recognizing individuals that have made an impact and meaningful contribution to their local communities.

Dr. Kelly grew up at a time when segregation barriers still existed and African Americans had little to no choices for a safe place to swim. His parents made it a point to get lessons for their children, but neither they or the youngster had any idea how this would shape his growth and later provide a path to better aging.

Dr. Kelly explains that his name translates as “African Warrior” and his passion for competition is fierce, but a bigger passion led him to the clergy to be a spiritual warrior serving others.

He became a lifeguard and ...continued on p23

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also swam with his high school team. He was delighted to obtain a partial scholarship to Morehouse College in Atlanta, which had the most dominant swim team among historically black colleges at the time. He also shares that he first felt the call from God during this time but fought it off.

While earning his master’s degree in education and aquatics at Springfield College, he made the decision to become a preacher and went on to Boston University for a second master’s degree in divinity.

He began his pastoral ministry in Massachusetts, and then moved to Louisiana to lead the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baton

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Rouge. He concurrently became an African American religion instructor at Louisiana State University. 22 years later, he is now an adjunct professor teaching African American Studies, but the campus and the greater community know Dr. Kelly better as a swimmer on a mission.

that is rooted in his memory of witnessing a friend drown as a teenager. His church operates the only swimming ministry in the state that teaches dozens of children annually. Also, his wife’s battle with breast cancer has created a second passion to raise money for cancer survivors.

Part of that mission is personal, because he says his workload caused him to fall off from swimming, and he realized in 2014 he had to get back to the pool to regain his health and fitness.

He discovered Senior Games and has been training and competing ever since.

Overcoming life’s challenges and obstacles is key to pursuing a Personal Best lifestyle. Herman Kelly’s faith, family, and his parents’ wisdom have given him the “weapons” to forge his path as a spiritual warrior.

Dr. Kelly reveals his greater mission has been to teach African American youth to swim, a passion

Congratulatory expressions can be emailed to: spidermh7@yahoo.com.

On behalf of Publications Commission chair Bishop David R. Daniels, Jr., president/publisher of the AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) the Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, and editor of The Christian Recorder Dr. 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 The Reverend Dr. Philip A. Blair, the beloved conference statistical secretary, former conference Christian Education director, and the pastor of the Mt. Olive AME Church, Wilmington, NC, North Carolina Annual Conference, Second Episcopal District The Reverend Clinton Stancil, the pastor of Wayman AME Church in St. Louis, MO, St. Louis–Columbia District, Fifth Episcopal District Miss Shatquantell (Peaches) Denise Steffin, the daughter of the Reverend Angellette Warfield, pastor of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Ashland, Tennessee, and Juergen Steffin, Sr. of the North District, Tennessee Annual Conference, Thirteenth Episcopal District The Reverend Charles Marie Davis, (retired) a faithful member who served as the office administrator, and was on the ministerial staff at St. John AME Church, downtown Birmingham in the Northwest Alabama Annual Conference of the Ninth Episcopal District Mr. Ronald T. Cash, the son of the Reverend Gloria Cash-Sam, pastor of Wesley Chapel AMEC, Clute, TX in the South Houston District, Texas Conference, Tenth Episcopal District The Reverend Hezekiah D. Stewart, Jr., a loving husband, father, grandfather, dedicated pastor, and revered community

OCTOBER 2023 leader, in the Twelfth Episcopal District Mrs. Lillie Mae Cooper, the mother of the Reverend Gerald A. Cooper, Esq., pastor of Wayman AMEC, Dayton, Ohio, and member of the General Board (the Reverend Dr. Mila P. Cooper, spouse, and president of the Third Episcopal District Women in Ministry) and the Reverend Kevin J. Cooper, Sr., pastor of United AMEC in Xenia, Ohio, and other siblings are Jonathan Cooper and Priscilla Cooper-Price Sister Marilyn Morris, the mother of the Reverend Dr. Marlene Mitchell, pastor of Falls Road, AME Church, and dean of the Washington Conference Board of Examiners, Second Episcopal District Dr. Cora A. “Toney” Coulter Bolden, an AME Church chaplain, the sister of the Reverend Dr. Marla Coulter-McDonald, itinerant elder of the AME Church serving in the Indiana Conference of the Fourth Episcopal District Mr. Howard M. Jenkins, Sr., the father of the Reverend Howard M. Jenkins, Jr., the pastor of Bethel AME Church, Providence, Rhode Island of the New England Conference of the First Episcopal District of the AME Church Sister Sylvia McCray, the sister of the Reverend Dr. Lionel Jackson, pastor of Gaines Chapel AME Church in Natchitoches, LA, age 90, member of St. James AME Church in Hammond, LA, life member of the WMS, president of 23

the local Lay Organization, among many other church and community positions, and a retired educator The Reverend Linda Marie Willis, a superannuated minister in the East Arkansas Annual Conference, was the daughter of the Reverends Carroll D. and Emma Willis, Twelfth Episcopal District Attorney Stanley Myers, age 46, the youngest son of Mrs. Louise Myers, Bishop Harry L. Seawright’s (Episcopal Supervisor), Ninth Episcopal District, sister The Reverend Hezekiah D. Stewart, Jr., a loving husband, father, grandfather, dedicated pastor, and revered community leader, Twelfth Episcopal District Mrs. Martha Jewel Gainer Sykes, the widow of deceased the Reverend Louis Henry Sykes, former pastor of Wayman Chapel AME Church, Columbia, TN, Tennessee Annual Conference, Thirteenth Episcopal District Mrs. Bettie P. White, the mother of Mr. Nicholas White, director of Accounting for the African Methodist Episcopal Church Finance Department Mr. Leroy Alexander Bluing, Jr., the last sibling, the brother, of Mrs. Karen Bluing-Osborne, executive assistant to Dr. Richard Allen Lewis, retired, CFO and treasurer of the AME Church Sister Marilyn Morris,

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Strategic Destiny Dispatch VIII Vol. II Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, Columnist

STRATEGIC DESTINY: DESIGNING FUTURES THROUGH FAITH & FACTS Time does not answer to anyone regardless of age, ethnicity, sex, religion (or the lack thereof), sexual orientation, political persuasion, or socioeconomic class. At an early age, one is taught how to tell time, but just because you learn to tell time does not mean that time will listen to you. It has been said that time and tide waits for no one. Time is inexorable, it moves with an exquisitely precise rhythm that is at once predictable and unpredictable at the same time. This is what complicates the experience with time for some brothers and sisters.

Generational Riff On Time Mark Twain, along with several other noted writers, opined how time is wasted on youth. I am not here to defend that maxim, especially since I am at a point in life to do a Generational Riff on Time. As conscious human beings, no matter our age, we should be aware of the significance of time best captured in seasonal change (spring/youth, summer/young adulthood, fall/middle age, and winter/elder days). Where are you on the life cycle? Are you pleased, frustrated, or depressed? Are you looking forward to the next cycle, content with the present, or do you look back wistfully at an earlier season?

We chart time as the interval between life and death—but if time could talk, it would tell you that it is timeless in form, dimension, substance, and space. It is something to witness people trying to speed up time, or working hard to slow time down, trying to skip time, or trying to make time stand still. Some wish to save time while others wantonly waste time. Some think about time, while others do not have time to think. Time has freed some people while others are stuck in time’s prison, often at a very painful moment in their lives. Time can work for you, or time can

While all of us exist in the full dimension of time, we all have different experiences with time, thus creating a generational-infused interpretation of reality. It is important to say that dissension between generations is not new. If you go back in time, you will see that each successive generation looked askance on the previous, present, or following generation for a variety of reasons. With that said, it is important to take a collective deep dive to glean the lessons that time can reveal.

...continued on p25

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perpetual victim

work against you. Time can make dreams come true or turn dreams into a nightmare. Time can heal or can make situations worse.

It has been said that time is money. If time were treated as something precious and you had the responsibility to invest it, how would you spend precious time? Here are some disinvestment actions that waste time:

❖ Being angry, plotting revenge, spending day into night trying to get even ❖ Daydreaming; hopelessly lost in shoulda, woulda, could-a if I only had-a land ❖ Being hurt, bruised, whining, or complaining but never addressing the situation ❖ Being bitter, manipulative; or resigned to be a

❖ Endlessly replaying the past, tolerating the present, and ignoring the future ❖ Procrastinating by always waiting for the right time (that never comes) to act ❖ Stuck in a nowhere relationship, job, or street corner and refusing to move ❖ Making excuses for inexcusable behavior in an attempt to make wrong right Beloved, we cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can live fully in the present and that will affect the future. Going back to the earlier seasonal life cycle reference, I would like to pose several questions that are a pragmatic and existential tool for timeless generational understanding. The questions are:

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What season do you find yourself living? Are you maximizing the time in your season? Do you feel stuck in a season? Do you favor time in one season over another? Please know that how you feel about the season you are in will dictate how you deal with time in that season as well as seasons to come (depending on your age).

My Generational Riff on Time is about up, so let me leave you with this: sometimes, when you have the most time, you do not always appreciate time; when one can use time the most, it seems time is scarce. Back in my summer days (daze) at Howard University, we were constantly admonished to seize the time. I would add this timeless winter-inspired proviso to Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials, iGen, or Gen Alpha: Seize The Time Before Time Seizes You.

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. 4We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done. (Psalm 78:1-4) ❏ ❏ ❏ 1

Closing the Gap Between the Church and the Community: A Social Action Initiative by Mt. Zion AME Church Mandisa Skibane, On Behalf of Public Relations, Mt. Zion

In celebration of the boy child, the Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church Bloemfontein and friends of the church rallied together to raise more than 500+ toiletry products to donate to the boy child. The initiative was the brainchild of the Reverend Thabo Matsaseng, a local ...continued on p26 25

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pastor of the Batho location, who saw a need for the church to honour and celebrate the boy child.

Fifty gift bags were donated to 50 learners identified by the school. In the bag were two of each item: toothbrushes, toothpaste, bathing cloths, deodorant roll-on, soaps, and a body lotion.

On Wednesday, 30 August 2023, in collaboration with Sehunelo Secondary School, under the leadership of Principal Mme Tsitsing, the AME Church congregation, and the Rev. Matsaseng gathered with learners and the staff for praise and worship at their assembly.

Reading from the book of Proverbs 6:20-23: “My child, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they[b] will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”

Message theme: “The Love and Care of a Boy Child and the Importance of Education.” The Rev. Matsaseng drove home the importance of grooming and active participation in a boy child's life. Referring to the scripture, he mentions that it truly takes a village to raise good men. It will take the help of teachers, the community, and the church to ensure that our boys, as a nation, grow up to be great and honourable men.

Over the recent years, Bloemfontein has seen a rise in gang-related crimes, especially those in high schools. This rise affects boys more than girls, as they are recruited and groomed to facilitate hate crimes amongst each other. It is, therefore, important for different stakeholders (parents, teachers, communities, and the church) to come together and give guidance to combat and teach the boy child a different way of living and existing.

This initiative is a start to embracing the growing mind of a boy. They, too, matter; they are future leaders who need an environment in which they can grow and flourish. The gifts are a reminder that though they face challenges, especially peer pressure, the church cares about them, will pray for them, and will not sit back and watch them destroy their future.

Inside each beneficiary’s bag of toiletries was a message saying: you are amazing, you are important, you are special, you are unique, you are precious, you are loved! This message was elaborated to all pupils gathered at the assembly by the Rev. Matsaseng, in addition to the words of encouragement. ❏ ❏ ❏

...From Necrology p23 the mother of the Reverend Dr. Marlene Mitchell, pastor of Falls Road, AME Church, and dean of the Washington Conference Board of Examiners, Second Episcopal District

Brother Wilbert Lucas, brother of the Reverend Larry Lucas, pastor of Turner Chapel AME Church-Roseland, LA, Eighth Episcopal District Condolences to the bereaved are expressed on behalf of Publications Commission chair Bishop David R. Daniels, Jr., president/publisher of the AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) the Reverend Dr. Roderick D. Belin, and editor of The Christian Recorder, Dr. 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 26

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EDITORIAL

Exploring Forgiveness, Justice, and the Death Penalty - Insights From High-Profile Cases Aaron Edward Butler, Esq.

On August 3, 2023, the legal gavel fell heavily, sentencing Robert Bowers to death for his brutal assault on the Tree of Life synagogue, resulting in 11 deaths and six grievous injuries. Similarly, in 2015, Dylann Roof faced the same fate for his hate-driven massacre of nine worshippers at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. These two incidents, driven by the sinister ideologies of antisemitism and white nationalism, shook our nation. Yet, in the wake of such darkness, the reactions from these bereaved congregations stood in stark contrast.

After the Mother Bethel AME tragedy, a surprising and profound reaction unfolded: forgiveness. Grieving family members confronted Roof in the courtroom, extending their forgiveness. Amid unparalleled pain, this poignant act of grace sparked national introspection on the enduring power of mercy. Though unique, the Tree of Life community's grieving journey emphasized the delicate dance between seeking justice and offering forgiveness.

Aaron Edward Butler

Guest Editorial As a black and Latino federal public defender, I represented many individuals on death row who shared my racial and ethnic backgrounds. Standing with them, I have witnessed the glaring biases in our justice system. Instead of the fair trial and equality our system promises, many I defended seemed to face additional hurdles based on deep-rooted systemic disparities — the same disparities I have encountered in my life, though not with such dire stakes.

These heart-wrenching incidents have reignited national debates on the death penalty. While some vehemently believe heinous crimes deserve the ultimate punishment, one must ponder: are we seeking true justice or merely perpetuating a cycle of violence? My experiences within the legal corridors underscore the unsettling reality: the death penalty often casts a longer, darker shadow over marginalized communities.

Our justice system, sworn to uphold fairness, frequently falters, especially when met with capital punishment cases. Beyond racial biases, the lack of financial resources often determines who stands most vulnerable before the might of the state. As we grapple with the aftermath of these hate-infused acts, there is an urgent need for introspection and reform. It is about more than just avoiding wrongful convictions; it is about ensuring justice is meted out equitably.

Reflecting upon the sorrowful episodes at Mother Emanuel AME and Tree of Life, the quest for justice undeniably takes on multifaceted hues. While our pain and anger resonate deeply, as believers in a world founded on justice and mercy, we must balance our calls for retribution with a profound understanding of the essence of forgiveness. ❏ ❏ ❏

CLO Historiographer Attends Thinking Like a Historian Workshop William (Bill) Ayers

On Saturday, August 26, 2023, the Connectional Lay Organization (CLO) Historiographer William (Bill) Ayers attended a workshop sponsored by the Smithsonian Associates. This workshop was designed to increase the knowledge level of persons interested in obtaining historical information and communicating the same to others. I was fortunate to have been selected as an attendee. The class was six hours, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m.

Dr. Christopher Hamner, associate professor of History at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, led this practical guide to history. In 2013, Dr. Hamner received an award for teaching excellence from George Mason.

More than 150 people attended the workshop and were mesmerized as Dr. Hamner guided us through “Historical Thinking Skills and How Historians Think About Cause and Effect.” The dialogue between the instructor and the attendees was thought-provoking and historically stimulating. I am certain that I will be able to apply the skills that I received as I continue to help the CLO appreciate the rich history of our Zion and embrace the impact of this storehouse of information as we honor our past.

As an appropriate conclusion for this exciting learning occasion, I was honored to meet Sis. Sheila Vance, the great, great, great, grandniece of our founder, Bishop Richard Allen. Sister Vance attends an African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, District of Columbia. We were the only two African American attendees, and we have vowed to keep in touch as we move the CLO forward. ❏ ❏ ❏ 31