Prayer, Connection, Worship, and Action

The Church in Prayer, Connection, Worship and Action Submitted by Rev. Leon Moore General Secretary, Evangelism and Missions, CME Church Pastor, Pleasant Hill CME, Conyers, Georgia

A winter vortex engulfed parts of the southern United States in February. Hearing and seeing the people in the State of Texas suffer from no power for several days was not OK, knowing our sisters and brothers were hurting. I prayed and God led the way on Friday, February 19, 2021, while I was sitting in my car. I made a call to Senior Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick III. We conversed and I asked the following question, “What can the Department of Evangelism and Missions do to help and what is the greatest need?” After a pause, his reply was the need for water in Houston. I said I would like to help. Sr. Bishop stated, “If you can get water to the people, that would be a big help.”

The Church in Prayer

After speaking with Sr. Bishop Reddick, I made a call to Rev. Bonita Collins-Hobbs (Connectional Prayer Ministry Coordinator) and asked her to assemble a team of prayer warriors to pray for the mission. The original plan was to drive to Mississippi, pick up a truck and water, then drive to Houston. I called Dr. Pene’ Woods (Executive Secretary, CME Church) and she called Rev. Gerald Hudson (Pastor, Newell Chapel CME, Meridian, Mississippi) so we could converse. However, Rev. Hudson later informed me that a truck would not be available until February 24, 2021. Rev. Hudson also collected water to send to Houston. My plan was not going to work. I made a call to Ken Porter, a member of Shy Temple CME (Dr. James Clements, Pastor). Bro. Porter and I had driven to Houston a few years earlier when hurricane Harvey hit Houston. I asked Bro. Porter if he was up to ridding to Houston and he replied with excitement, “Whatever we need to do.” I reserved a truck at Penske and once a truck was secured, water was the next thing we needed. I prayed and began making calls in an effort to find pallets of water. I was finally able to secure the needed water. On Saturday, February 20, 2021, David from Penske called and informed me that they did not have a truck even though I had a reservation. I called the company with the water and they were closed for the weekend. The warehouse had said I could pick up the water on Saturday. I did not panic, after all God had called for this mission, so it was up to God to provide. David from Penske called and said he had a truck for me, but it was 45 minutes away from me. I looked for water elsewhere, found several pallets and made the purchase. We were now on a roll, only to have a schedule conflict. The water needed to be picked up by noon, the truck was 45 minutes away and it was 11:00 AM. I prayed, “God this is your mission.” Prayer was answered as David met me at the warehouse with the Penske truck so we could load the pallets of water.

Making Connections

I called each Episcopal Leader whose District we would travel through to get to Houston, Texas. Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton and Bishop C. James King offered help and assistance. Next, I called the Chair of the Disaster Relief Committee, Bishop Sylvester Williams, who was also willing to assist.

The Church in Worship

We left Atlanta at 3:30 AM on Sunday morning with six pallets of water headed to Meridian, MS. We arrived in Meridian at 7:45 AM and Rev. Gerald Hudson welcomed us. We picked up an additional two pallets of water (case water) from Newell Chapel CME Church members as more members started showing up with additional water as well. We finished loading the water and headed to Houston. Bro. Porter joined the worship experience with the Shy Temple family by Zoom. I was present for worship at Pleasant Hill as we celebrated Black History with Rev. Robert Mclaughlin as messenger. We both were able to participate in worship while on the mission. We celebrated Jesus all the way to Houston.

The Church in Action

Our destination was the Metropolitan CME Church in Houston, where we were greeted by Presiding Elder Wayne Mays, Pastor Allen Page, and a plethora of pastors, ministers, and laity of the Houston District. Once at Metropolitan, they began unloading the truck, breaking down the pallets, and loading vehicles with water. What a sight to see the church in action and a Sunday local mission experience seeing the church from the four-phases of prayer, connection, worship, and action. God had a mission and used vessels to execute it as we saw our sisters and brothers hurting and knew that was not the plan of God (Matthew 25: 31-46). God is calling the church to action. How will we answer when we hear and see the people of God in need?

We are The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church recognizing the importance of Christ in our daily lives.

"The difference between the road to success and the road to failure is the decision."

--Diana Casteel