MAY 2021
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thechristianrecorder.com
VOLUME 170, NO. 8
MAY 2021
PHILADELPHIA CHURCH SHOWS LOVE TO COMMUNITY By Sister Angelena Spears, 1st Episcopal District
“We have come to worship, now we depart to serve,” is part of the benediction at many churches on Sunday mornings. At Hickman Temple AME Church in Philadelphia, it is what the congregation does. Twice a month the historic AME Church serves as a food distribution point for families in d tthe area. The Church has formed a partnership with a food bank tthat supplies pallets of meats, ccheeses, fresh fruit, and juices, and ssometimes personal care items. The food bank needs volunteers who will manage the food givew aaway. Sister Arlene Davis, a longttime member of Hickman Temple, ssays it normally takes about 10 vvolunteers to successfully handle the food distribution. Those who volunteer are missionaries,
The Rev. Gregory P. Nelson (center) is surrounded by volunteers showcasing items given away during recent distribution. church school workers, and stewards. Even the
...continued on p7
THE BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF AMERICA By Rev. Dr. Gregory Vaughn Eason, Sr., 6th Episcopal District
Psalm 11:3 says, “If tthe foundations are destroyed, what can the d rrighteous do?” These words ring true today w aas we come face-tofface with foundational iissues for American democracy. Voting and d jjustice are the bedrock of a democratic society. o However, we must not forget that slavery and segregation undergird the racism that is America’s original sin. The question with voter suppression
laws threatening the foundation of our democracy and with social justice at stake is what must we do to redeem the soul of our nation? First, we must admit our shortcomings as a democratic society. The new wave of voter suppression is not just. It is based on the big lie that the election was stolen. Moreover, the voter suppression laws in Georgia are clear, blatant, and flagrant. They are obviously retribution tactics in response to the Republican Party having lost the presidential election and two senatorial elections. These laws advance the suppression of black and brown voting strength. They criminalize handing out food and water to voters waiting in polling lines;
SC AME CHURCHES REMEMBER PARISHIONERS LOST DUE TO COVID-19 By Kayland Hagwood, WLTX-Columbia
It’s been one year since South Carolina’s African Methodist Episcopal Churches (AME) closed due to COVID-19. Church leaders commemorated the day with a special virtual service on Sunday evening as they grieved the loss of members who’ve died due to the coronavirus. More than 100 names of family, friends, and loved ...continued on p25
ANCAME Celebrating ting Charlotte Maxeke…
p2
AME Structures Gone Wild — The Treasurer/ CFO… p4
Wallowa UMC Returned to the NEZ Perce Tribe… p6
severely limit drop box availability; adds ID requirements for absentee voting, with voters having to provide the last digits of their licenses or state ID number—neither of which more than 200,000 Georgia voters possess; allow the State Election Board to seize control of local elections offices they deem “underperforming;” ban mobile voting units like those used by Fulton County in the past for early voting, except in emergencies; shorten mail-in ballot request and return periods; disqualify provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, erasing the votes of thousands of Georgians; restrict out-of-precinct voters from having their provisional ballots ...continued on p8
WHEN GOD PRESSES THE “PAUSE” BUTTON By Rev. Carlton Worthen, 9th Episcopal District
In 1999, we were panicking over the unknown of Y2K. Y2K was the widespread computer programming shortcut expected to cause extensive havoc at the brink of a new century. As a result, there was much trepidation that computers would be unable to operate at the turn of the millennium. It was as if the world stood still. When the United States was hit with the deadly COVID-19, the CDC reported 31,306,928 cases and 562,296 deaths in America. Again, we found ourselves in pivot mode. It was not only that we had to figure out how to continue to get God’s message to the people without physically being present. It was also how to get people to go virtual. Congregations everywhere scrambled to find ways to continue Sunday Services and other church services during COVID-19. ...continued on p10
The Good News Update… p9
The Pain of Racism Through the Lens of Calvary … p14
Losing with People, Winning with God: Navigating God’s Zero-Sum Game … p18
The Urgency of Hope …
p20
