The Christian Index - March 2021

The Christian Index The Official Organ of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church • March 2021

Construction of a new church building in Busia, Uganda!

Uganda Mission Supervisor Joseph Wadwire

THE CHRISTIAN INDEX

The Official Publication Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Copyright © 2021 Offices are Housed in The International Headquarters Memphis, Tennessee Contact the Editor at (901) 515-6510 E-mail: ChristianIndex@thecmechurch.org 1700 Whisperwood Street, Albany GA 31721 Contact Circulations/Subscriptions Office at (901) 396-5400 EDITOR

Dr. Ore L. Spragin, Jr. PUBLISHER Dr. Roderick D. Lewis, Sr. EDITORIAL BOARD Chairman Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr. PUBLISHING BOARD Chairman Bishop Henry Williamson, Sr.

THE CHRISTIAN INDEX (0744-4060; USPS 0108320) is published monthly by The CME Publishing House.

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Subscriptions should be sent to Office of the Publisher: The Christian Index, P. O. Box 16035, Memphis, TN 38186. The Publisher’s telephone number is (901) 396-5400. ARTICLES FOR PUBLICATION should be sent to Dr. Ore L. Spragin, Jr., Editor, THE CHRISTIAN INDEX, 1700 Whisperwood Street, Albany, GA 31721 or to: ChristianIndex@thecmechurch.org.

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The Christian Index • March 2021

Inside The Christian Index "Getting Back to Basics As We Envision Our Way Forward in Taking Care of God's Business"

Volume 154, Number 3

March 2021

Connectional Interests

Episcopacy

Beyond Rejoicing, to the Battle Fronts 4

God in the Midst: Psalm 46 8

Bishop Graves NAACP Drive 9

Dept. of Finance and Investments 10

CME Calendar of Events 12

Board of Personnel Services 13

Dept. of Evangelism and Missions 14

Department of Lay Ministry 15

Ministers' Spouses, Widows/Widowers 16

CME-Affiliated Schools

17 Submissions

All Roads Lead to Cincinnati 20

I Can Do All Things Through Christ 22

Hinds County Churches Give Food 23

Coronavirus Changes How We Say Goodbye 24

Hold on to the Word 25

Back to the Basics 28

NCR MSWWD Marion Scipio Vesper Hour 29

St. Luke Celebrates Decade of Food Pantry 30

Lane Chapel Undaunted by COVID-19 32

Food Insecurity - What We Can Do 33 Children/Youth

35 Ecumenical News

Emanuel Nine Memorial Foundation 37

Using Theology to Empower Disabled 38 Connectional Directory 43

Cover: The construction of the first church in Busia, Uganda,

as announced by General Secretary Leon Moore in the February 2021 issue of The Christian Index, page 12. Mission Supervisor Joseph Wadwire is seen inspecting the roof joist.

Photographs: Photos are by contributors to The Christian Index and Index staff.

Submitted to the Publisher: February 16, 2021

Editorial

Wait, Renew, Mount Up

The people of the world need to hear the gospel of salvation, and that there is no power or nation greater than the Lord. Sometimes, however, the weight of ministry becomes exceedingly great, and we read of ministers and church workers getting burnout, quitting, and even committing suicide. The call is to serve, the fields are white unto harvest, the laborers are few, the need is great. But sometimes you don’t feel like going to church, to choir rehearsal, to Bible study, to preach, to be a good neighbor, to share the good news. Sometimes in the performance of ministry, you get worn out.

Sometimes you feel like saying like Elijah, “Lord, I’m the only one.” God knows you do.

In Isaiah 40, the prophet calls for the reader to wait upon the Lord. In our weariness, we are to bind ourselves up, pull ourselves together by remembering who we serve, and then to wait on his appearance, for he will show up, not to relieve us of our duties but to empower us to go on, to rise up from our present situation, to enter service with the energy of a fresh runner, and to carry the load without being tired and dropping it.

Sometimes we cannot see the Lord and cannot see the way forward. You may find yourself in a place of darkness and confusion and need a guide to help you find your way out to the light and to life. Verse 27 says your way may be hidden to you, but it is not hidden from the Lord. God will give you a fresh anointing of the Spirit. God will inspire you, breathe new life, new vitality, into you, so that you can better wait on God’s people. The God who knows all about creation, who knows the stars by name, who provides for the beasts of the field, and the fowl of the air, also knows all about you and desires that you will choose to come to him and find relief from your cares and rest for your soul.

You may grow weary along the way. There will be sorrows along the way. The work of ministry is tedious, burdensome, consuming, tiring, and endless, but you can’t quit. Yes, sometimes you have to sit down and rest Rev. Dr. Ore L. Spragin, Jr., a little while or find some Editor self-care as you move from one place of ministry to the next, but you can’t quit. And you can’t give up. You have been working in the Lord’s vineyard and in his fields attending to his harvest and his flock. You are tired, you are frustrated, you are weary, but the work is not yet done. You have been caring so much for others. Who is it who cares for you? GOD CARES.

In the 20th century movies made about life in the Old American West, often there is a scene in which the Calvary or the wagon train or the cowboys have travelled a great distance. They are tired of riding and their horses are weary. The captain, the wagon master, the leader offers them an opportunity to rest, to regroup, to recover, to refresh themselves. But then after the rejuvenation comes the command to mount up, to prepare to ride on, to continue the journey.

Isaiah said in 40:31, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Wait on the Lord. Renew your strength. Then mount up.

Mission Statement of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church The mission of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is to be disciples of Jesus the Christ by serving individuals, communities and the world as the representative, loving presence of God and as witnesses to God’s salvation and grace.

Vision Statement of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church The vision of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is to be a transforming church for Jesus the Christ within a changing world.

March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Beyond Rejoicing, to the Battle Fronts Dear CME Family: (This is longer than usual. I hope you read it when you can read it all.)

2021.

As it was with many of you, my spirit was rejoicing on Inauguration Day

The first awareness of rejoicing caught me by surprise. I had arisen, had started to the closet to pull out what I would wear that day. (Not very hard to do when you’re basically still sheltering in, when going out is not always necessary.)

But as I got to the closet, I noticed my spirit was quietly but surely singing a notso quiet song: “Tell me how did you feel when you – Come out the wilderness, Come out the wilderness, Come out the wilderness; Tell me how did you feel when you, Come out the wilderness, Leanin’ on the Lord?!”

I realized that my body was ahead of my morning consciousness, rejoicing at the new Administration! And over the next two or three days, I realized I was not alone as I listened to people in prayer who kept telling God, “Thank You!” I was grateful to watch the Inauguration, particularly happy to hear the strength in the voice of President Biden, and grateful to see Senator Kamala Harris take the oath of office as the first female, African American and Asian American Vice President.

Over the next few days, I was thankful to see the pointed rendering of Executive Orders that showed me that the Biden Administration had been carefully charting the course he was setting out on. You may not have agreed upon every Executive Order, and I may find myself disagreeing with some of the policies – but moreso, I was glad to be back to what seemed like level-headed leadership. (I respect your right to disagree with my sentiments.)

At some point during these 10 days, I heard the President’s words more than once, as he said that we are “in a battle for the soul of this nation.” I know many of us speak the language that says we are engaged in spiritual warfare, but I suggest that this warfare is more nuanced that what many of us identify as spiritual warfare between the forces of good and evil or between stark cases of right or wrong. We are also engaged in battles of political warfare that have 4

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forces on opposing sides fortifying their battle lines and praying in the name of the Lord – and not all Christians are on the same side.

I wanted to write here and say that the new President needs us as citizens to listen to his voice and follow his leadership, and that he needs us to keep him lifted in prayer. But even as I write, I know there are people who, in the name of God (they may say), will oppose vehemently his policies over these next few years. I suppose that some who read this will be in the number of those opposing. But the task of leadership in any organization – and particularly the leadership of a nation – requires the cooperation of a plurality of persons who realize that the issues which prevail powerfully in our individual communities or in our parochial political corners may not be the same issues that our leader espouses to the whole body; but he is, nonetheless, our leader. He must make decisions and give leadership, and the nation must forge ahead.

Already I am reading of pastors who, in the name of God, have mounted pulpits and – in their sermons – degraded the name of the vice president, likening her to Jezebel. So, you see, my friends, it is not only the secular part of these United States which is divided, but we who call ourselves the Church are also sharply conflicting with one another, and often in hostile ways. The Southern Baptist Church, for example, is experiencing losses among Black congregations because, in the name of opposing what their seminary leaders have identified as “critical race theory,” they have rejected the idea of systemic racism in the nation and say it is in opposition to their biblical stance. The same dominant issue which divided the American Church in the 1800s – call it slavery, enslavement, or just plain racism – is dividing the church today.

So: aside from watching a Presidential leader, observing our Presidential leader, wondering where we are headed as a nation – ask yourself if you are ready, alert, informed, and fit for the battle.

If you wish to be ready, alert, informed, and fit, consider: Now is the time to “try the spirits, to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). Everyone who cries out “Lord, Lord,” is not on God’s side.

Everyone who quotes Scriptures does not understand nuances of Scriptures or the contexts of Scriptures. If you read the Scriptures with an awareness of God’s deliverance promised to Moses and the Israelites and hear that reading in light of God’s deliverance of the amalgamated African American spirit in America, you cannot help but come down on different political sides when one “spiritualizes” or makes a “typology” of the events of God’s deliverance. If you read the Scriptures as a person whose sexuality is questioned and ostracized, and you see in the Scriptures a Jesus who receives all people, embraces all people, and welcomes the ostracized and unclean, you have to wonder what Jesus would proclaim today (or, better yet, you have to wonder if some who have “quoted” Jesus and “taught” Jesus did not “obscure” or “conceal” some qualities of the real Jesus

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Continued from previous page

from us to make Him what they want Him to be!). These times will try our souls … and also our minds, and our sincerity, and our scholarship.

Now is the time to get even more involved in the decisions and the elections that affect us – yes, involved in even the local elections, the school board elections, the county and city commissioner and council elections. Why? Because these affect the minds of our citizenry (children’s as well as adults’) and they affect not only minds, but they affect the life-giving issues of our congregations and our communities – such as whether the vaccines will be given equitably in communities of black and brown people or in the not-so-rich nations of the world.

Unfortunately, too many people who rejoiced on inauguration day will not vote again until the next Presidential election. That, Brothers and Sisters, makes mockery of the hard work the President, the Congress, and those of us who work in the political arena do to help move the agenda forward. It also causes us to be “counted out” because our voting is erratic. It makes it easier for the voter suppressors to try to eliminate your voter registration. Vote! You may vote left, you may vote right; you may vote up, you may vote down; but in every election, you should vote! This decade is not the time to shrink back in apathy or fall into complacency. Your community, your family, your church and nation – all need your voice.

And, yes, we are in a battle to claim the legitimacy of our Godanointed leadership roles. I was new to the appointment as bishop of the Tenth Episcopal District when I went one night to Ekpeyu Street in Eket, Nigeria, for revival. I heard the preacher’s words – which fit my customary understanding.

I listened to the singing of the well trained choir (which always sang sharp, not flat). I observed the call to discipleship, which was inspiring. But then, I saw something new to me for a “CME church,” and I learned that what I was seeing was commonplace in the CME churches of Nigeria – a prophet came forward in leadership, about to prophesy in that service. This prophet was female, and she moved about the congregation unevenly and jerkingly, as if searching through the congregation. Here and there, she pointed out this person and that person and sent them forward to wait for her. Then, after about 6 or 8 were gathered, she began to prophesy aloud concerning each one of them. (And, yes, she came and prophesied over me.) The Mission Supervisor, sitting beside me that night, pointed me to a man sitting at a table and writing in a large book. The Supervisor said something like this, “He is writing down everything the prophet says. If what she says does not come true, she cannot prophesy in this church anymore.”

That, my friends, was a part of the battle for the soul of the church in Nigeria; a test of whether the prophets’ words in the congregations could be trusted.

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This is crucial to the point I am making: one of the reasons there are Christians who cannot and will not accept that Joseph Biden is the President is because so-called “prophets” in many American congregations (primarily Caucasian) “prophesied” that President Trump was to have another four years as President; they “prophesied” that Trump would win the election … and while a few have apologized and said they misread what God was saying, many of these prophets, rather than saying I misheard God, are sticking to their words and the churches are in dilemmas about whether to believe them! So, my Sisters and Brothers, we are – whether we know it or not – surrounded by spiritual battles in high places, and we need to be spiritually alert, spiritually discerning, and dependent upon a deepening spiritual relationship with God. This is not just a battle of political sides.

It is battle time. We are, says the President, in a battle for the soul of this nation. In Proverbs 21, the wise writer says, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle; but victory rests with the LORD” (verse 31). I hope we will be alert, discerning, and aligned with God. Senior Bishop Lawrence Reddick

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Connectional Interests

GOD IN THE MIDST: A reflection on Psalm 46 Submitted by Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr. Presiding Prelate, Second Episcopal District

Sunday after Sunday, many of us who have been taught or heard about God find ourselves going to church, whether in-person, virtually, or some hybrid method, to hear a word from the Lord. Not only do we as believers find the word of God essential for salvation, but in times of stress and turmoil, we look to receive inspiration for facing the uncertainties of our future. Consequently, we learn and even commit to memory scriptures that give us hope and inspiration. Although many times we quote them verbatim, talk about them in Sunday School and Bible Studies, or even share them with others who may be experiencing difficulties, there will be times when because of personal challenges, we must contend with how real and applicable the scriptures are to us. I contend that if the scriptures are more than memories and talking points, they not only give us comfort and inspiration, but they allow us to see God is with us at all times orchestrating our well-being and the outcome even when we are unaware of God’s presence. It is with this in mind that I recall and reflect on Psalm 46.

The heading from the NRSV is “God’s Defense of His City and People.” Words like God being our refuge and strength, that begin the Psalm, and phrases like, “Be still and Know that I am God,” which end it, give assurance, inspiration and hope to the believer. Yet, for the sake of this reflection, I am drawn to verse 5, “God is in the midst of her.”

As we recall, the year 2020 was a year that will be long remembered. It seems as though the country was in upheaval, and it was one thing after another. Despite what I will label on-going issues, there was a pandemic that paralyzed the country and caused the nation to shut down and/or contain itself in close quarters. Though we do not glory in the pandemic, or the problems it brought, including deaths, I maintain it was this pandemic and subsequent shutdown that forced us to be homebound and glued to the media to help us navigate our way forward. Not only were we learning about the pandemic, but we learned and witnessed racial tension, presidential impeachment hearings, party politics, soaring unemployment, racial discrimination, police brutalities, 8

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Episcopacy and the list continues, all of which made us aware of conditions that for too long had not been adequately addressed and needed to be changed.

Whereas we were aware that many conditions were not favorable or fair, the nation was forced to see and reckon with “principalities and Powers” in high places that perpetuated injustices and discrimination against some people. Even as the NBA had intentions to go ahead with its season and called the players to the “Bubble” in Florida, the players now being together, recognized injustice and concluded it was time for them to join others in exercising their strength to initiate change. Being intent to be heard and to address racial inequality, the sports world was joined by corporations, businesses, actors, entertainers, and others who shared the vision. Although these issues were evident, in retrospect, could it be that God was (is) in our midst to make the nation aware, and prepared us to act to institute positive change? Could it be that our “God in our midst” gave the awareness that inspired us to go to the ballot box in masses to cast our votes? Perhaps even in the pandemic God was (is) in the midst working things out for the good.

Although it has been inferred previously, “God in our Midst” not only made us aware of issues, but it made us aware of our strength in unity. At this point, I’m reminded of the saying, “Together We Stand, Divided We Fall.” For an example of unity, I reference the movement in Georgia where Stacy Abrams initially lost the Gubernatorial race to her opponent who, in my opinion, represented a conflict of interest due to the fact that he was over the elections at the time of the race.

Yet, even though she lost, Ms. Abrams helped to unify the State that was subsequently instrumental in electing a president and two senators. Again, I contend that reflection allows us to witness God’s presence in the midst, bringing unity and subsequent change.

Lastly through the aforementioned events, “God in our midst” makes us aware that we should not become complacent with the status quo. There is a song with lyrics, “Lord, I’ve never reached perfection, but I tried.”

Certainly, as a people and as a nation, we must keep reaching for the ideal. Even if we don’t get there, God’s presence in our midst moves us closer. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Regardless to what we face, we need not fear. Though the earth gives way, and the mountains fall to the sea…..God is in our midst.

Connectional Interests

Episcopacy

Dear CME Members,

The NAACP Bishop William H. Graves, Sr. Memorial Membership Campaign will launch Feb. 12 and last until May 31. The new membership campaign is named for Bishop William H. Graves, Sr., former vice chair of the NAACP national board of directors. Graves, who was the 42nd bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME), died in Memphis on Nov. 30, 2019.

The campaign is the brainchild of NAACP national board member Presiding Bishop Marvin Thomas of the Second Episcopal District and is being conducted in partnership with the CME Church.

Bishop Graves was born in Brownsville, Tenn. He received a bachelor’s degree from Lane College and studied at Phillips School of Theology of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. Graves also received a doctor of ministry degree from the Claremont School of Theology in California.

NAACP national board member Gloria Sweet-Love is excited about the establishment and the significance of a membership campaign in honor of Graves.

“The campaign will be an opportunity for reflection on the legacy of Bishop Graves,” said SweetLove during a campaign committee meeting. “It will provide an opportunity for increased membership and commitment by new members to the work of the Association.”

Additional information about The William H. Graves, Sr. Memorial Membership Campaign and to become a new member or renew your NAACP membership or to gift an NAACP membership, visit the official CME Web site here: https://thecmechurch.org/naacp-bishopgravesmembershipcampaign/ Your support for the NAACP Bishop William H. Graves, Sr. Memorial Membership Campaign is needed and appreciated!

You may view the Bishop William H. Graves Membership Drive video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrAcSKmJR1w&feature=youtu.be.

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Department of Finance and Investments

Connectional Interests

Department of Finance and Investments

"Your most important assets aren't your clients; it's your loyal employees. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients."

--Unknown

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Unity Summit 2020 Rescheduled In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Unity Summit, scheduled to be held in Dallas, Texas, August 31-Sept. 4, 2020, has been rescheduled for the year 2021. The official dates for the Unity Summit 2021, which will convene in Dallas Texas, are August 28 - September 3, 2021 (inclusive of the Connectional Lay Institute).

Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr., General Chair, Unity Summit Bishop Lawrence Reddick, Senior Bishop June 2, 2020 CORRECTION ON UNITY SUMMIT 2021 OPENING DATE: Please note that the “opening date” of the 2021 Unity Summit will be Saturday, August 28th, which is the first day of the Connectional Lay Institute.

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January 11-12 - Phillips School of Theology; Virtual 24th Pastors' Conference and 76th Founders Day Observance February 24-25 - Women’s Missionary Council Executive Board Virtual Meeting March 5 - Arizona-New Mexico Spring Convocation; hosted by Phillips Chapel CME, Albuquerque, New Mexico March 12 - Alaska-Pacific Annual Conference Spring Convocation; hosted by Curry Temple CME, Seattle, Washington March 19 - Oklahoma Spring Convocation; hosted by Greater Cleaves Memorial CME, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma March 20 - Fifth Episcopal District Virtual Spring Convocation; 9a.m. - 1p.m. Central (10a.m. - 2p.m. Eastern); Register at www.cmefifthdistrict.org March 20 - First Episcopal District; Trinity Virtual Spring Convocation; 10a.m. - 2p.m. (updated) March 26 - Northern California Spring Convocation; hosted by St. Stephen CME, Fairfield, California March 26-27 - South Georgia Region Spring Gathering April 9 - Southern California Spring Convocation; hosted by Amos Memorial CME, Los Angeles, California April 9-10 - Second Episcopal District Virtual Spring Gathering April 9-10 - Third Episcopal District Virtual Spring Gathering April 9-10 - West Georgia Region Spring Gathering April 16-17 - Central Georgia Spring Gathering April 30 -May 1 - Georgia North Spring Gathering June 30 - July 2 - Virtual Connectional Youth and Young Adult Conference July 7-10 - Joint South & West Georgia Regions Annual Conference July 13-16 - North Central Alabama Region Annual Conference; format TBD July 21-23 - Kentucky Region Annual Conference July 21-24 - Joint Central & North Georgia Regions Annual Conference

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Connectional Interests

Board of Personnel Services

“From Where I Sit …”

GOOD NEWS! Enhanced Spousal Insurance Benefits!

In addition to funds invested for retirement, the active participants in the CME Retirement Plan have also enjoyed the additional benefits of Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, and “Spousal” Insurance. These additional benefits have been re-negotiated by us through our administrators as group policies expire with existing carriers.

Recently, at the expiration of our MetLife Insurance policy, we were fortunate to secure continual insurance through a policy with the Lincoln Financial Group that included an added benefit of enhanced spousal insurance at no additional cost. Previously, active retirement participants have been insured for an amount equal to their salary (based on the amount paid into the Plan annually) and their spouses were insured for 50% of the amount of insurance on the participant. Effective February 1st, spouses of active participants with insurance coverage up to $50,000 will now have the SAME amount of insurance as the participant. The spouses of active participants with insurance coverage exceeding $50,000 will be capped at $50,000. However, according to current Retirement Participant records, the existing coverage on every spouse of an active participant in the CME Retirement Plan has now been INCREASED! Participants should expect to soon see this increased benefit on their participant statements for the period ending December 31, 2020.

Although we hope to keep this enhanced benefit far into the future, it is a negotiated benefit and is therefore only guaranteed for a three-year period. Afterward, it will be necessary to again bid and negotiate the best fee-based structure for the Retirement Plan which might not permit the continuation of this enhanced spousal benefit. Of course, every effort by the Board of Personnel Services will be utilized through our administrators to continue this enhanced benefit.

Naturally, this is a good time to remind participants in the Plan of the importance of updating and keeping current spousal information and beneficiary designations. If a previous spouse is listed, proof of change from the previous spouse and proof of marriage to the current spouse can be both time consuming and legally burdensome. In the meantime, our department is limited by law to process claims based on current documentation in participant files.

However, the good news is this enhanced benefit is now afforded participants by the increase of insurance on their spouses. Even if it only lasts for a season (or three) and doesn’t cost anything additional, it is truly an enhanced benefit that inures to the benefit of the participant and their family. Or at least that’s the way it looks to me…

“From Where I Sit”

Tyrone T. Davis, D.Min, is the General Secretary of the Board of Personnel Services (Copies of earlier articles may be found on the Personnel Services Webpage of the CME Website at www.thecmechurch.org)

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Department of Evangelism and Missions

Getting Back to Basics as “We Envision Our Way Forward Taking Care of God's Business” The Message Have you ever thought about the power of a voice? Well, over the last few months we have listened to a lot of different voices, not just the audible voices but the voices of silence as well. The byproduct of the voice is speaking, the ability to express thoughts and feelings by articulating sound. In certain situations, society needs to hear that certain speech which speaks to the moment. Therefore, the church must find its prophetic voice or speech if you will. The church operates in many places but for this article, we will only look at three.

The Life of God’s People The church operates in the lives of God's people where the process of discipleship and formation helps us to hear and understand the voice of Jesus. For the church to fully operate in the life of the believer we must hear the voice of God, then use a prophetic voice that could help others to hear God. We are the voice of God. We should not remain silent when speech like racism, hatred, violence, and lies are present in society. These have become more common in society today than in the former days. The church has a voice and as the church, please use it.

The Community in Which We Serve Within many communities you will find a church. Sometimes we may notice a church on every corner. The voice of a particular church may have resonated inside the walls of the building only for many until March of 2020 when the coronavirus became the center of attention in society. The role of the church did not change. However, the church as we know it has been dispatched into the community. The prophetic voice of the church can reach beyond the walls and meet people where they are. The church must use its voice in the communities we serve.

The World As We Know It The world's voice has always been confusing. Some would say the world does not have a voice. I suggest it does. However, the collective speech was both accepted and denied as norms for humanity through culture and tradition in times of the collective voices from the North, South, East, and West. Confusion seems to be the loudest voice. But God! The message of liberation has become silent, possibly due to the absent prophetic voice of the church. Over the last year, we have heard the argument against science as the coronavirus has become today's speech and talking points. Some have argued for science and the all too common “let the data speak.” The voice of the church in the world cannot continue to remain silent. Let the Word of God speak.

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

Leon C. Moore, Jr. General Secretary of Evangelism and Missions Pleasant Hill CME, Conyers, GA 14

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Department of Lay Ministry

THE GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF LAY MINISTRY CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Dr. Clifford L. Harris, General Secretary

“Reaching, Teaching, and Ministering to All Generations, Equipping Them for Greater Works and Service for Him”

LAITY REACHING THE LOST I stated in the February Christian Index that I wanted to use my February, March, and April submissions to the Christian Index to remind us of our Quadrennial Lay Ministry Theme, Defending the Cross, Reaching the Lost, Encouraging and Equipping the Saved, which was adopted during our 2017 Lay Ministry Institute, held in Atlanta, Georgia. . . This theme is always relevant and continues to be incorporated very effectively with the CME Churches’ Quadrennial Theme. . . Thus, I want to, in this writing, remind us as laity of our focus and need to “Reach the Lost!”

Reaching the lost or unsaved does not start or rest in singing, preaching, praying, and reading scriptures on Sunday morning. Certainly, I am in no way discounting the role of our pastors or any aspects of our coming together in worship - in person or virtually. As laity, we must, with purpose and persistence, live out our responsibility each day. . . Our actions, reactions, comments, and responsiveness to challenges speaks to the unsaved more loudly than our voices. . . A right attitude and sincere actions can help melt away the resistance that is encountered in efforts to get and hold the attention of the lost. Deceased Bishop Edward Lynn Brown would often say, “Christians shouldn’t live holy lives on Sunday and shotgun lives on Monday.” So, our true witness to others must begin with a spirit to be consistent in our living and a genuine concern for others. With this intent buried in our hearts, actions, both in speech and in deed, will help us reach, witness, and provide ministry to the lost. While there are others, I believe these two scriptures - Matthew 9:37 and First Corinthians 9:22 - are very practical for this writing. . . If we study and digest them, they will help us stay focused.

In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus says to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few; ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” As laity, we cannot keep our faith to ourselves; those who need to hear the call to God’s saving grace far exceeds the number of laborers; so, we must pray earnestly to the Lord and pledge to be one of the laborers that is being called to go into the field (community, workplace, family, etc.) to reap the harvest. . . We must not stop short after praying; we must thrust ourselves into the harvest and be consistent in our efforts.

First Corinthians 9:22 says, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some.” One of Paul’s qualities was his ability to meet (reach) others where they lived (place himself in their shoes). This allowed him to identity with and reach those who were different from him. . . As laity, we must seek all who do not believe - those who may be weak in mind, body, or spirit – and I would submit to us, those who look strong, but who do not have Christ in their lives, are weak and don’t know it . . . So, as Paul, we must, in carrying out God’s mandate, seek to become in spirit and witness “all things to all people!” This means that we are not to judge and avoid those who have prospered financially, just as we are not to shun/avoid those who are struggling. We are in a battle and God has given us two guns . . . What are they? They are our words and our deeds. Thus, as laity, if we profess to be “on the battlefield for our Lord,” we must seek to get off a shot when the opportunity presents itself (i.e., - I’m thankful; I’m blessed; God bless you; Let’s pray for your situation right now; Do you know Christ and have you professed Him as your personal savior; Allow me to bless you with this gift). We must meet folk where we find them and get off a shot of hope, healing, and encouragement. Let’s become more intentional in reaching and witnessing to the lost! Hallelujah! Amen!

March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Connectional Interests

Ministers' Spouses, Widows/Widowers

Where Are They Now? “3D” Barbara Hoye Sommerville Scholarship Recipients

The Ministers’ Spouses, W/W Department just celebrated 25 years, so I immediately wanted to locate some of our scholarship recipients from the Third Episcopal District. “Where are they Now”. To my surprise, I received a number of responses and would like to share their stories.

Mrs. Carolyn Hendricks, 3rd Episcopal District Representative 2005 – Tyna (Washington)Daniels – Tyna received her Bachelor of Arts Degree received from Washington, Saint Louis, Missouri and was a four(4) Year Telles Foundation Scholarship Recipient. She received her Masters of Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota 2011. Currently she holds the position of Senior Organization and Talent Manager for Aviation Systems GE. Tyna is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. Daughter of Presiding Elder Phillip (Alandra) Washington 2007 - Terrance W. Mays – Presently pursuing a dual career as an educator in the Houston area and a promising career as a member of the Top Houston Actors. He starred in several Houston area plays, video productions and internet featured films. Terrance performance in “The Soldier’s Wife”, garnered him a nomination for the best supporting actor in Houston and surrounding areas. Terrance has been an active member at Post Oak CME Church in Longview, TX, and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity., Inc. Son of Presiding Elder Wayne (Tarri) Mays 2008 – Jasmine Dockery – Dr. Dockery graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison’s School of Pharmacy in 2015, earning her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS). While in her 4th year of clinical rotations, Dr. Dockery was offered a position with Walgreens where she has been employed there for almost six years. She volunteered to be a front-line worker during the COVID pandemic as a full-time COVID immunizer where she travels to various Long-term Care Facilities and Nursing homes throughout South Central and Eastern Wisconsin administering the COVID vaccine to the elderly. Daughter of Presiding Elder Willie F. (Annie) Dockery, Jr. 2010 – Sander (Holt) Peterson – Sandra is member of Womack Temple CME Church in Detroit, MI. A 2010 graduate of Martin Luther King Jr. Sr. High School. Sandra attended Eastern Michigan University where she graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. She married 2 months after graduation and one year later had her oldest daughter. Soon after she earned her Real Estate License and began a business named for her daughter- Simply Sasha LLC, which has taken off since its debut in 2019. She was very happy to be a scholarship recipient as it was very helpful in furthering her education in Business. Granddaughter of Sandra Holt and the late Rev. Dr. Robert L. Holt 2011 -Jeffrey C. Hicks – Attended the University of Central Missouri in 2012 where he completed 2 years and then entered the U. S. Navy joining in 2014. Successfully completed Basic Training ranking in the top 10, followed by completing ASchool ranking in the top 10 and then completed Submarine School ranking in the top 10. Presently a Petty Officer and has served on the USS Tennessee. Received several awards, medals and accommodations. Son of Rev. Dr. Frederick (Janet) Hicks

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The Christian Index • March 2021

CME-Affiliated Schools

Texas College

TEXAS COLLEGE CELEBRATES 127 YEARS A BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Submitted by Jake Martin Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Texas College

Saturday, January 9, 2021, marked a significant milestone not only for Texas Col lege, but for all who have experienced the empowerment the campus provides to those who step foot on the hallowed grounds. January 9, 2021, officially served as the 127th Anniversary of Texas College's founding in 1894 by a group of Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) ministers. This landmark achievement does not merely serve as one of longevity, but profoundly, and proudly, extends itself to a ceaseless and unwavering commitment to service. As the oldest Dr. Dwight J. Fennell, President, Texas College institution of higher education in the City of Tyler, Texas College laid the foundation for post-secondary education for the city, serving as a beacon of hope and opportunity for those who yearned for an education and a better life.

This celebration of 127 years not only symbolizes, but embodies the spirit of resilience, perseverance, dedication, and most importantly the placement of faith and trust in God's infinite wisdom. For without God's abundant and continuous blessings, Texas College would not be as it stands today. And, as it stands today, in all of its rich and historic beauty, Texas College maintains its unique positioning to provide students an unmatched comprehensive educational experience in an environment that fosters intellectual, spiritual, ethical, moral, and social development. This unparalleled experience and education afforded by the campus culminates and propels graduates into lifelong learning, leadership, service, and success, just as it has for the past 127 years.

As the institution commemorates the moment's significance, Texas College embraces the 127th year with determination. Resolutely, Texas College asserts its dedication to perpetuating and advancing the legacy to heights unforeseen into the next 127 years and beyond, continuing to give the people light to find their way.

On Tuesday, January 9, 1894, aimed to utilize education as an equalizer, a group of ministers affiliated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church founded Texas College. This founding represented the start of the educational process for a group of disenfranchised individuals in the area of east Texas, City of Tyler. The endeavor to found Texas College was the first of its kind in Tyler, which laid the foundation for higher education in the city.

Founded in a four-room frame house on the same grounds as Texas College stands today, the landscape was considerably different.

Lacking the accessibility conveniences such as Grand Avenue that Continued on next page March 2021 • The Christian Index

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CME-Affiliated Schools

Texas College

Continued from previous page exists today, students nonetheless commuted from all over East Texas and beyond to receive their education at Texas College. The College began with just six students.

Interest in Texas College would grow quickly though. By the end of the of the first year, which initially began with just six students, Texas College's population would increase exponentially with over 100 students enrolled.

The majority of these students would hail from the eastern region of Texas. The College's enrollment would continue to steadily increase.

The exclusive educational direction was to include the education of youths, male and female, in all branches of a literary, scientific and classical education wherein [all] shall be taught theology, normal training of teachers, music, commercial and industrial training, and agricultural and mechanical sciences.

On June 12, 1909, the name of the College was changed from Texas College to Phillips University. The noted change was associated with Bishop Henry Phillips, as a result of his leadership and educational interests for mankind. The name change was short lived and reportedly lasted until actions for a name reversal occurred in 1910 at the Third Annual Conference of the church. On May 1912 the College was officially renamed Texas College.

The subsequent years of the College were spent with refinements and enhancements of the educational enterprise. The Articles of Incorporation reflect such efforts with modifications and amendments during periods 1909 to 1966.

The College today complies with its founding principles in that she remains open to all individuals without discrimination on the grounds of national origin, race, religion, or sex ... with the right to offer instruction in the areas of Arts and Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences preparation of teachers and the provision of instructional supports, to those in pursuit of an education.

Mission Statement

Texas College is a Historically Black College founded in 1894, by a group of CME ministers. Our mission continues to embody the principles of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. The College shall prepare students with competencies in critical and creative thinking related to the knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in areas of study. Additionally, the College shall provide an environment to inspire intellectual, spiritual, ethical, moral, and social development, which empowers graduates to engage in life-long learning, leadership, and service.

Editor's Note: The complete anniversary publication may be found at: https://user-jq5ypqx.cld.bz/127thAnniversary-Brief-Historical-Overview.

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The Christian Index • March 2021

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March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Submissions

All Roads Lead to Cincinnati in 2022 --- The 39th Quadrennial General Conference!

Submitted by Louise Buchanan

Set your sights on Cincinnati, Ohio, in the summer of 2022. Get ready for the 39th Quadrennial General Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church to be hosted by the Second Episcopal District in the city that is the gateway to the south---beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio---a city with a northern flair but with a southern charm. Cincinnati is known as the Queen City.

Hosted by the 62nd Bishop of the CME Church, Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas Sr., this will be the first General Conference to be held in the State of Ohio, Second Episcopal District, in the history of the CME Church. We are anxious to let everyone know, see and experience why in the Second Episcopal District “every second counts.”

Shopping on Vine St. OvertheRhine

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

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The Christian Index • March 2021

Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas, Sr.

Start making your plans now to visit Cincinnati, Ohio, where there is a lot to do. There will be many things to see that are points of interest. There are five entertainment districts that are in close walking distance to the Dominion Energy Convention Center. You can also access these districts by the downtown street trolley. There you can find dining, breweries, and shopping in these diverse districts. Cincinnati is the home of the (3) major sports teams, the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team; the Cincinnati Bengals, a National Football League team; and the FC Soccer team.

University of Cincinnati and Xavier University are the largest institutions of higher education located in the Cincinnati area.

You don’t want to miss visiting the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center revealing the heroic series of the Underground Railroad to present day era. More attractions to see are the Cincinnati Zoo, Newport Aquarium, Kings Island Amusement Park and the BB Riverboat Cruise.

Cincinnati sits on the banks of Ohio river. The city located on the North side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio Rivers. With a population of 298,550, Cincinnati is the third largest city in Ohio and the 65th largest city in United States.

The city is the economic and cultural hub of the Cincinnati Metropolitan area, the fastest growing economic power in the Midwestern United States based on increase of economic output. Cincinnati is also the home of historic architecture with many structures in the urban core.

Submissions

Aerial of Paul Brown Stadium

BB Riverboats

The Second Episcopal District has formulated a General Conference committee to handle all your needs.

Registration and Housing Information will be shared with the College of Bishops as it is available. You can also go online to the Second Episcopal District Website for additional information.

You don’t want to miss this General Conference. We will be electing three (3) NEW Episcopal leaders. We will retire Bishops Henry M. Williamson, Sr. and C. James King. In addition, we will be remembering and celebrating the life and legacy of four Episcopal giants who transitioned during this quadrennial in the persons of Bishops E. Lynn Brown, William H. Graves, Ronald M. Cunningham and Bobby R. Best.

This will be an exciting time for our CME Church. The Conference will have daily business sessions, evening worship experiences, and will host various ecumenical guests.

Start making your plans. 2022 will be here very soon, and you DON’T WANT TO MISS It!

Newport Aquarium

Banshee Roller Coaster at Kings Island

"Christians need to abandon this un-Christian idea that we are playing into the enemy's hands when we honestly and accurately call our friends to repentance. We do not serve a greater good by winking at our friends' sins. We serve only the great evil by enabling our friends unchecked descent into greater corruption."

--Anderson T. Graves II March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Submissions

ISubmitted Canby Maya DoHudson All Things Through Christ My name is Maya Hudson. I am a member of the St. Luke CME Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, where my pastor is Rev. Gregory Hudson. At St. Luke I serve as the minister of music.

I was excited to participate in the [2021 Connectional Youth and Young Adult Week] services to share both a musical selection as well as a brief devotional message. [I chose as a scripture] Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Another translation says, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” That translation is so important because as young people we are faced with so many concerns that even school and college didn’t prepare us for.

We face new challenges every day. Challenges such as COVID-19. Challenges such independence. Challenges such as becoming of age in an unstable world. Challenges such as uncertain economic conditions. Challenges such as who will we find to marry and form our families with. Our generation is coming of age in times like no other.

They are challenging times, but at the same time they are exciting times. Even though they are times filled with crisis, these are also times of great opportunity. These are times God has given us to be able to stir up the gifts that are inside us, in order for us to become all God has given us purpose to become. This is even a special time to be young, gifted, and black. The world around us may be filled with human misery, suffering, greed, political violence, and underemployment, but this scripture not only encourages me, it inspires me.

I can do all things through Christ.

I can face all things through Christ.

A few years ago, I took a flight to Denver and while on that flight I realized something that I had never thought about before. I realized two very important things about airplanes. The first thing I realized was that planes could only move forward. Their engines were designed to only go forward. On their own, airplanes could only move in a forward direction. But what I noticed was that when a plane was moved in reverse, somebody had to push it. In other words, airplanes only go forward on their own, but somebody had to help them go backwards.

Don't miss this, young adults.

There are some people who are keeping you from flying because their aim is to pull you back, hold you back and keep you back. Once you learn who those people are, just leave them alone and remind them, “My goal is ahead of me. My future is in front of me. My blessings are in the positive direction.”

Another thing I learned about airplanes on that flight was that once a plane left the ground, if it stopped, it dropped. Once a plane is in flight, it has to keep on going. One of the most frightening things I experienced while flying was something called turbulence. When a plane runs into turbulence, it's frightening. It can be scary. The captain may even tell you to buckle your seatbelts, but the captain never stops the plane because he knows that if he stops, the plane will drop.

All I'm saying is that as young adults, as we are on our flights of life, if we stop, we will drop. There will be some turbulence in our lives but be reminded that you can't stop.

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The Christian Index • March 2021

Submissions A few days ago, I watched a young lady whose name is Amanda Gorman read an original poem she wrote for the president of the United States. The poem is titled, “The Hill We Climb.” It is a brilliant poem about her wishes for our country, but it’s also a challenge to our generation. She concludes her poem by saying: When day comes, we step out of the shade, Aflame and unafraid.

The new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light, If only we're brave enough to see it.

If only we're brave enough to be it.

It reminded me of Philippians 4:13 that says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

God Bless You! Editor's Note: You may find a video of Ms. Hudson giving her meditation at: https://youtu.be/9Z0LNTudG7s.

Hinds County Churches Partner for Food Giveaway Submitted by Rev. Tramon Williams and Rev. Dr. Charles D. Watson

As people continue to struggle through this pandemic we thank God for these three churches in the Mississippi South Region along with Mrs. Bettye Thomas who informed her pastor about the food giveaway for Hinds County.

These churches saw the need of the community and reached out to support the community.

Little Mount CME Church and Mount Zion CME Church, both of Utica, Mississippi, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Charles D. Watson, and Ebenezer CME Church of Richland, Mississippi, under the leadership of Rev. Tramon Williams teamed up to provide food for these communities.

The Scripture states in Rev. Tramon Williams (l) and Rev. Dr. Charles Watson (r) with food for distribution.

Matthew, chapter 25, verse 35, "For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; l was a stranger, and you took me in."

Rev. Watson stated, "The food giveaway allowed us to work together to provide a need, considering the pandemic and the effects it is having on the community."

The drive-thru and the personal delivery provided enough food to serve the community with milk, vegetables and fruits for their families without ever leaving their cars or residences.

March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Submissions

Coronavirus Changes How We Say Goodbye Submitted by Roland Brown, M.Div., Chaplain

Many of you who are reading this may have experienced a loved one departing this life. The death of someone close to you is difficult. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has added another layer of grief to all who have had to bury or cremate someone they loved dearly.

As a Hospice Chaplain and a Pastor of a church, it has been difficult for me to see people go through these challenging times. It is something none of us ever expected. I know some individuals are feeling helpless as they try to ensure their loved one rests in peace.

Feelings of guilt, anger and even depression can occur.

Since early spring, due to COVID-19 restrictions, visitors have not been allowed in nursing facilities due to the risk of exposing residents to the virus.

Some facility residents passed away without family present. Additionally, limited or no funeral services have forced families to grieve in different ways. Social media platforms have provided an option for funeral homes to broadcast services online so mourners can pay their respect from home, but these new ways are different and not what families had in mind.

While many have suffered loss due to the Coronavirus, there are many others who are grieving a death unrelated to this virus. All are experiencing the same challenges with a lack of closure and no rituals to say goodbye. While there is a deep sadness with our being unable to comfort each other, we will get through this.

The pandemic, the restrictions, and the stress that you have been going through are not your fault and you are not alone. For many who have faced these difficult times, I would like to give you solace and share a true story.

As a Hospice Chaplain, I was visiting with a patient at a local nursing facility who only had few months to live. This patient, "Steve," had a different view of God and faith than I have, but we still were able to talk about spirituality.

One day, while I was visiting with Steve, he wanted to talk to me about something that was worrisome on his mind. He shared he had no family, no one to call, and no one to come when he died. He asked me to do him a favor. Understand, I only knew him for a few months. He said, "Chaplain Roland, when I die, will you promise me that you will scatter my ashes in Lake Michigan?"

Steve was serious and wanted someone to care for him enough to do such an honor. I agreed and he was noticeably relieved. Two weeks later, he passed away and I remembered my promise and I couldn't let him down. Thankfully, friends of Northern Illinois Hospice arranged for me to ride in a boat where we were able to cross into Lake Michigan and scatter his ashes to fulfill Steve's wish. This was a tribute to a man I didn't know well, but I was honored to bring him to his final resting place.

I share this as a reminder that while we are living in unusual times, finding ways to celebrate the life of your loved ones in a meaningful way will help bring you comfort and peace.

"Those who died yesterday had plans for this morning. And those who died this morning had plans for tonight.

Don't take life for granted. In the blink of an eye, everything can change. So forgive often and love with all your heart. You may never get to have that chance again."

--Ida M. Freeman 24

The Christian Index • March 2021

Submissions

HOLD ON TO THE WORD Submitted by Jessie Manuel Has anybody got a Word that you’re going somewhere?

Has anybody got a Word that has pointed you toward something greater than what you have?

Has anybody got a Word that stirs your faith, wakes you up in the morning, and carries you through the day?

I’ve got a word.

Somebody said: I heard a Word, but I couldn’t find God in it.

I’m going to tell you something: When God gives you a Word it carries his presence. I didn’t say it will always make you happy, and I didn’t say it will always make you feel good but I said it will always carry his presence.

Moses said: If your presence go not with us, then do not take us up from this place.

His presence and his Word go together: I don’t care how religious it sounds or how appealing it is to your flesh or your desires, the first thing you better ask yourself is does it carry his presence?

Because the Word that carries his presence has the power to carry you, and keep you.

HOLD ON TO THE WORD Listen: I didn’t say that the Word guarantees you that you will have an easy life, and you will never have to go through a storm.

I said: The Word will carry through the storm, the Word will hold you up, the Word will make you Unsinkable.

I wouldn’t be here today if it hadn’t been for the Word of the Lord.

The enemy would have killed me, but I had a Word.

Debt would have sunk me, but I had a Word.

Family turmoil and strife would have capsized my vessel, but I had a Word.

Attacks on my integrity and my character would have drowned me in a sea of despair, but I had a Word.

Depression and fear and anxiety would ...

I’m telling you: Hold on to your Word.

The Word makes you fire proof.

The Word makes you invincible.

The Word makes you unsinkable.

Let me ask you a question: Have you ever felt like there’s a bulls eye on your back and like the devil has singled you out, and like he’s concentrating extra measures, and extra opposition and extra weapons on you?

Have you ever felt like the devil has called off the little imps, and he has sent out the big dogs after you? .

Just because you’re CALLED doesn’t mean you won’t ever have any troubles, just because you’re anointed doesn’t mean you won’t ever be lied on.

It doesn’t mean that God is going to wrap you in cotton so your feelings never get hurt.

Continued on next page March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Submissions Continued from previous page In fact the more anointed you are and the more destiny you embrace and the more focused you become on fulfilling your purpose, the greater threat you are to hell, and the greater the attacks against you.

Joseph was anointed, Joseph was favored by God; and repeatedly the Bible says, The Lord was with Joseph.

Well if the Lord was with Joseph why didn’t God stop his brothers from stripping him out of his coat and throwing him into a pit?

Why didn’t God stop Potiphar's lust-filled wife from lying on Joseph and destroying his character and integrity in the eyes of Potiphar and his whole house?

Why did God let the butler forget Joseph for two full long years, after Joseph interpreted his dream and it came to pass?

Was God on vacation? Was he asleep?

From the day God gave Joseph the dream, the dream never changed, but the dreamer went through a process of stripping and refining to bring him to the place that he was qualified to live that dream.

I’m in process.

I know Today that God never sleeps.

Ps. 121:4 - Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

I know God never sleeps, but I promise you there will be times in your life when it feels like God is in such a deep slumber that nothing can wake him.

It’s just part of the process.

Some of you reading this right now, have felt like God just went to sleep and let the devil have his way with you, and to tell the truth it looks to you like and feels to you like you are farther away from your word than ever before.

But I came to tell you today: God is not asleep, he has not forgotten you, his eyes are on the sparrow, and his eyes are on you every minute of the day.

He’s been watching you all through the process, he’s been in charge of the temperature.

He’s been controlling the speed of the wheel.

He saw that storm coming before it ever got to you and he filtered it through his hands of love and …..

He pre-determined that this storm was not going to kill you.

He pre-determined that this storm was not going to sink you.

He pre-determined that this storm was not going to destroy your ministry.

Before you ever entered the battle, He pre-determined that you had everything you needed to conquer, you had everything you needed to put you over and come out on top.

The answer is: He believed the Word that he spoke.

He knew the Word that came out of his mouth had the power to take them through anything, (he knew that his word could not come back void but it would accomplish that which he pleased and prosper in thing whereto he sent it.

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The Christian Index • March 2021

Submissions You’re going through the storm of your life in your finances, but you believe the Word.

You’re going through the greatest fire of your life in your health, but you believe the Word.

You’re fighting for your children, they seem farther away than ever before, but you believe the Word.

You’re been tried in your ministry, your character and your reputation and your integrity are being attacked, but you believe the Word.

In other words go back to the Word. John 1:1 - In the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God, the same was in the beginning with God, John 1:14 - And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.

I don’t care what the enemy is doing today, or trying to do, it doesn’t matter what the storm or the test or the trial is.

It doesn’t matter how hot the fire is or how [high] the flames, or how deep the water.

HOLD ON TO THE WORD Praise him like you’re already out of debt.

Praise him like you’ve already written that book and are enjoying the blessings.

Praise him like you’ve already moved out of the projects, Praise like you’ve already moved into that new house, walk through it in your imagination, smell the carpet, touch the walls.

Praise him like your ministry is already international; you may be a pastor of 30 people but you’ve got an international vision and you’ve got a heart to touch the world for Jesus.

Praise him like that family is already saved, Holy Ghost-filled, fire baptized; praise him like they're standing beside you with their hands raised, tears streaming down their faces, glorifying God. You just got to get your eyes off the problem and get them back on the promise.

I don’t care what’s happening in your life right now: I’m telling you.

HOLD ON TO THE WORD

Contact Info for The Christian Index Submissions and payments that are not processed by email should be sent to the following address:

Dr. Ore L. Spragin, Jr. Editor, The Christian Index 1700 Whisperwood Street Albany GA 31721

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Our Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/TheChristianIndex.

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March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Submissions

Back to the Basics Submitted by Jamie Capers

Our quadrennial theme of the CME Church, “Back to the Basics,” is a clarion call and definitive quest for us to return to the origins - our first love.

It is a committed and dedicated quest to return to the place where we are focused, the core of our faith and the foundation of our spirituality. However, this call is not about going backwards; instead, it is about refocusing on what is central to our faith, to our belief. This imagery is further reiterated in Revelation 2:4-5 (NLT2), where the Lord complains about the lukewarm attitude of the Church: “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” This passage portrays a church which no longer yearns for God. There is no longer a hunger for the things of God. Instead, personal preference and cooperate disengagement prevail and have taken precedence over spiritual values.

I must admit that my initial reaction to the theme of returning to the basics, a call to return to the root, may presuppose a yearning to go back to the old-time ways and not pursue a progressive future. However, as I contemplated and meditated, it became crystal clear to me that the theme seeks to re-center us. The more I considered the theme, the more it became evident that there would be a struggle in pursuit of fulfilling this commission. In fact, this theme that defines our relationship with the Head of the Church is not new in our spiritual or religious dispensation. Howard Thurman considered this theme as he discussed the journey to the center of God. In his “Dialogue,” Thurman maintained that this relationship, this journey to the core of our spiritual well-being, is [filled] with feelings, emotions and memories that we, as Christians, hold in fear and in rage. We wade through things and places that are unpleasant and encounter people who are unpleasant and uncomfortable in our journey to the center where we finally encounter God face to face.

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Basically, the Church must deal with its failure to authentically worship God, its neglect of living out a relationship with God and unwillingness to address the current needs of the local community and abroad. In the Beatitudes, Christ reminded us about our daily responsibilities to each other, especially the needy to whom our services are an indirect service to Him. Let us pithily consider these thoughts. First, many people have only worshipped or acknowledged the God of their forefathers and have scarcely engaged in a personal relationship with God for themselves. To authentically worship God in truth and in spirit, we must intimately engage with God not only on Sunday, but moment by moment.

Secondly, many of us proclaim we honor and love God, but have neglected to live our lives as though we have committed ourselves to intimacy with God. Thirdly, we must discern the current needs of our local communities and abroad. Most churches are good at collecting and donating supplies, but we are often reluctant or slow in guiding those trapped in poverty to move to a more prosperous station. To effectively engross ourselves in ministry, we must seek to empower the powerless and provide hope to the hopeless.

In conclusion, the vibrancy of the CME Church or any other denomination is predicated on the state of everyone. In order to collectively get back to the basics, there has to be a deliberate and personal understanding of the need to grow in worship and relationship with God and each other, and by being a true light and making a progressive impact on the community. The future can only be as bright as our desire to obtain it, to shine our light into the darkness of this future.

Submissions

Northern California Region MSWWD Celebrates Marion Scipio Vesper Hour

"Youth and Young Adult Talent Showcase" Submitted by Janet Goodson NCR Public Relations Committee, Chair

The Ministers' Spouses, Widows and Widowers Department of the Northern California Region under the leadership of Presiding Prelate, Bishop Paul A.G Stewart, celebrated their annual Marion Scipio Vesper Hour program through a virtual showcase of the region's talented youth and young adults.

This year's theme, “Celebrating Twenty-Five Years of our Ministry of Love & Giving,” was in recognition of the Ministers' Spouses Division becoming a Connectional Department at the General Conference in 1994. It was truly an honor to have Mrs. Patricia Redds, the first official Connectional President of the Connectional Ministers’ Spouses Widows, and Widowers Department of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church present at this year's Marion Scipio Vesper Hour virtual program event.

The youth and young adults showcased their exceptional talents with performances varying from keyboard and drum solos, to poetry and graphic art exhibits, to vocalist and praise dance selections.

We want to extend a special acknowledgment to our newly appointed Presiding Prelate, Bishop Paul A.G Stewart, to Presiding Elder Eloise Knox of the San Francisco District, to Elder T.J. Davis Jr. of the Oakland District, and to our NCR/MSWWD President, First Lady Fayette Davis. Additionally, we appreciate the regional churches for their charitable givings that make possible the annual Marion Scipio Vesper Hour fundraiser program event.

As we move forward in this new year, let us collectively continue to serve the Lord, one another and our respective communities with love and thanksgiving in our hearts.

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Submissions

St. Luke Food Pantry Celebrates Decade of Ministry Submitted by Patricia McKinney Lewis Founder, Director and Grant Writer

For over ten years, St. Luke CME Church in Champaign, Illinois, where Dr. Perrico Robinson, Sr. is the pastor, has operated a food pantry that has served the Champaign-Urbana community.

In March 2010, God gave Patricia McKinney Lewis the vision to start a food pantry at St. Luke CME Church. After reading about the rising number of families in Champaign County that were struggling to provide food for their families, she called her pastor, Rev. Dr. Clarence Buchanan, and told him of her desire to start a new ministry at St. Luke. Rev. Buchanan was very supportive and encouraged her to gather additional information to pursue the venture of establishing a Food Pantry. Now ten years later, we are entering our eleventh year of helping the working poor in Champaign County to provide food for their families.

The first year of operation was a work in progress and a labor of love. The St. Luke members that volunteered to serve on the Food Pantry committee with Patricia McKinney Lewis were: Dora Jamerson, Ethel Mae Kennedy, Jack Davis, Josephine Samuel, Bobby Hunt, Robert Elam, Mary Williams and Vernon Lewis. After meeting with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank to become established and creating a storage room that met EIF and Public Health guidelines, the committee worked to open for its first distribution as a food pantry on June 16, 2010.

The present committee consists of: Patricia McKinney Lewis, Kathy Lockett, Lula Conner, Mae Kendrick, Beverly Lewis, Betty Thomas, Donna Tinsley, Lola Cockrell, Nettie Howell, Gloria Dixon, Patricia Walker, Ronald Lewis, Bruce Green, Bobby Hunt, Nate Dixon, Min. Phillip March, and Vernon Lewis.

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Submissions

Our St. Luke helpers during the past ten years have included: Ben Walton, Christine Sibley, Tori Harvey, Willene Howard, Marilyn Thadison, Carmen Wood, Tyeisha Jones, Tina March, L.T. Walker, Earl Minor, Rev. Jacqueline Minor, Tina Lee, Lisa Cockrell, Myron Cockrell, Belle Miller, Mike Wood, Carmen Wood, Charles Drake, Pam Shelley, Diane Weatherspoon Jones, Rosa Allen Jennie Sheffield and Ty’Kira Dubose.

In 2012, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Epsilon Epsilon Omega Chapter, adopted the food pantry and has continuously provided volunteers (Jessica Jackson, Desiree McMillion and others) to help set up and to help distribute food on each distribution day. Other organizations such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Greek organizations have volunteered in the food pantry.

St. Luke’s Food Pantry has run solely on donations from the St. Luke congregation and occasionally we have received grants provided through the Eastern Illinois Food Bank to purchase additional food. We have also received donations from Church Women United, Bethel AME Church Missionary Society, St. Luke’s Missionary Society, Liberty Temple Church of God in Christ, Grove St. Church of God in Christ, and from individuals in the Champaign-Urbana community.

During the pandemic, the food pantry put guidelines in place in March of 2020 to protect volunteers and clients. Since June 2020, the food pantry has been given over $14,000 in donations and grants from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority ($6,000), Faith in Place of Chicago Covid-19 Fund ($4,100), Eastern Illinois Food Bank Covid-19 Fund ($2,000), and private donations ($2,000) to purchase Thanksgiving turkeys and other items in addition to the faithful giving of St. Luke CME members.

The Food Pantry Ministry has received [recognitions] from the City of Champaign Star Awards, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Winding Ivy Award for Community Service, and a special recognition from the Illinois State House of Representatives.

To God be the glory for all the families we have helped and for enabling St. Luke CME Church to provide a food distribution ministry to our community for ten years!

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Submissions

LANE CHAPEL UNDAUNTED BY COVID-19 Submitted by Kenneth Scruggs

As a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic, life in the United States and around the world has become very challenging, to say the least. The pandemic has disrupted business, education, sports and family gatherings. It has also created many hardships for worship services, including CME Churches.

As Galatians 6:9 reads, "Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Lane Chapel CME Church in Lewisville, Texas, has persevered and maintained its faith during these unprecedented times. Lane Chapel made the mandated shift to teleconference service in March 2020. Due to the leadership of Rev. Lionel G. Hayes, Jr. and the dedication of faithful members and extended family, Lane Chapel has continued to thrive both spiritually and financially. Sunday School service is still very active, while the virtual Morning Worship service has grown with several "out of town" participants regularly attending each Sunday. Lane Chapel continues weekly Bible study and outreach programs which support the Lewisville community.

In addition to spiritual growth, Lane Chapel completed a major renovation project. This project included repairing/ painting the entire church exterior and redoing church landscaping. This project was completed and paid in full.

When the doors of the church are open again, Lane Chapel CME Church in Lewisville, Texas, will welcome all members and guests with a new and improved look, while exhibiting the same warmth we have always displayed in our motto - "The Little Church with a Big Heart."

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Submissions From The Missionary Messenger, Volume 12, Issue 15, January (Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 2021)

FOOD INSECURITY

- WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT! Written by Sue Alexander Department Secretary, Hunger and Meals for Millions

Fifty million American people, fifteen million more than last year, suffer from food insecurity. Fourteen million children and twenty nine million adults in house­holds suffer from food insecurity. One in four children and one in six adults in homes with children go hungry every day! Not included in these statistics are adults who are without children and the homeless.

Approximately 18% of children in American households with food do not get enough to eat or go without a meal.

Shocking. Yes! These numbers tend to equate to the population of some small countries and are far greater than the population of the largest cities in America. They were disturbing before the pandemic and are now astronomical; greatly impacted by the loss of jobs and school closures as results of COVID. Nevertheless, our neighborhoods and communities consist of people who are included in the numbers of those who are food insecure. Perhaps some of our church members, relatives or friends are among these numbers.

Daily televised news shows repeatedly show long lines of cars and even people on foot who wait for hours to get food. Food banks and other agencies are struggling to provide enough food to meet the increase in demand by the millions of additional food-insecure families.

Can we as CMEs, as missionaries, or as Christians do anything to help? Definitely! A small donation to the Food Bank, Salvation Army, Feeding America and other agencies or organizations that distribute food will benefit those who are hungry. Every dollar counts just

as every vote counts. Donate groceries, choose a family to assist; meals for the elderly and grocery store gift cards are other ways to help.

Although many of our food ministries have diminished because of the pandemic, we should find new and innovative ways to help. One person can make a difference, even if a small one.

Luke 3: 11 states, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same."

Now is the time to share. An individual can help by preparing food packs to pass out to children, parents, single adults, the elderly and the homeless.

[A tip that has been helpful to prepare such a nutritious pack is] to fill a gallon zip lock bag with: • 7-oz peel-top containers of vegetables-­corn, beans, peas, carrots • foil packs of Tuna, Spam or cans of Vienna Sausage • fruit cups, applesauce cups • raisins • Granola or Oats 'n Honey Bars • cheese crackers, peanut butter crackers, Gold Fish, Ritz Bits • Nutri Grain Bars • Motts Fruits • packaged flatware • hand sanitizer • an unused trash bag and other items.

The bag holds enough for three small balanced meals. They are easily transported in a car to give to the food insecure. Our faith as Christ's disciples leads us to honor and do God's will; to love our neighbors as ourselves. Let's make the difference that God wants us to make, individually and collectively.

"There are two things God does with tables ... He turns them and He sets them."

--Okima Havis March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Subscribe to The Christian Index Only $30.00 per Year Call Rev. Dr. Roderick Lewis, Sr., Publisher, at 901-396-5400

Does Your Local Church, Presiding Elder's District, Region, or Episcopal District Produce an Electronic Newsletter?

If so, send the Editor a copy at: ChristianIndex@thecmechurch.org 34

The Christian Index • March 2021

Children/Youth

Wordsearch Puzzle for March Do the work of an evangelist.

(Based on 2 Timothy 4:1-5)

Afflictions Appearing Charge Christ Dead Doctrine Ears Endure Evangelist Exhort Fables Full

Heap Instant Itching Jesus Judge Kingdom Longsuffering Lusts Ministry Preach Proof Quick

Rebuke Reprove Season Sound Teachers Time Truth Turn Watch Word Work March 2021 • The Christian Index

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Children/Youth Answers to Puzzle

Directors of Children and Youth Work YOU ARE ENCOURAGED to submit articles from your Children and Youth to The Christian Index.

These may be thoughts on their Christian journey, reports on church or school trips, and even book reports or original poems and essays.

Email to: ChristianIndex@thecmechurch.org

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Ecumenical News From https://www.thechristianrecorder.com. John Thomas III, Editor. Accessed 2-16-2021.

Emanuel Nine Memorial Foundation and Emanuel Nine Memorial Update After the devastating massacre of nine clergy and members at Mother Emanuel AME Church on June 17, 2015, the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) organization, was formed with the goal of building a memorial to honor the lives taken, to embrace the historical significance of the church and community and to serve as the cornerstone of civic engagement.

The Emanuel Nine Memorial honors the lives of the Emanuel Nine. It celebrates God’s perfect love in the act of forgiveness from the victims’ families. The memorial illustrates the spirit of resiliency shown by the survivors and the church – touching hearts within the Charleston community and around the world. The memorial will motivate people everywhere to eradicate racism and inspire greatness from all humankind.

ABOUT THE EMANUEL NINE AND THE SURVIVORS Nine extraordinary individuals were taken from this world in a horrific act of hatred on June 17, 2015: Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Mrs. Cynthia Graham Hurd, Mrs. Susie J. Jackson, Mrs. Ethel Lee Lance, Rev. DePayne Vontrese Middleton, The Honorable Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, Mr. Tywanza Kibwe Diop Sanders, Rev. Daniel Lee Simmons, Sr., and Mrs. Myra Singleton Quarles Thompson, AME Licentiate. Survivors of the massacre are Mrs. Jennifer Pinckney, Malana Pinckney, Mrs. Polly Sheppard and Mrs. Felicia Sanders and her granddaughter.

EMANUEL NINE MEMORIAL After a nationwide search, the Foundation selected Michael Arad as designer for the Emanuel Nine Memorial.

Arad previously designed the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

The memorial will be located on church grounds and will feature a courtyard with two large marble fellowship benches, facing each other with high backs that arc up and around like sheltering wings. At the center of the courtyard, the curves of the benches encircle a marble fountain where the names of the Emanuel Nine are carved around the fountain’s edge.

Water emanates from a cross-shaped source, filling the basin and gently spilling over the names of the nine. The opening between the benches toward the back of the courtyard reveals a cross above a simple altar, providing visitors a quiet place to linger in thought and prayer.

We are estimating the memorial will be open to the public in 2023.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND OUTREACH One of the goals of the Foundation is to work to eradicate racism and hate. Through our work for social justice we will encourage voting, encourage nonviolent protest and inspire people to search their hearts and minds to help us all live in a more perfect union. We recognize we are not alone in the work for social justice and therefore, the Foundation will work collaboratively with organizations dedicated to rooting out systemic racism in law enforcement and education. Furthermore, we are envisioning a robust outreach program for our schools, including programs on-site and in schools with a goal of helping to bridge differences and inequities.

EMANUEL NINE MEMORIAL WEBSITE Earlier this year, we unveiled our updated website. The website is continuously updated with relevant news about the Emanuel Nine, information about the memorial itself, as well as social justice issues that continue to plague this country. Please visit our website at www.emanuelnine.org.

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Ecumenical News

Using theology to empower people with disabilities Written by Léon van Ommen Submitted by Jo Milne University of Aberdeen

As the UK marks Disability History Month, the University of Aberdeen’s Léon Van Ommen, whose research focuses on autism and faith communities, considers the role of practical theology in informing new ideas to improve the spiritual care of those with disabilities.

There is a growing recognition among healthcare providers and charities that faith has a key role to play in supporting people with disabilities, neurological differences or dementia.

In hospices, support centres and within congregations, appreciation of the need for spiritual support alongside physical and psychological care is increasing.

As theologians, we have a critical role to play in helping to understand what happens to a person when they are affected by conditions that some choose to call disabilities. The key is that we hope to offer views that do not perceive such conditions as necessarily a negative – which is the dominant view in society - but not necessary the most helpful one.

At the University of Aberdeen we have built significant expertise in disability theology through the work of several colleagues. We are in a fairly unique position of having four theologians within one department all focused upon the intersection of faith and disability.

This is enabling us to shape and grow the field of disability theology, one strand of which is the emerging study of faith and autism.

This is a fairly new area of research but one in which Aberdeen has a number of specialists. My own work explores autism in relation to worship, which is a core practice of Christian communities, while Professor Grant MacAskill is an expert in biblical studies. His recent book, Autism and the Church: Bible, Theology, and Community, considers how the bible can inform the church to be a place where all people belong – including those who identify as autistic.

Likewise, Professor Brian Brock critically evaluates dominant paradigms of looking at disability in our society, and offers a theological alternative in order to create communities where the gifts of each person are valued.

This has all built upon the successful work of the University of Aberdeen’s Professor John Swinton in learning disabilities and mental health.

His books, including Dementia: Living in the memories of God, which won the 2016 Michael Ramsey Prize, have inspired new ways of thinking in caring for minds as well as bodies in those with mental health issues and disabilities.

As he has so eloquently expressed, ‘dementia does not erode a person’s worth, to be human is to be created and loved by God. That love does not have neurological parameters’.

One of our key objectives is to help people to understand that disability should not be stigmatised and that in fact living with a disability can be a valuable and valued way of being human.

But as theologians, the work that we do is not to remain in books or within the walls of universities.

Its true worth is in how these ideas can be embraced and utilised when it comes to congregations and care settings. We intend to use theology to open up spaces for new conversations that will bring value and empowerment to people with disabilities in the midst of a social context that tends to strip them of both.

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Ecumenical News Aberdeen has become the first university in the UK to launch courses specifically dedicated to the study of disability theology. These will support people working in organisations, charities and faith communities, as well as those with a more scholarly interest in this area.

We are already seeing a difference in the way churches and other organisations consider dementia on a practical level, from better signage to dementia prayer weeks and dementia cafes, but we want to equip those providing care with opportunities to think more critically about how we engage with those who have additional needs.

This is an area of critical importance in the ongoing training of staff and management if we are to reimagine disability by taking a more person and community-centred approach.

We hope our online programme will help people not only to gain new insights when it comes to attending to the experiences and realities of people with disabilities and what it means to be human, but will support them in challenging standard cultural conceptions of normalcy and autonomy.

About the author: Léon van Ommen is programme co-ordinator for the Postgraduate Diploma in Theology and Disability.

His research focuses on the liturgy and worship practices of Christian communities and the way in which these communities can be welcoming to vulnerable or marginalised people. He is particularly interested in creating spaces of belonging for autistic people and their families. He is co-director of the Centre for the Study of Autism and Christian Community at the University of Aberdeen.

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2021 Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program Who is this program for?

The Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program is open to Christian congregations whose pastors are serious about parish ministry and who can envision this program as a means of renewing the pastor's commitment to the congregation and to ordained ministry. The program is designed for those congregations and pastors who have a strong relationship with one another, a high degree of mutual trust and support, and are eager to see their relationship strengthened, renewed and continued.

Program Purpose The Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) seeks to strengthen Christian congregations by providing opportunities for pastors to step away briefly from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and to engage in a period of renewal and reflection. Renewal periods are not vacations, but times for intentional exploration and reflection, for regaining the enthusiasm and creativity for ministry, for discovering what will make the pastor’s heart sing.

the program, 2) the pastor’s activities during the program, 3) congregational renewal activities that will take place during the pastor’s absence, and 4) how the pastor and congregation will share their experiences and insights with one another when the renewal leave is completed.

The congregation will submit the proposal to Christian Theological Seminary.

Pastors may use up to $2,500 for post-leave activities, such as follow-up counseling, spiritual direction, continuing education or personal fitness programs that may be

The deadline to apply is: an April 21, 2021 postmark for paper applications and a 3 pm Eastern Time, April 21, 2021 submission for online applications. Congregations will be notified as to whether their proposals are to be funded or not by the end of August 2021. Activities funded by a 2021 grant in the clergy renewal programs may begin anytime in 2022.

The Grants Program The Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program at Christian Theological Seminary will provide grants of up to $50,000 each directly to congregations for the support of a renewal program for their pastor. The costs associated with family members who accompany a pastor may be included in the amount requested for the pastor. Up to $15,000 of the grant may be used to help the congregation fulfill pastoral duties during the pastor’s absence and/or to support activities that enable the congregation as a whole to be renewed in its ministry.

The pastor and congregation will work together to design the renewal program. Both will agree on 1) the structure of

an outgrowth of the clergy renewal experience. Postleave activities are not intended to include vacations, conferences or congregational activities.

Application Details The Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program at Christian Theological Seminary is a competitive grants program open to Christian congregations that have an ordained pastor. CTS plans to award as many as 125 grants to the congregations that submit the most outstanding applications.

For more information and specific details, visit: https://www.cts.edu/clergy-renewal/.

March 2021 • The Christian Index

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CME Connectional Directory THE COLLEGE OF BISHOPS

Senior Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick - 8th Episcopal District - 1616 E. Illinois Ave., Dallas TX 75216; 214-372-9073 (office); email: llreddick3@yahoo.com Bishop Henry M. Williamson, Sr. - 1st Episcopal District, Suite 222, 4466 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis TN 38116; 901-345-4114 (office) and 901-345-4115 (fax) Bishop Thomas L. Brown, Sr. - 6th Episcopal District, 680 Beckwith Street SW, Atlanta GA 30314; 404-963-6652 (office); 404-963-6656 (fax); 6thDistrictCME@gmail.com Bishop Kenneth Wayne Carter - 11th Episcopal District, P.O. Box 174084, Arlington TX 76003-4084; 817-938-3747; KWCarter8@gmail.com.

Bishop James B. Walker - 7th Episcopal District, Post Office Box 6095, Waldorf MD 20603; seventhhq@yahoo.com Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr. - 3rd Episcopal District, Post Office Box 211237, Normandy MO 63121; 314-381-3111 (office); 314-381-2060 (fax); email: sw58cme@aol.com

Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton - 5th Episcopal District CME Church, P.O. Box 13383, Birmingham AL 35202; office: 205-929-1145 (office); 205-929-1190 (fax); email: cmec35203@yahoo.com; Web site: www.cmefifthdistrict.org; office located at 4901 Lloyd Nolan Parkway, Fairfield Al. 35064 (do not send mail to the office address)

Bishop Godwin Umoette - 10th Episcopal District, P.O. Box 4312, UYO, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria; email: godwin.umoette@yahoo.com; phone: 08024086495

Bishop Bobby R. Best (DECEASED) - 9th Episcopal District, 3844 W. Slauson Ave., Suite 1, Los Angeles CA 90043; 323-294-3830; email: ninthhq@SBCglobal.net;

Website: ninthdistrictcme.org

Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas - 2nd Episcopal District, P. O. Box 36455, Cincinnati OH 45236; 513-827-6651(office); email: marvinthomas671@gmail.com Bishop C. James King - 4th Episcopal District - 5417 Robinson Road Extension, Jackson MS 39204; 769-251-0531 (office); 769-251-0758 (fax); 502-494-5366 (cell); email: kingcmep1@aol.com

Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield - General Secretary, Department of Christian Education & Formation - Suite 300, 4466 Elvis Presley Blvd., Memphis TN 38116-7100; 901345-4109 (office); 901-261-3289 (fax); basiz1@aol.com; also 1119 Linksview Lane West, Cordova TN 38018.

Dr. Tyrone T. Davis - General Secretary, General Board of Personnel Services - P.O. Box 74 - Memphis TN 38101-0074; 901-345-4100; FAX 901-345-4107; email: tyrone.t.davis@comcast.net

Bishop Paul A.G. Stewart - 9th Episcopal Disrict - 8145 Summerwood Circle, Olive Branch MS 38654-7060; email: bishoppstewart@aol.com; phone: 662-890-0021 Bishop E. Lynn Brown, Retired (DECEASED) - 4250 Thunderstone Circle, W., Memphis TN 38125; 901-729-7476 Bishop Ronald M. Cunningham, Retired (DECEASED) - 200 Big Bend Drive, Desoto TX 75115; Cell 901-337-7138 Bishop Othal H. Lakey, Retired - 4441 Magnolia Path Pl., Buford GA 30518; 678-482-7066 (h) Bishop William H. Graves, Sr., Retired (DECEASED) - 1089 Oakridge Dr., Memphis TN 38111; ph. 901-452-3399 Bishop Marshall Gilmore, Retired - 683 Beacontree Court, Concord NC 28027; 704-786-3226

THE GENERAL OFFICERS

Dr. Leo Pinkett - General Secretary, Ministry to Men, 2850 Shoreland Dr., S.W., Atlanta GA 30331; 404-349-1722; email: lpinkettace@yahoo.com

Dr. Clifford Harris - General Secretary of Lay Ministry, 15485 Prairie Bell Rd., Okmulgee OK 74447-8690; 918-519-4233 (c);918-304-1999 (h); MrCliffHarris@yahoo.com

Dr. Roderick D. Lewis, Sr. - General Secretary, Department of Publications, P.O. Box 161212, Memphis TN 38186-1212; 901-396-5400; rdlsr@aol.com Dr. Ore L. Spragin, Jr. - Editor, The Christian Index, 1700 Whisperwood Street, Albany GA 31721; 901-515-6510 (office); email: ChristianIndex@thecmechurch.org

Dr. Victor Taylor - General Secretary of Finance & CFO, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church - Dept. of Finance and Investments, 1101 Davis St. - Suite 5224, Evanston IL 60204; 847274-0182 (main); 312-648-5232 (work); 240-359-6272 (fax); finance@thecmechurch.org; https://www.hightail.com/u/cmefinance (securely upload confidential documents here) Dr. Pene' G. Woods - Executive Secretary, Post Office Box 1536, Cordova TN 38088; Email: cmeexecutivesecretary4@gmail.com; Nationwide Mobile Office: (901) 489-9253.

Rev. Leon C. Moore, Jr. - General Secretary of Evangelism and Missions, 50 Sunset Ave NW, Unit # 92763, Atlanta GA 30314; 678-362-7549.

Ms. Jacqueline I. Scott - President, Women's Missionary Council, 7255 Richmond Road, Memphis, TN 38125; 901-737-7675; scottjacqueline210@yahoo.com

Dr. Joseph C. Neal, Jr. - General Secretary, Emeritus, Dept. of Finance, P.O. Box 75085, Los Angeles CA 90075; 323-233-5050, Fax: 323-233-2797.

Dr. William George - General Secretary, Emeritus, Dept. of Publications, 535 Harwood Dr., Memphis TN 38120; 901-683-7833; email;weg38@aol.com.

Dr. N. Charles Thomas (DECEASED) - General Secretary, Emeritus, Dept. of Personnel Services, 308 Henry Street, Hot Springs AR 71901-6364; 501-318-6991.

Dr. Jeanette Bouknight - Executive Secretary, Retired, P.O. Box 27408, Detroit MI 48227-0408; 313-433-7207; email: cmeexecutivesecretary3@yahoo.com.

THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL

Rev. Dr. Jerry D. Woodfork, Sr., President (Class of 2018), 1315 Heatherland Drive SW, Atlanta GA 30331; 404-629-0055; jerrywoodfork@comcast.net.

Judge Bertina Lampkin, Vice President (Class of 2018), 3200 N. Lake Shore Drive, Unit 2308, Chicago IL 60657; 773-750-7203; lampkin506@aol.com, Attorney Bernard Snell, Clerk (Class of 2018), 136 Myrick Drive, Macon GA 31220; 478-731-1897; 478-935-3188; bernard.xsnell@usdoj.gov.

Mrs. Barbara Nichols, Immediate Past President (Class of 2018), 1937 Fawn Drive, Glenside PA 19038; 215-572-5516;frebargroup@aol.com.

Rev. Roland Johnson Jr., Member (Class of 2014), 4945 Bradfield Run, Memphis TN 38125; 901-497-9588; revrjohns@aol.com.

Rev. Kwame Lawson Adjei, Member (Class of 2018), P. O. Box AN 7639, Accra, Ghana, West Africa; 011-233-244-630267; rev.adjei@hotmail.com.

Attorney Shirley C. Byers, Member (Class of 2018), P. O. Box 5008, Holly Springs MS 38634; 662-252-6530 or 662-820-2763; scbjudge@gmail.com.

Dr. Lynda Brown-Wright, Member (Class of 2018), 3157 Dale Hollow Drive, Lexington KY 40515; 859-433-3396; Lynda.brownwright@gmail.com.

Rev. Russell Fuller, Member (Class of 2018), 647 Shadyway, Dallas TX 75232; 214-793-1945; fwdistrict@yahoo.com.

Rev. James Smith - Coordinator, Chaplain Services; 493 Robin Song Ct., Blythewood SC 29016; 803-800-9788; SmithJEJR@aol.com Atty. Ouida Brown - General Counsel - P.O. Box 587, Tuscombia AL 35674; 256-383-9620; fax: 256-383-9933 Mrs. Claudette Nichols Branch - President, CME Historical Society; 1511 Brownwood Avenue, Memphis TN 38116-4403 Rev. Cassandry Keys - President of the Ministers' and Laymen's Council - P.O. Box 170703, Spartanburg SC 29301; 251-689-7969; email: cassandry@att.net Mrs. Carolyn Hassell - President, Connectional Ministers' Spouses, Widows and Widowers, 1030 N Park Avenue, Brownsville TN 38012; 901-907-9427;

carolynhassell68@gmail.com; website: www.cme-spouses.org Rev. Carole E. Richardson - President, Connectional Christian Educators’ Council - 822 Marietta Pl., N.W. - Washington, DC 20011; 202-291-8566

OTHER CONNECTIONAL OFFICERS

Ms. Barbara Christian Campbell - President, Connectional Lay Council - 4819 Eagles Ridge Loop, Lithonia GA 30038; or 2012 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta GA 30317; dstbc@bellsouth.net; 404-587-8311 or 678-641-9745

Rev. Amina McIntyre - President, Connectional Young Adult Ministry; email: aminacyam@gmail.com Rev. Dr. Earl J. Griffin, Sr. - President, Presiding Elders’ Council; P.O. Box 612, Grambling LA 71245; 318-245-2743; email: earlgrffn2@gmail.com

Ms. Jolinda Dugger - President, Connectional Stewardesses, 110 Montclair Dr., Jackson TN 38301; 731-736-0961 (h); 731-394-7504 (cell); email: Jmdugger810@aol.com

Rev. Dr. Denise Anders-Modest - Coordinator, Commission on the Concerns of Women in the Ministry, 19 Scattered Oaks Drive, Byhalia MS 38611; 318-348-8982; email: dmodest1990@yahoo.com Mr. Freddie McKnight - President, Connectional Stewards, 24 Canton Street; West Haven CT 06516; 203-933-7230 (h); 203-500-6377 (cell) Ms. Diana Winton - President of Connectional Ushers, 729 West 155 Street; Gardena CA 90247; 310-415-4336; email: ladydicme@aol.com Dr. Theresa Duhart - President, CIT Connectional Dept., 1907 Willow Lane West, University Place WA 98466, 253-376-6361 (cell); 253-830-9512 (fax); email: theresaduhart@thecmechurch.org Rev. Jermaine Marshall, PhD - General Conference Secretary; 2239 Adam Clayton Powell Jr.Blvd., New York NY 10027; 904-422-1627; jermmar25@gmail.com Rev. Valencia Edner - Coordinator, Connectional Music and Arts Ministry - 17206 Atascocita Bend Dr., Humble TX 77396; 936-465-7284;Pastorvee522@yahoo.com

HEADS OF CONNECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Rev. Dr. William E. George - Administrator, Collins Chapel Health Center, 409 Ayers St., Memphis TN 38105; 901-683-7883; email: weg38@aol.com Dr. Paul Brown - President and Dean, Phillips School of Theology, Atlanta GA; 404-527-7768 Dr. Logan C. Hampton - President, Lane College, 545 Lane Ave., Jackson TN 38301; 731-426-7595 (office); 731-427-3987 (fax) Ms. Bobbie Knight - President, Miles College, P. O. Box 39800, Birmingham AL 35208; 205-929-1428; 205-929-1448; 205-929-1429; 205-929-1426 (fax) Dr. Dwight Fennell - President, Texas College, 2404 N. Grand Ave., Tyler TX 75702; 903-593-8311; 903-593-0588 (fax) Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones - Office of the President, Paine College, 1235 Fifteenth St., Augusta GA 30901-3182; 706-821-8230 (office); 706-821-8320 (Admissions)

March 2021 • The Christian Index

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