The Christian Index - September 2020

The Christian Index The Official Organ of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church • September 2020

“A Friend to God and Humanity”

THE CHRISTIAN INDEX

The Official Publication Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Copyright © 2020 Offices are Housed in The International Headquarters Memphis, Tennessee Contact the Editor at (901) 515-6510 E-mail: orespragin@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.

Periodicals Postage is paid at Memphis, Tennessee, and at additional entry offices. Postal records are maintained at: The CME Department of Publications, Dr. Roderick D. Lewis, Sr. General Secretary, 4466 Elvis Presley Blvd., Suite 153, Memphis, Tennessee 38116. POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to The CME Publishing House, P. O. Box 16035, Memphis, TN 38186. THE SUBSCRIPTION RATE IS $30 for one year.

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.

The Editor's office number is (901) 515-6510. COST FOR REPRODUCTION OF PICTURES is $20 per photo; payment (to Department of Publications) must accompany mailed article, and pictures will not be returned. Members and friends of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church are encouraged to submit articles for possible publication in THE CHRISTIAN INDEX, the Official Publication of the CME Church.

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The Christian Index • September 2020

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

Volume 153, Number 9

September 2020

Connectional Interests Episcopacy

The Legacy of Bishop Bobby R. Best 4

A Cry for Hope 7

Being the Church Is Essential 8

Board of Personnel Services 9

Dept. of Evangelism and Missions 10

Dept. of Christian Education and Formation 11

Department of Lay Ministry 12

Ministers' Spouses, Widows/Widowers 14

CME-Affiliated Schools

15 Submissions

Can You See It Now? 16

Rebirth CME Church STL 21

Say It Loud 22

MS South Recognizes Senior CMEs 26

How to Submit Material 28

Upon This Rock 29

Birmingham Region Active During COVID-19 30

Life Has Detours 31

Yearning to Breathe Freely 32 Children/Youth

35 Ecumenical News

Racism Is a Sin 37

Healthy Churches 2030 Initiative 38

It's Time to Do More 40 Obituaries - Joining the Great Cloud 41 Connectional Directory 43

Cover: Bishop Bobby Ray Best, Deceased Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District.

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

Submitted to the Publisher: August 19, 2020

Editorial

Reconciling Grace "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" - Psalm 133:1 (KJV)

Recently, while typing "United States," I made an error and realized that what I had written was not the word “United” but the word “Untied.” Two letters out of place produced a meaning altogether opposite of what was intended. When we look around at our country today, or take stock of our history, we see that it does not take much or very many people these days to untie that which has been united. While a cord that is united cannot be easily broken, it is not an impossibility. And in such circumstances of broken ties, there is a great need for reconciling grace.

The word “reconcile,” according to various online dictionaries, means to restore friendly relations between; to cause to coexist in harmony; to make or show to be compatible; to make consistent with another; and finally, to cause to submit or accept something even if it is not desired. The words of Psalm 133:1 which advocate a state of brotherly unity, and describe the goodness and pleasantry which follow in verses 2 and 3, are often stated but are hardly lived in the larger society and sometimes even in the church. The question, “Can’t we all just get along?” requires a soul-searching reply, not just a mere, though often critical, legislative response.

Dwelling together in unity depends more on me than it does on you, particularly if I am the one who is offended. You might be pouring gasoline on me, but I don’t have to provide the spark that ignites it. Perhaps this is why the scripture says to recompense no man evil for evil but to do that which is good (Rom. 2:17; 1 Thess. 5:15; 2 Thess. 1:6; and 1st Pet. 3:9, KJV), and to overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21, KJV). Or, in another place, to respond softly, as a soft answer turns away wrath. Or even in another, to know that there is a time for war and a time for peace. Reconciling grace seeks peace through peaceful means.

Unity and brotherly love are not passive thoughts or actions in which one is taken into a place where one does not wish to go. No! Unity and brotherly love require action and work on the part of the one who desires to dwell in a place and a state of being that will be as good and pleasant as the oil running down Aaron as a sign of God’s anointing, and as the dew upon the mountains of Hermon and Zion, providing that which sustains life in subtle but vital ways.

The Old Testament tells the story not of a God of judgment, rejection, and hate, but of a God of mercy, reconciliation and love. God does not wait until the time of the New Testament to begin reaching out to Gentile nations Rev. Dr. Ore L. Spragin, Jr., or even to begin telling the Editor good news that they too are chosen to be saved. Rather, the story of God’s love for all people is interwoven throughout the pages and stories and lives of the Old Testament. Further, the New Testament teaches that God in Christ Jesus has exercised reconciling grace towards us. God exercises reconciling grace towards us by forbearing with us in our sins while continuing to reach out to us by his Spirit through both the written and the preached word. Yes, there is a hell of final judgment and eternity that must not be ignored, but the gracious word that must take precedence is the grace of God for the forgiveness of sins to those who will repent, who will turn from their wicked ways and seek God’s face.

So what might reconciling grace look like for us today? If we consider Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28, we can learn a few things.

Reconciling grace looks beyond prevailing or common culture. Reconciling grace makes itself active in a culture that says it should go somewhere and sit down. In a culture of anger, prejudice, and division, reconciling grace offers love and unity as a new way and a counterculture.

Reconciliation that has God at its center does not seek to force the other to accept what is seen as undesirable. Instead, it focuses on bringing good to bear in the relationship for the unadulterated satisfaction of both parties. The reconciling grace of Jesus pardons sins and changes lives of persons who have offended God. As Christians, we are called to extend that same kind of grace to those who offend us. If and when the offender truly receives the heart of God and desires the good of all, then what a delightful situation that will be. Brethren dwelling together in unity. Untied States truly being United. A world up wrought becoming a world upright. Christians bearing and expressing the love of Christ and not just the name of Christ. God in Christ reconciling the world to himself through the church. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Connectional Interests

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Episcopacy

Connectional Interests

Episcopacy

September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Connectional Interests

Episcopacy

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Unity Summit 2020 Rescheduled General Connectional Board to Be Held Virtually 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).

Also, this comes to announced that, pursuant to ¶1000.6, §2, of The Book of Discipline, Revised 2018, the 2020 General Connectional Board, previously scheduled for Dallas, Texas, during the week of the Unity Summit, will meet virtually on Friday, September 4, 2020, beginning at 9:00 A.M. General Connectional Board members are requested to reserve the date of September 4th for the General Board meeting, and to expect a call for the Standing Committees and other committee meetings from the respective Chairs of each Standing Committee or the Senior Bishop for other committees.

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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The Christian Index • September 2020

Connectional Interests

Episcopacy

A Cry for Hope: Remembering Congressman John Lewis

“Never give up, never give in, never give out. Keep the faith, and keep your eyes on the prize…”

Written by Thomas Louis Brown, Sr., Bishop (July 29, 2020)

The death of Congressman John Robert Lewis, following his failed battle against pancreatic cancer, has caused most persons of good conscience to pause and ponder the import of his life. Many of us have heard repeatedly his famed admonition “never give up, never give in, never give out. Keep the faith, and keep your eyes on the prize…” Mr. Lewis’ theme is anchored in what I am calling a “cry of hope.” Lewis knew that keeping hope for the cause of freedom, justice and equality is an ongoing battle. He also knew that a sense of despair and hopelessness are all too commonly found in our community.

The thought of this essay was thus inspired by my reflections on Congressman Congressman John R. Lewis Lewis’ life and by my morning meditation on a prayer written by Thomas G. Pettepiece entitled, Visions of a World Hungry. The thrust of this prayer is the necessity of hope in a world where so many have lost hope. It is always a mystery how hope is birthed or even how hope dies. Prior to my sitting down to write this brief essay in memory of Congressman Lewis, I watched on Good Morning America an interview of the one who has been categorized as the greatest Olympian, swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps is now on a campaign promoting mental health awareness, especially among athletes. This campaign was spawned from Phelps’ admission of his long bout with depression, which at times propelled him to seriously consider suicide as he struggled to remain hopeful.

Among the living and dead, there are countless stories of persons who either “curled up and died” or curled up and gave up because “they lost hope.” Pettepiece suggests that there is no life where hope does not abide.

In a broader, more theological and prophetic sense, Congressman Lewis lived his life on a campaign for the well-being of all people, especially for the oppressed. He knew that, “Without hope we give up – we lose our will to fight, to trust, to live.” (Thomas G. Pettepiece, Visions of a World Hungry) Given the history of this nation founded by slaveholders, rapists of African American women established a democracy that only guaranteed the rights of white men and exploited native peoples of their land and culture. And, yes, given our present challenges of racist pundits, politics, police racist brutality, and doubled by the seemingly unending devastation of the Coronavirus, hope is difficult to keep. Hopelessness seems, for too many persons, the most viable choice.

Foundational to Congressman Lewis’ life’s mission was his conviction that hope has to be evoked. While everyone is born with the capacity to hope, the hope within us needs to be elicited (summoned) – brought to the surface of our consciousness. It was so for John R. Lewis. Born to sharecropper parents in the belly of racist and segregated South Alabama, Lewis testified that his hope was summoned when he heard the prophetic voice of Martin Luther King, Jr. He was so moved by King that he sat down and wrote King, which led to his joining King and others in the movement for freedom and justice. Given all that was against him, the dormancy of his hope was awakened by the voice of Martin King. Implicit in Lewis’ theme of hope is his conviction that God ordained each of us to hope. What a legacy to leave – one who summoned within a nation and a world, hope for a better world – a “Beloved Community.”

In this regard, Pettepiece writes that “hope needs opportunity” ... We have to give hope a window, better said, crack the door. Hope needs an opportunity where the Divine can enter into partnership with us. It was furthermore Lewis’ belief that hope must be brought to the domain of the public. Hope is not just an individual Continued on next page September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Episcopacy

Continued from previous page phenomenon; hope begs for community, for company – for public expression. Hope demands action – the courage to act on the promises inhabiting hope. President Obama states it this way: “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” Congressman Lewis phrased it as “getting into good trouble.”

Walter Bruggemann writes that hope summons us to “upward-looking” and “forward-looking,” mobilized by our “God (up above)” who “calls us to go forward.” (Bruggemann, The Prophetic Imagination) Our hope is forward looking based on the conviction that God is always moving towards the future and God’s promises will not be thwarted – upended by any force or power. Eventually God's faithfulness will be borne out. Hope is, therefore, transgenerational (transmits from one generation to the next) and at the same time eschatological (futuristic, pointing to the coming culmination of God’s purposes).

Finally, Congressman Lewis’ cry for hope is an ongoing summons to the Christian Church – to each of us who are followers of Jesus Christ. The charge of John Lewis’ homegoing beckons us to be voices crying for hope in our homes, churches, communities and, indeed, in this nation. The question confronting each of us is what opportunity might we give hope? What “good trouble” is God calling us to get into? Let everything that has breath keep crying for hope, hope that propels us to be counted in Census 2020, 2020 runoffs and elections.

Being the Church is Essential —“Having” Church is Not Written by Bishop Othal H. Lakey, Retired

Despite the dangers of COVID-19 the President has declared that churches are “essential”, and “ordered” governors to allow them to open or he will do so. His stated rationale, “We need prayer!” Without addressing the not too subtle political pandering to the conservative element of Protestantism (“white” Evangelicals, to be honest) of a President who has evidenced little if any religious faith, values or commitment; and deliberately ignoring the insult to the entire religious community of a political leader taking it upon himself the right to decide or declare anything about the church (if he can declare churches “open” at a whim, he can also declare them “closed” at a whim), I see a danger to the church in the presumption of essentiality.

The point I want to make is the distinction between the church “having” church and the church “being” the church. One Saturday night several years ago, two Caucasian young men went inside a rural church in Georgia, poured vodka on the Bible in the pulpit and set fire to the church. It was totally destroyed. I happened to be in Shreveport, Louisiana, to deliver a Martin Luther King, Jr. address. Early that Sunday morning the Presiding Elder, Reverend Ford, called me and said, “Bishop, I got sad news for you. St. James in Elko burned to the ground last night. But the church will meet this morning at Brown Chapel.” Rev. Ford expressed the true nature of the Church of Jesus Christ: “The church burned, but the church will meet.”

When the church is the church, it is essential and does not need the President to declare it so. Its “opening” or “closing” is not up to governors — Republican or Democrat. When the church is the church, fires can’t burn it down and viruses cannot close it up. When the church is the church, two or three overworked nurses — without the proper equipment that the President wouldn’t provide — around the bed of an 80-yearold Latino dying of COVID-19, [are] the “essential” church in which Jesus promised to be present. Because the church is of God, it is always essential and will always “have” church — maybe in the catacombs of Rome, the brush arbors of a cotton plantation, a prison in Ohio, or a meat-packing plant in Iowa. But the President needs to know, and maybe some of the “faith leaders” he panders to need to realize, that “having” church, no matter how many are present, neither makes it essential nor even make it a church. Old Negro slaves used to sing, “Everybody talking ‘bout heaven ain’t going there!”

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Connectional Interests

Board of Personnel Services

“From Where I Sit …”

Board of Personnel Services to Appoint Reverend Reginald Barnes as Assistant to the General Secretary I am pleased to announce our selection of Reverend Reginald G. Barnes, Sr. to serve as the Assistant to the General Secretary of the General Board of Personnel Services effective during the 4th quarter of this year. I have known Reverend Barnes for the past 10 years as both a CME Colleague and most recently as a 5-year member of the Board of Directors of the General Board of Personnel Services and a Trustee of the CME Retirement Plan.

Reverend Barnes comes to this position as an effective pastor with nearly 20 years of experience having led the St. James CME Church in Columbus, GA for six years, West Side Community CME Church, Atlanta, GA for five years and the historic Brown Memorial CME Church, Louisville, KY for six years (where he presently serves).

Within the Connectional Church, he has served as the Chair of the Committee on Ministerial Examination of the West Georgia Region, Chair of the Joint Board of Finance of the GA North Region and currently serves as Chair of the Joint Board of Finance of the Kentucky Region. A Georgia native, he was reared in Atlanta and in the Butler Street CME Church. In 2008, he earned the M. Div. degree with honors from the Phillips School of Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta where he also served a year as the student representative on the Board of Trustees.

A 1991 Hampton University honors graduate with a BS in Economics, Reverend Barnes was employed over 12 years in commercial banking with most of this time spent with Bank of America and SouthTrust Bank. In these roles he excelled as a credit analyst, underwriter, loan officer and business development advisor with a combined loan portfolio of over $30 million. These skills were honed by his additional affiliation with the NAACP’s Community Development Resource Center and with Business Georgia (a SBA firm).

Reverend Barnes is married to the former Shonda C. Collier and they are the thankful parents of two children, Amanda, 26, and Gary, 25. Currently he serves on the Board for CLOUT (Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together) in Louisville and serves as chair of their Jobs and Economic Development committee. Additionally, he is a founding member of CPR – Concerned Pastors of Russell in Louisville and he is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. We look forward to utilizing his full set of skills with the programs of the General Board of Personnel Services and anticipate his initial assignments to focus on the CME Retirement Manual and improving our Website for more functional service. Most importantly, his added skills and managerial experiences will prove a tremendous benefit to our Church over the coming years. 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) September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Connectional Interests

Department of Evangelism and Missions

Getting Back To Basics as “We Envision Our Way Forward Taking Care of God's Business”

Growing The Church During A Pandemic Although the doors for many churches have been closed since mid-March 2020. We have a unique opportunity as pastors and laity to look at innovative ways to grow the local church. Doing things right the first time will allow us to reach people who are seeking an authentic and healthy relationship with God. Many of us have found ourselves in a strange place with live streaming, Zoom, YouTube, Duo, and other social media platforms. Which have become our new meeting places, gathering places, and sacred places of worship Yet, to grow the church the pastor cannot do it by her/his self. No, the pastor or leader who understands our current climate also understands the power of teamwork. For the work of growing the church during a pandemic must be intentional. We cannot allow ourselves to be haphazard about the work. Many people have several virtual options. Grapple with the question, why should they unite with your congregation?

There are several teams you would need to successfully grow your church during a pandemic. I suggest the following: Prayer team Technology team Hospitality team Follow-up team Even with the best team and greatest minds, we cannot take for granted the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus, The Christ. Preaching must take precedent over all else. When we gather in any form our primary purpose for coming together must be worship. So, when people join your virtual, parking lot, teleconferences, and in-person worship it is imperative that you create a space for Worship. Lead them into the life-changing experience called worship.

However, it will take a conscious calculated effort with a passion to see people’s lives changed for Jesus. If you need more information, please contact me at cmegdem@gmail.com. This e-blast serves as the foundation to a greater body of work that will be forthcoming.

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

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Connectional Interests

Department of Christian Education and Formation

THE PRACTITIONER The words of the song build on the text found in

Discipleship in Times Like These

Matthew 7:24 – 27, the parable about the security of

Willa M. Ross

building a house on a rock as opposed to sand.

I awakened one morning with the words of a familiar hymn on my mind, in my heart and soul. I found myself singing this familiar hymn all during the day. “In times like these you need a Savior, in times like these you need a friend. Be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. This Rock is Jesus. He is the One. This Rock is Jesus. The only one. Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.”

In times of crisis people look for a source of hope and assurance. They need to know that they have something that they can hold onto despite the darkness and the uncertainty of tomorrow. They need to know that following Jesus and clinging to the rock of salvation makes a difference in the midst of pain and suffering. As disciples of Christ we are called to lift

the downcast and the broken-hearted. In a time

As I contemplated on these words during this time of where thousands are dying alone in hospitals without the worst and possibly the only pandemic that I have family, when nurses, doctors, physical therapist, first experienced in my lifetime, I pondered the signifi-

responders may be the last person they encounter in

cance of these words “in times like these”.

this life, we are called to be the champions of the

What

does it mean to grip the Solid Rock? How does one

faith. Even as we obey the stay at home orders, our cling to Jesus in these uncertain times and how do we prayers, our compassion our acts of love, our faith, encourage others to hold on and trust God amid job- our hope in Jesus, the Solid Rock can be a source of lessness, isolation, sickness and death?

comfort to the weary, lift the broken-hearted, encour-

Throughout Scripture Jesus is referred to as the living age those who are anxious and fearful, and serve as an example of Christ in the world. stone, the rock that the builders rejected, the cornerstone of our faith, the rock on which the church was

In the words of St Teresa of Avila:

built. In the Old Testament, God is the rock of salva-

“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks sure foundation. What does discipleship look like in compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he times like these? walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he Another hymn of the church says, “My hope is built on blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare body now on earth but yours.” not trust the sweetest frame, but holy lean on Jesus name. tion, a rock and fortress, a precious cornerstone of a

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking This is what discipleship looks like in times like these.

Following Jesus demands that we not give up, that sand. The second verse says, “when darkness seems to hide his face, I rest on his unchanging grace. In every high we stay the course, when all around us is sinking and stormy gale, his anchor holds beneath within the veil”. sand.

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General Secretary's Note: This article is from the Spring 2020 Edition of the Practitioner, a quarterly publication of the Department of Christian Education and Formation.

September 2020 • The Christian Index

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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”

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF CME LAY MINISTRY: “A REMINDER FOR SOME - NEW KNOWLEDGE FOR OTHERS” - PART IV THE LAY MINISTRY OBJECTIVES (6-10) In the July 2020 Helping Hands Bulletin I lifted the first five of our fifteen (15) Lay Ministry Objectives. In this August 2020 writing I will address Objectives 6-10. Remember, if we are to live out our mission of ”Reaching, Teaching, and Ministering to All Generations, Equipping Them for Greater Works and Service for Him”, we must, through consistent and sincere effort, stay diligent in lifting our objectives from the pages on which they are written: OBJECTIVE # 6 - To Inspire and Encourage Members to Become More Informed About the Church - As laity of the church, our speech, attitude, and actions should be ordered in a way that causes others to develop a desire to learn about and understand the whole of our church. . . That being said, there are some who have a desire to only serve at the local level of our Zion church, but if they understand and appreciate the inter-workings of the CME Church, they may kindle a desire to support the whole. Inspiring others means, in part, including them in the work that is to be done, thus we must always have a desire to equip ourselves so that we can assist in equipping others. Consider these scriptures as foundational for this objective: Romans 14:19 – So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another; Ephesians 4:11-12 - 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; Ephesians 4:29 - Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

OBJECTIVE # 7 - To Assist in Communicating the Need for and Support of a Strong Tithing Program - As laity we must accept the role of bringing about a greater awareness and commitment to the grace of giving. We must share and give back to God and his church a portion (10%) of that which God has given to us. The Lay Ministry Belief of Sharing, teaches that we must share in ways that will inspire others to become more informed and committed to the church; share personal treasures, time, and talent in the development of an effective stewardship culture; and share positive thoughts and encourage support of the church’s ministries. Undergirding scriptures for Objective # 7 are - Leviticus 27:3 - Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord; Malachi 3:8-10 – 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! Yet you say, How have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, “says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

Thus, I submit to us that if the local church is to be strong and vibrant, laity must wear the role of giver, embodied by the stewardship of time and stewardship of talents.

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Connectional Interests

Department of Lay Ministry

OBJECTIVE # 8 - To Assist in Making Christian Commitment More Meaningful to One’s Whole Life I Chronicles 28:9 (NIV) says - And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and

understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. I believe that lay men and women living by this scripture and assisting others to understand and live by the same, is one of the first steps in making Objective # 8 come alive. . . Because life so often calls for one to fulfill various roles and assume a variety of responsibilities, Christian commitment will keep us close to God and help bring us back when we go astray. Thus, we must understand that as those who are called Christian, God’s way must permeate every part of our lives, which in turn, causes us to stay in touch and in tune with Him in every situation. We must follow Proverbs 4:13 which says, Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Thus, if we make a habit of reading the word of God, it will become alive in us and will “rise up” in every part of our lives.

OBJECTIVE # 9 - To Assist Individuals in Developing Personal Evangelism – If Lay Ministry is to live out this objective, the spirit of evangelism must become personal. Thus, if we know and believe in the word of God, we must share it. Personal evangelism is the act of a person sharing the gospel with another/others. Hence, personal evangelism is the responsibility of every believer, for God calls each of us to different tasks and provides us with different gifts, but the goal is the same—the salvation of the lost. 1 Corinthians 12:6–7 says, There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men and Luke 19:10 reads, - Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

It is said that God places us in strategic positions for influence, not privilege. . . We have neighbors, coworkers, friends, and relatives who need to know about Christ. Thus, we must follow the words of Jesus, when He spoke to His disciples, in John 9:4, - As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.

OBJECTIVE # 10 - To Promote Lay Speaking Training for Church Officers and Other Interested Persons.

As laity, our focus in lifting and promoting Objective # 10 should be done in the spirit of preparing and building confidence in lay men and women for effective communication and leadership. Remember, our Lay Ministry Mission, in season and out of season, is - “To Reach, Teach, and Minister to All Generations, Equipping Them for Greater Works and Service for Him.” I thus, encourage us as leaders to always look for and create opportunities for the young & older members (all generations) who desire to express themselves; when we provide and encourage opportunities under the umbrella of the church, relationships are built and solidified. . . As a result, the young’s desire to grow and continue serving in our Zion is increased. Many great teachers, speakers, and preachers started and developed their abilities to communicate effectively because of opportunities provided to them under the umbrella of the church and because observant lay persons saw potential in them that they had yet to see.

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Connectional Interests

Ministers' Spouses, Widows/Widowers

Use Me, Lord, In the Midst of The Change!

Marilyn D. Mitchell, 9th Episcopal District Representative Throughout the divisions of Psalm, the scriptures tell us to sing unto the Lord a new song.

When the coronavirus made itself known to mankind, God already knew we would not be doing things as usual. We have been usual and casual Christians for a time up until this point.

We had our routine down and sometimes we didn’t waver with our giving, our serving or our conversations about being a servant. Some of us even cooked the same Sunday meals or went out to eat at the same restaurants. Initially, none of us thought about how our lives would be changed forever with this pandemic. Remember the lyrics to Tramaine Hawkins’ song Change; “A Change, a change has come over me, He changed my life and now I’m free.” So, here we are in the middle of this change that we did not ask for. Are we going to embrace the change with Godly wisdom, but still follow God as fervently as we did before? This is my new song from God, no complaints, just service to God’s people.

But, for me, this change has been so liberating, even with restrictions, to the point where I welcome the change. God has allowed me to serve in capacities in my community with food ministries and continue to help provide for my 86 year old father and my 2-1/2 year old great nephew. The hustle and bustle seems to have abated to a very low point and I can breathe in and out and sweat as I load trucks with boxes of food without makeup and heels. The song continues, “He changed my life complete, and now I sit, I sit at his feet. To do what must be done, I’ll work and work, until He comes.” As God is shifting things around, I can see where I have been stagnant and not compassionate enough. I am learning about myself and how to be a true servant in more ways than I can imagine. I had made up my mind that as soon as Bishop Best would leave the 9th I would give up several of the position I hold. I felt like I had served enough and needed more time for myself. The next thing I knew, God had made a way for me to care for my uncle and aunt; my aunt was between the hospital and the nursing facility and my uncle was at home. What had I done and why didn’t I stick with my plan. Well, when God is the creator of change, He has the final say. Humility has been my portion during this pandemic.

During our Zoom Annual Conference July 16 and 17, I felt some kind of strange and awkward way. It was something new, but yet so familiar because I have served as the secretary for over 5 years. Once I changed computers, my spirit settled down and the work went smoother that I thought. Daryl Coley sung a song that simply said, “He’s preparing me for something I cannot handle right now. He’s making me ready, Just because He cares, (He’s providing me with what I need) To carry out the next matter in my life.” You see God reaffirmed to me that whatever He has for me to do, He will always make provisions by paving the way. I did not know I would be planning my aunt’s funeral and knocking on doors to give food boxes away the same day. I cannot say what I will or will not do anymore. My life is not my own, I am God’s Property, as Kirk Franklin said it best. Use me Lord in your service.

The change I was not ready for was the loss of Bishop Best two weeks after our conference. Even seeing him during our conference, I prayed silently for him. His discomfort, I sensed it, I could see him working through his pain. I said to my husband, Bishop did not say good bye to us. But, my spirit said to me, “Yes, he did say goodbye by holding the Oklahoma Region Conference, thank you, Bishop.” Back to the song Change, “He’s preparing me, because he cares for me, He’s maturing me, He’s arranging and rearranging me.” God continues to make me ready for the change He sees in me. I love the Lord, and I thank him for the change. He is the master in my life, and I am not my own.

Servant is my name, in the midst of the change.

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CME-Affiliated Schools Honoring Our Heroes: Autherine Lucy Foster Receives Honorary Doctorate From Miles College Miles College honored Autherine Lucy Foster '52, an alumna and the first African-American to enroll and attend the University of Alabama, with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. The invitation-only ceremony was held on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. in the Brown Hall Auditorium.

"It is with great honor that we award Mrs. Foster with an honorary degree from the same college she graduated decades ago," said Bobbie Knight, President of Miles College. "We recognize and embrace the significant contribution she has made in America's history, and we believe she embodies the true spirit of a Milean. In honoring her with this degree, we are expressing our appreciation, and we are sending a message to our student body that following one's dreams, against all odds, leads to great things," said Knight.

Foster is a retired educator who became the first African-American student to desegregate the University of Alabama. Born on October 5, 1929, in Shiloh, Alabama, Foster attended Miles College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in English in 1952. Foster enrolled in the all-white University of Alabama in 1956 but was expelled from the university because threats were made against her life, and riots broke out in resistance to her presence on campus. Years later, the university officially annulled the expulsion, and soon after, Foster enrolled in the graduate program in Education, where she was honored and given a standing ovation when she walked across the stage at graduation.

“Mrs. Autherine Lucy Foster is a living legend and trailblazer. Her courage as a young adult and throughout her life is evidence of faith, tenaciousness and determination. We are all beneficiaries of the sacrifices she made to break down racial barriers in education,” said Bishop Theresa Jefferson-Snorton, Chairman, Miles College Board of Trustees.

Paine College Department of Humanities to Celebrate 23rd Anniversary of Evelyn G. Etheridge Conference The Paine College Department of Humanities will celebrate the 23rd Anniversary of the Evelyn G. Etheridge Conference on the Harlem Renaissance on October 28 – 29, 2020 at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.

This year's conference and celebration will be held virtually. The Conference, founded in 1997 by Dr. Lola Richardson, former chair of the Department and Paine alumna, will examine the national and international impact of one of the most important artistic and cultural movements in history that spanned from 1919 to 1940 and produced notable writers, critics, and artists such as Claude McKay, James Weldon Johnson, Augusta Savage, Gwendolyn Bennett, Bessie Smith, and Alain Locke.

In celebration of the Harlem Renaissance turning 100, the Department of Humanities coined the theme "Centennial Reflections on the Harlem Renaissance: Reawakening the Black Consciousness in the 21st Century".

Call for Papers The conference invites professors, undergraduate and graduate students, and independent scholars to present research that will examine the origins and the legacy of the Renaissance through interdisciplinary collaborations.

For more information on the conference, please contact Professor Nancy Wellington Bookhart, Conference Chair, at (706) 821-7597, or by email at Nbookhart@paine.edu. You can also visit www.paine.edu for more information and for a detailed schedule of events.

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Submissions

Can You See It Now?

Bending the Arc of Justice in San Augustine, Texas Submitted by Emily Matthews

"Thank you for being here! I love this town, and I truly believe that so many of us love one another.

I believe many of us have respect for one another and that’s an excellent place to start.

"But it’s important to remember that proximity is not reconciliation. Just because white and black people smile and speak to one another in Brookshire’s in no way means our black friends are not still suffering from what Martin Luther King called the “stinging darts of segregation.”

Emily Matthews

Some white people I know get this a little mixed up.

I have a childhood friend that I’ll call “Lisa.” I’ve been involved in several reunion-type dinners with Lisa over the years, and they all go about the same way: It all goes pretty well until something goes horribly wrong. The last dinner - with all white people I should say - was over the Christmas holidays, and it went something like this: Our friend Rick told a positive story that included the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” Before he got the words out of his mouth, Lisa immediately responded, “Rick, All Lives Matter!” Several of us at the table then remarked that just because we FINALLY focus on the black community for half a second doesn’t mean we are taking away from the pain and hardship of white people.

Lisa then said that’s not what it felt like, because she kept hearing the word “White Privilege” – and that’s not fair because, when she was growing up, her family struggled financially as much as anyone’s did.

That is when several of us explained to her that White Privilege had nothing to do with how much money her family had or didn’t have. Rather everyone at the table had the Privilege of not having to suffer pain and hardship specifically because of the color of our skin.

At that point, Lisa got super defensive and accused us all of calling her a racist. So just like that, the entire conversation became all about Lisa and her feelings.

Lisa now goes into over-drive trying to prove to the table that she is NOT, in fact, a racist. This is when it goes horribly wrong.

She begins by denying having any bias whatsoever – which is impossible because we all have them.

Then, in an impressive display of White People’s Greatest Hits, she launched into the typical highlights: That SHE didn’t understand why white people get blamed for EVERYTHING because “all that” was like 55 years ago.

AND SHE didn't have any slaves, so why was SHE being punished for things SHE had nothing to do with?

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Submissions Then Lisa completely changed direction and said something to the effect of – and if Black Lives Matter so much to Black People, then why do so many black people kill black people?”

THEN, she followed that up with AND why is it okay for black people to call each other the “N” word, and have an all-black TV station and black colleges - but it’s racist for white people to do any of that?

Finally, Lisa headed to her Facebook page and tagged us all in posts that showed video of the one, two or MAYBE three black people who seem to agree with her (although I had to break it to her that at least a couple of those were most certainly politically-funded or maybe even created by Russians).

I’ve been thinking about that dinner a lot lately, and think I’ve figured out why it – and so many conversations – go sideways.

When Lisa was questioned about her views, she immediately went to the word racist. And when she pictures a racist, she probably imagines men in white hoods firebombing churches in the 60s - unsurprisingly, she is offended by this comparison and doesn’t see the connection with this historical image and her words. As a result, what could be a very productive conversation gets stuck in semantics and never gets to substance.

Which is a real shame, because my request of Lisa – and for all of us in the white community – is relatively small.

We ALL have unspeakable challenges, unspoken sorrow, and unresolved pain – regardless of the color of our skin. Especially now, with such massive health and economic uncertainties.

But, I imagine it would go a long, long way if white people would just simply acknowledge that some things hurt worse for black Americans because the scars are so entrenched – and run so deep.

Not everyone experiences life the same way. Unless you are black, you cannot possibly imagine what that experience is like. For example, that question Lisa asked about why it’s okay for black people to have black colleges?

The answer is that black people have black colleges because white people wouldn’t let them into theirs. They probably wouldn’t exist otherwise.

And, maybe a statue of Robert E. Lee doesn’t offend Lisa, but certain statues are a slap in the face to black people not only because of the likeness of the person they honor, but also because most of the monuments – not all but most - were built during the times of Jim Crow. These statues were not erected before, during or even directly after the Civil War to preserve history. They were built for one reason and one reason only: to make sure that black people remember their place.

And maybe white people wearing blackface doesn’t bother Lisa, but it is super offensive because, in the minstrel shows of the mid-19th century, white performers would paint their faces black and create racist, stereotypical features of black people – them represent them as lazy, ignorant cowards and thieves for the sake of “entertainment.” Why is it so hard to understand that is hurtful and offensive?

I personally can’t even imagine the heartbreak of my two nephews repeatedly getting stopped by police officers -for absolutely no reason other than the color of their skin. Even worse, the multiple conversations Continued on next page September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Submissions Continued from previous page with them from practically their birth about the fact that these things were going to inevitably happen throughout their lives.

I can’t imagine the indignity caused by a book – an actual printed book that was sold at gas stations and sent through the mail – called the Negro Motorist Green Book. This book identified places where black families could stop and not be in danger. The book warned that black travelers had to be particularly careful to avoid “sundown towns,” or all-white communities that would not let black travelers pass through at night. Some of these towns helpfully posted signs that said “Negro, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on You.” (and, by the way, negro is not the term they used) In modern day, of course there are the big things like police brutality. But more often there are the smaller things. Like when a white lady holds on to her purse a little tighter in Walmart when she passes a black person, or the faint look of surprise that crosses a white person’s face when they hear a black guy is going to college without a football scholarship.

I truly believe that, for the most part, these small things are unintentional and not intended to harm.

The white person involved probably doesn’t even realize the impact they are having on the black person.

But these things hurt. Deeply.

It also hurts when white people deny that there is systemic racism and severe racial inequality in the United States.

Without question, America has made tremendous progress since the 1960s. The workplace is far more diverse. We now have an expanded black middle class, and America even elected an African American president, all remarkable advancements that would have seemed inconceivable even twenty years ago.

We have come far, but we haven’t come that far.

Think about this: If you are a black person in your mid-50’s, you are among the first generation of black 18

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Americans to be born on U.S. soil with all of your legal rights. That’s incredible to me.

And then there’s this: In 2018, 11.8% of Americans, or 38.1 million people, lived in poverty. 8.1% of White Americans lived in poverty. That number for Black Americans was 20.8% In 2018, the overall unemployment rate for the U.S. was 3.9%. However, the unemployment rate for Black Americans was 6.5%.

To make matters worse, the jobs that Black Americans fill are more likely to be temporary and/or lower paying positions, which makes the pay disparity glaring: The average Annual Income of Black households is $41,361 compared to the $70,642 of White Households.

The wealth gap between the two groups is astonishing. In 2016, the median wealth (assets minus debts) of all U.S. households was $97,300.

The median wealth of White Households was $171,000, compared to $17,100 for Black Households. That means that the wealth of white households was TEN TIMES the wealth of black households.

As we all know, wealth is largely created by home ownership. So, among all the other things, there’s this thing called “redlining.” In the 1930s, the U.S. government-run Homeowners’ Loan Corporation drew a line around black neighborhoods on a map with a red pen. Literally drew a circle around them. Then gave them the worst grade of D. This classified entire neighborhoods as “hazardous” places to underwrite mortgages because – LISTEN TO THIS, IT IS A QUOTE - “colored infiltration is a definite adverse influence on neighborhood desirability.” Naturally, without the ability to obtain conventional financing, these neighborhoods declined, segregation deepened, and predatory lending and slumlords thrived. Unsurprisingly, many black communities never recovered. And, by the way, redlining, discrimination and other major shenanigans still happen in housing.

Submissions Don’t even get me started on the Criminal Justice system. Our problems here go way beyond what has been playing out on our TV screens. Black male offenders received sentences on average 19% longer than similarly situated white guys. Take it state by state and it’s far worse. In Louisiana, for example, the odds of a death sentence are 97% higher for those whose victim was white than for those whose victim was black.

The most recent edition of a report called Building a Grad Nation reveals that, in 2017, the national graduation gap between black and white students was 10.8 percentage points. Although black students made up only 15.6% of the nation’s total graduating cohort, they comprised over 22% of the nation’s nongraduates.

According to the latest assessment of National Assessment of Educational Progress – commonly referred to as The Nation’s Report Card – In 4th grade math, there is a 32-point score gap between white and black students. In 8th grade math, there is a 31-point score gap. In 4th grade reading, there is a 27-point score gap, and in 8th grade reading, there is a 27-point score gap between white and black students.

I could go on and on…

So, why is this?

Oh, we know what some people would say. I know what Lisa would say, because I’ve heard her say it.

Lisa would say that it was somehow black people’s fault. If black people would just work harder, if they would be better parents. She may even suggest that the level of competency or even intelligence in the black community is somehow lesser than that of the white community.

This is wrong.

It’s not only morally wrong – after all, I can’t really see Jesus saying something like that It’s factually wrong.

There is simply no getting around the actual evidence...facts that some people in this country continually refuse to acknowledge.

Poverty, income disparity, inadequate education, low or no employment, dangerous and segregated housing, things like redlining, predatory lending, an extremely unfair criminal justice system, and the damaging consequences of our misaligned social policies all conspire to repress vulnerable populations.

It seems like every time compromised families get their heads somewhat above ground to establish even a little control over their life and destiny, they get whacked back down by cycles and circumstances created for them generations ago.

Although we don’t necessarily see burning crosses on lawns anymore, significant racism remains alive and well today. I find this to be more dangerous than ever since – as opposed to crosses openly burning – racial inequality is now intricately woven into the fabric of our culture, causing structural desolation and perpetuating cycles that are difficult to identify and harder still to solve. That’s what systemic – or institutionalized racism actually is.

So, where do we go from here?

In many instances, we haven’t been the best version of ourselves when it comes to racial equality, but we absolutely can be.

We must do better. Like it or not, we all – as Americans and human beings – have an ultimate bond of common fate. We are all in this together.

My hope is that the talks that resume after tonight focus on actual solutions to the many systemic issues that exist. Things aren’t going to change until we change the compounded harm that exits within our systems themselves.

There is certainly a place for the federal government in this, but at the end of the day all politics is local. In this, we are way ahead of the game, because we have leaders who want the very best for us.

Let’s imagine together what the very best version of San Augustine looks like - then help our leaders get us there.

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Submissions Continued from previous page As we continue these discussions, let’s take Dr. King’s advice And not be people who are more devoted to ORDER than to justice; Let’s not be people who prefer a negative peace (meaning, yes there’s a certain peace but with the absence of tension) to a positive peace (which is peace with the presence of justice).

Together, let’s prove once and for all Dr. King’s belief that “although the arc of the moral universe is long, it always bends toward justice.”

Written and delivered on June 18, 2020, by Emily Mathews, a member of the Jerusalem CME Church (San Augustine, Texas; Southeast Texas Region; Eighth Episcopal District) in the park at a town meeting celebrating Black Lives Matter. Her pastor is Rev. D'Anna Gipson a member. Her Presiding Elder is Rev. Milton A. Proctor, Sr.

"When God put a calling on your life He already factored in your stupidity.

Most comforting thing I've ever heard"

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--Evangeline Foster

Submissions

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Submissions

SAY IT LOUD:

BLACK PREACHING AS A COUNTER-HEGEMONIC MOMENT Submitted by Rev. Darrell J. Wesley PhD in Theology, Ethics and Culture from Claremont Graduate University STM, Yale Divinity School Pastor, Amos Temple CME Church, Riverside, CA Dean, Leadership Training School, Ninth Episcopal District

This year in January I had the privilege of attending the 24th Pastors' Conference and 76th Founder's Day Celebration of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, which had as its theme: "Getting Back to the Basics: The Sermonic Event and its Potential for Transformation." Under the capable leadership of its visionary President and Dean Dr. Paul L. Brown, this year’s Philip's School of Theology Pastor's Conference displayed an ensemble of impressive preachers and lecturers ... All of these sermons and lectures captivated our souls in salient and serious ways. I was privileged to hear many of these sermons and lectures and was encouraged by the prophetic fervor articulated and expressed in them. While listening, I thought that prophetic preaching advocates like Cornel West and James Forbes would have been proud if they had heard and witnessed what I heard and witnessed. As a social and theological ethicist, I often listen to sermons with an ear for social ethical innuendoes that could usher listeners into a moment of what I am calling here "radical ecclesiology."

While attending this conference, it was encouraging and indeed delightful to hear speakers inspire pastors and church leaders to "take on the prophetic mantle" (to use Rev. Dykes words) and make ministry relevant to the social and political crises of this postmodern moment. But it occurred to me while listening to these messages that Black preaching, similar to the Spirituals and Blues, functions as what Cornel West dubs in Prophesy Deliverance, a "counter-hegemonic moment." In this brief essay, I explore how this is possible. That is, I discuss the ways in which Black preaching can function as a counter-hegemonic moment. I will begin by explaining what West means by counter-hegemonic and why such a perspective is necessary as a humanistic response to oppression.

Second, I will make a case for Black preaching as an example of a counter-hegemonic movement and give 22

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historical examples of Black preachers who have used the pulpit to inject within their listeners a passion and proclivity for social justice. I will conclude with how Black preaching as a counter-hegemonic moment contributes to what I call, "radical ecclesiology."

MEANING OF COUNTER HEGEMONIC In 2014 I published a book chapter entitled "Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So: Viewing Rap Music as a Form of African American Spirituality" in which I contended that rap music, like the spirituals and the blues, functions as a counter-hegemonic movement.

But what do I mean by counter-hegemonic movement?

I borrowed the phrase from Cornel West. In his book Prophesy Deliverance, Cornel West wrestles with the myriad of humanistic responses to Black suffering as he seeks to construct a project of African American Religious thought. After much ado and analysis, West offers a variety of possible humanistic responses and concludes that a counter-hegemonic movement is the most feasible response. Counter-hegemony, simply put, is a creative form of protest through artistic means, be they poetry, music, literature, dance, etc.

The reason it's dubbed counter-hegemonic is that these creative responses are counter to dominant cultural expression regarding Black existence. West borrows this notion from the progressive Marxist thinker, Antonio Gramsci. Gramsci's solution to pervasive political domination and cultural hegemonic forces was to assess the creative arsenal of intellectuals to combat these forces. In other words, counterhegemony is when the oppressed in society use their creative genius and resources to critique pervasive power structures of oppression. This is different from a counter-culture, which is an outright rejection of dominant culture and a refusal to acquiesce to any dominant practices. Counter-hegemony, however, operates within the domain of dominant culture

Submissions where oppressed people can exercise their power to speak truth to power. The genius of the oppressed people comes through their gifts of expression.

Some of these gifts are – but are not limited to – art, literature, poetry, and music by speaking a language familiar to fellow oppressed people that inspires them to empower each other, while, at the same time it provides a strong critique of the dominant culture.

Gramsci's notion of counter-hegemony celebrated the culturally creative genius of ordinary people who possessed extraordinary talents and used them to communicate dissatisfaction with social and political regimes. Bringing this to the Black voices of dissent, the best way to elicit change is to work within the dominant system of power. Since slavery and beyond, Black people have brilliantly created ways to resist power structures and to provide self-empowerment. Such means may come through poetry, literature, music.

Therefore for West and Gramsci respectively, vulnerable people can resist oppressive structures through cultural creations like music, art, and literature. This arsenal contains music like spirituals and the blues, novels by Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, poems by Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, soulful music by Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, and rap music by Tupac Shakur, Kendrick Lamar, and J-Cole. The genius of such creations illuminates not only the artistic talents shot through with rhythmic originality but also taunts pervasive structures of oppressive regimes.

But there is more. These artistic expressions resonate within the subconscious of vulnerable people, inciting them to resist these oppressive structures of domination. Yet a bold move made in this essay is that we should include some Black preaching as a part of this ensemble of critical voices. I say some Black preaching because like other artistic expressions, not all provide the political punch to combat oppression and social pain. I also don't want to be mistaken as implying that preaching that espouses pastoral and practical concerns is insufficient to improving wellbeing. Black people have a myriad of existential concerns that preaching adequately addresses. To be sure, Black people grapple with marital concerns, depression, bereavement, loneness, spiritual angst, loss of faith, among other things. Yet along with

these universal concerns comes the reality that racism is alive and well, sexism still persists, incarceration of Black and Brown people is at epic proportions, as is — as we have learned lately — the pervasive proliferation of police brutality. The souls of Black people endure permanent puncturing by racist pundits who continue to deny pervasive social pain during this postmodern moment. Given the plethora of perspectives that speak to the everyday lived experiences, prophetic preaching as counterhegemonic is simply an answer to the existential concerns implied in the human situation (to use Tillich's language). It is to this contribution I now turn.

BLACK PREACHING AS A COUNTERHEGEMONIC MOMENT Black preaching is perhaps one of the most poignant and powerful means of addressing the concerns Black people face. Coupled with its often ultra emotional form of expression, preaching is likely to resonate with listeners in ways commensurate with reactions evoked by music and poetry. Like the dancing prompted by syncopation, beats and whatnot, Black preaching evokes "amens," "I hear you," "say it, preacher," among other vocal expressions acknowledging approval. Similar to the spirituals, blues, and some rap music, Black preaching also potentially enlarges the consciousness of its listeners to think and rethink political and social justice concerns. This performance is all-encompassing in that for deductive preaching it commences with a primary text and announcement in the sermon title, with the acknowledgment of three points, coupled with performative gestures of call and response, and it culminates in a climax of a whoop and/or a holler.

Imagine the liberating feeling that the slave songs evoked within enslaved Africans while they worked in fields and under the supervision of merciless overseers. These songs infused the soul with hope while at the same time they communicated covertly to each other their pervasive messages of protest.

Most recently, rap music by artists like Tupac Shakur, J-Cole, and Kendrick Lamar have instilled hope and a sense of protest to young Black men and women who suffer under the oppressions of police brutality, racial profiling, and mass incarceration.

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Submissions Continued from previous page I contend that insofar as the spirituals and rap music speak to the soul of African Americans in social-political ways, (some) Black preaching awakens the political and social consciousness of its listeners. Please don't get me wrong here. Black preaching is also confessional, theological, and soteriological, which is to say that Black preaching speaks to what we believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation, and Christian living. In fact, almost every sermon preached culminates with the invitation to discipleship. Effective preaching ought to encourage, improve moral living, and lead people closer to Christ. Yet this intent does not preclude other functional modalities of preaching which, as I witnessed during the pastor's conference, inspire social and political outcries against lamentable current realties. The hegemonic moment was apparent during this January conference which entailed the social justice emphasis provided by Watson, the political awareness inspired by Croft, the importance of the beloved community implied by Williams, the ethic of communal responsibility prescribed by Dykes, and the necessary conditions for personal, ecclesiastical and communal transformations creatively articulated

by Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas. Listening to these gifted speakers is a poignant reminder of the genius of Black preaching and how the social and existential predicament of African Americans in particular and oppressed people, in general, cannot rely on a pie-inthe-sky theology that excites people during worship experiences while perhaps doing little to eschew the crippling complacency and capitulation of, what Malcolm X calls, the victimization of democracy.

With the ascension of Donald Trump to the presidency and outright and overt displays of racism on today’s postmodern stage, notes of resistance and reaction ought to be more than sounding brass or tinkling cymbals. Not all are beckoned to such a call and many of our preachers may have preaching gifts that meet other needs. But for those who have a proclivity for preaching prophetic witness (if we have learned anything over the last couple of years) this is Black preachers’ (or any form of prophetic preaching for that matter) season to step it up. Let us be thankful for the examples of men and women like Jeremiah Wright, Freddie Haynes, Otis Moss Jr. 24

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and Otis III, James Forbes, Kevin Bedford, Reginald Tarpley, Theresa Jefferson-Snorton, Gina Stewart, and others. What they tell us is that what ought to be heard from the pulpit to the pew in Black churches is the message to set captives free from the chagrin of dominant oppressive forces. As I noted above, this does not mean that preaching should overlook the teachings about salvation and the importance of a relationship with God. To be sure ultimate salvation is the telos or the goal of religious life and – depending on where you are on the theological spectrum – ultimate salvation may be the all-in-all of your preaching agenda. I do believe, though, that this is half-baked homiletics. Indeed, perhaps there is a need for preaching ultimate salvation to people striving to make heaven their home. But what about life in the meantime? What about suffering? What about homelessness? What about poverty? What about mass incarceration? What about disabilities, dislocation, and disenfranchisement? The answer is penultimate liberation, which should be a tentative goal as we desire ultimate salvation.

Thanks to the many examples as displayed in the preaching of Jeremiah Wright, Freddie Haynes, John Howard Wesley, Bishop Bobby Best, and Senior Bishop Lawrence Reddick and others — the prophetic fire still burns and the preaching joins an ensemble of creative venues like the spirituals, the blues, and rap music. Hardly any social calamity that befalls the Black community will go unnoticed by these preachers and one can be absolutely reassured that they will not let the Goliaths of social injustice escape the prophetic slings of committed Davids.

RADICAL ECCLESIOLOGY What I want to note now is that in listening to these messages, an important take-away for me was that the moment of preaching, or the preaching event itself, should precipitate some social transformation for those listening, hopefully resulting in this reality I now call radical ecclesiology. What I mean by "radical ecclesiology" is an explicit reinforcement of contemporary churches' responses to the social and political call of our times. This radical response transcends mere soteriological (the study of salvation) discourses of ultimate salvation with an emphasis on

Submissions what Cornel West references in Prophesy Deliverance as penultimate liberation. This penultimate liberation is that which precedes ultimate salvation in that the focus is on quality of lives lived. Radical ecclesiology displays the radical ways in which Christian churches in general, and Black Christian churches in particular, take seriously and implement the radical vision espoused by Jesus in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free" (NRSV).

This familiar passage resonates with proponents of a prophetic witness who view Jesus' ministry as an extension of antecedent prophets like Amos and Micah. These prophets, like Jesus, lamented the failure of the people of God to focus on the needs of vulnerable people within society. In fact, the Gospel of Luke is comprised of scenario after scenario of the ongoing conflict Jesus had with Pharisees whose focus was on dogma and the teachings of the Torah. What I mean by radical ecclesiology is a moment when Christian churches in general, and certainly the Black Christian churches in particular, align their mission with the mission put forth by Jesus in Luke 4:18. I believe that Jesus' intent and mission is unambiguous in this text and that for would-be disciples, the goal is to give specific attention to those visited by oppression, incarceration, disabilities, and dislocation.

Radical ecclesiology does not see this mission of Jesus as an elective or some ministry that churches do in their spare time. It counter-balances the requirements placed on ultimate salvation where the highest priority is "winning souls" to Christ. While this evangelistic endeavor is crucial and certainly important, this road to "ultimate salvation" must not ignore the mandate of penultimate liberation (as put forth in Luke 4:18). The goal of prophetic preaching is to showcase this need for penultimate liberation of which the Black church (and Black preaching) is a case in point.

Of course, preaching within the Black ecclesiastical context entails more than just prophetic preaching, to be sure, performance branded by the signature call and response and the powerful emotional reactions to

our signature whooping and rhythmic cadence. Black preachers have become masters of this preaching strategy. Yet these speakers and preachers reminded us that Black preaching is not only performance but also entails persuasion in that these serious and sacred sages inspire us to seek to act beyond the moment of performance. I was proud to watch preachers both within and outside the CME church echo this need to espouse the challenge to keep the Black church focused on its prophetic call. And, it occurred to me as I listened to the final sermon given by Bishop Thomas that among the many things Black preaching accomplishes, it injects directly into the spiritual veins of those listening a proclivity towards protest.

Which is to say that perhaps a goal of black preaching is to inspire within listeners the urge to speak truth to power structures in an attempt to set captives free from social evils that continue to plague the lives of vulnerable people. Therefore, this essay discusses one way in which black preaching can function as a counter-hegemonic moment that evokes a subversive intent to speak truth to power.

"He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits has no sense."

--Proverbs 12:11 (RSV) September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Submissions

Mississippi South Region Adult Ministry Recognizes Senior CMEs Submitted by Rev. Lorrie Turner, Regional Director Catherine McNair-Forte’, Washington Chapel CME Church, Gloster-Hattiesburg District Catherine McNair-Forte’ was born on June 15, 1930, in Bassfield, Mississippi (MS), to the late Rev. J.A. “Johnnie” McNair and the late Maggie Magee McNair. She is the second child of twelve children, nine boys and three girls. While growing up in Jefferson Davis County, Catherine was a member of Holly Springs CME Church in Bassfield. When a child, her family moved to Carson, MS, where she united with the Blackmon Temple CME Church. Her father was a pastor in the CME Church, so she had the opportunity to be affiliated with many of the CME churches. She is a graduate of Mississippi Industrial College in Holly Springs, MS. where she received a B.S. degree in Education. She taught school in Carroll and Harrison Counties for a total of 31 years. After living in various places with her husband who was in the military, Catherine moved to the Gulf Coast in May of 1966. She united with the Washington Chapel CME Church under the leadership of her father, Rev. J.A. “Johnnie” McNair.

During her many years of stewardship at Washington Chapel, she served in the following capacities: Church Secretary; Sunday School Secretary; President, Vice President and Secretary of the Senior Choir; President of the Missionary Society; Trustee; Steward; member of the Board of Christian Education; Sunday School Superintendent and various program committees. She also served as the Assistant Secretary for the South Mississippi Singing Convention, which was comprised of local choirs in the community. For many years, she represented the church as a delegate to the South Mississippi and Mississippi South Annual Conferences, in addition to the District meetings on both the Meridian District and the Gloster-Hattiesburg District.

Catherine is the mother of four daughters. She has four grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and two greatgreat-grandchildren. She still attends worship service as her health permits. One of her favorite scriptures, that she recites quite often, is Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

Burnice Moore, Star Hill CME Church, Gloster-Hattiesburg District For more than 50 years, Sis. Burnice Moore has been a member of the Stewardess Board at Star Hill CME Church, serving as its President for the past 16 years. She retired in April 2018.

Born on February 27, 1922, to the late Bro. Jonah and Sis. Mary Bryant Cox, Sis. Moore was taught at an early age to be of service to her church and community. Sis. Moore was married for more than 74 years to the late Bro. Enos Moore and, together, they served faithfully at their church. She and Bro. Moore were blessed with ten children and they, too, were taught the importance of serving God, church and community.

At 97 years of age, Sis. Moore is the oldest and longest serving member of Star Hill. Over the years she has served in many leadership positions, including Missionary President, Sunday School Treasurer, and District Missionary Vice President. Sis. Moore continues to serve as Sunday School Secretary and as a member of the Missionary Society and of the Nursing Home Ministry.

Sis. Burnice Moore is a faithful and humble servant of the Lord, and an inspiration to many in her church and throughout the community.

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Submissions Josie Wadlington Wilson,Helm Chapel CME Church Mrs. Josie Wilson is the second of 10 children born to the late Mr. Allen and Mrs. Josephine Wadlington.

She was educated in the Carroll County segregated school system and received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Elementary Education from Mississippi Valley State University. She returned to Carroll County where she taught and educated students for 34 years. She later provided educational services to incarcerated people in the Mississippi State Penitentiary.

Mrs. Wilson is a life-long member of Helm Chapel where she is a class leader, a member of the choir, a stewardess, a Trustee and Co-chairwoman of the Women’s Day Program. She is the wife of the late Rochester Wilson, the mother of two adult daughters and grandmother of five.

Lauree Brown Frizell, West Hill CME Church Mrs. Lauree Brown Frizell is the oldest member at West Hill CME Church, being active in the church since 1955. She has been under the leadership of the late Rev L.T. Keys, the late Rev. Johnnie Mae Keys, and now under Rev. Thomas L. Keys.

Mrs. Frizell was born on October 18, 1931 to the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brown in Attala County, Mississippi. She graduated from high school in Durant, Mississippi. In 1953, she married the late Willie B. Frizell and reared one son, Carl Frizell. Mrs. Frizell has two grandchildren (Mrs. Porche Frizell Dixon and Dr. Carl Antonio Frizell) and a great-grandson (Christian Omari Frizell Dixon).

Mrs. Frizell worked several years as the manager of Durant Attendance Center’s cafeteria, and then worked as machine operator for Talon Zipper, retiring in 1997.

However, Mrs. Frizell continued to work as a servant of the Lord after retirement. Mrs. Frizell has been a leader in the CME Church, serving in many roles, which include the following: Sunday School teacher, president of the Missionary Board, president of the Stewardess Board, and class leader. Mrs. Frizell continues to serve in these roles today.

Georgia Lee Barnes Echols, Blue Springs CME Church Georgia Lee Barnes Echols was born April 19,1925, to Hester and Luther Barnes in Jefferson Davis County, MS. At an early age the family moved to Columbia, MS, where she joined Blue Springs CME and attended LaMarion School. In December 1945, she married Nathaniel Echols and together they had 12 children: 6 boys and 6 girls; 25 grandchildren; and 26 great grandchildren.

She is a person who loves her family and loves her church family equally. She is a stewardess, a missionary, and sings with the senior choir at Blue Springs CME. Her hobbies consist of cooking, traveling and being with her family. She really loves to cook and invite her Pastor, immediate and church family into her home for Sunday dinners. Traveling is also something that she enjoys. Riding Amtrak to visit her children and grandchildren is pure enjoyment for her.

Georgia is 94 years old, and she says her secret to longevity is reading/studying her Bible and loving everybody.

Bobby Lynn Covington Hollman, Ebenezer CME Church Our oldest active member is Ms. Bobby Lynn Covington Hollman. She is the oldest of four children to the late Joe Cecil Covington, Sr. and Annie Mae King Covington. She is the mother of four children: Charlotte Hollman Dunbar, Barbara Hollman Applon, Leon Hallmon, Jr., and Tony J. Hallmon; and the grandmother of 16 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Overcoming life adversities with great faith, Ms. Hollman never gave in and strived to have a better life.

She is active in the community, visiting many different churches near and abroad. She also makes visits to various nursing homes, the hospital and the homebound.

She is a dedicated member of her church and works wherever needed.

Ms. Hollman worked several jobs from the cotton field to factory work and retired from Winona Manor

Continued on next page September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Submissions Continued from previous page Nursing Home as a C.N.A. (Certified Nursing Assistant) of 17.5 years because of health issues. Earning her C.N.A. License was a great accomplishment. Most family members say she has healing hands. She is few in words but is firm about what she knows is right.

Maggie Summerville Gavin, Bigbee Valley CME Church Maggie Summerville Gavin is a life -long resident of Noxubee County, MS. She is the only living sibling of four children born to the late Jim Frank and Annie Shanklin Summerville.

In 1953, Maggie married Claude Gavin, Jr. and they raised six children until his death in 1977. Maggie’s children: Helen Hall, Minister Clarence Gavin, Jimmie Gavin (deceased in 2017), Rev. Lizzie Harris, Rev. Vickie Tate, and Lula Tate, all grew up in the Bigbee Valley CME Church.

Not only does Mrs. Gavin love her family, she loves her church as well. She has remained a dedicated member of the Bigbee Valley CME Church where she has served as an usher, a faithful Sunday School Scholar, a Stewardess, a choir member and wherever she is needed to carry on the work of the Lord. A quiet and calm person, she has always taught her children to do unto others as you would have them do unto you and that vengeance belongs to God. Mrs. Gavin feels blessed to be under the great leadership of her Pastor, Rev. Raphael Terry. She states, “My Pastor and his wife, along with the two girls, are just like my family.”

Mrs. Gavin was awarded the “Mother of the Year Award” in April 2019 by the Noxubee County Branch of the NAACP. Her hobbies include watching TV, working puzzles, reading her favorite scriptures, and listening to gospel music.

Mrs. Gavin is proud to say that life has been good and she knows that it is only the grace of God that has brought her this far.

How to Submit Material to The Christian Index

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Submissions

Christian Education and Formation: Upon This Rock The Church Is Built, or Is It? Submitted by Jacqueline Henry Carter, Past GA North Region Director of Christian Education and Formation

Many of us are familiar with the Matthew 16:13-20 scripture in which Jesus asked His disciples who the people said He was. We know that several prophets were named until Jesus asked Peter the same question. It was Peter who knew through the Spirit of God that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. It was then that Jesus said to Peter, “… on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” (16:18a, b) What was Jesus saying? Was He telling Peter (Cephas) the church would be built on him because his name meant rock? Was he really saying that it was not the name but the faith and divine revelation that Peter possessed? In my opinion, it was both.

A strong foundation is necessary for any structure to withstand the many forces, both natural and manmade, that may come against it. Names and their meanings are important. We do become what we are called. Therefore, Christian Education and Formation in the CME Church is the necessary foundation upon which the success of the church should be based. Perhaps we have not been successful in many of our churches because there is no true understanding of just what Christian Education and Formation is. Could it be that many of our ministers and Lay fail to take the time to read the Discipline (¶516, ¶516.1, ¶516.2, ¶517, ¶517.1) which outlines the structure and function of this department? Clearly if this was not the case, the attitude that Christian Education and Formation was just for children, Sunday school or Vacation Bible School would not be so prevalent. Only when it is completely understood, accepted AND implemented will Christian Education and Formation be the foundation upon which our churches grow. Why? Only when our ministers and Lay come together with every part of the local church represented to plan and communicate the work of the church, address the physical and spiritual needs of the members, use the Spiritual Gifts present, and ensure that there is cohesion throughout every ministry will we see a change. The size of the local congregation is not the focus but rather the sincere and intentional desire to utilize a structure which lends itself to spiritual growth rather than a focus on numerical growth. When we ensure that the people receive training and are knowledgeable concerning what “church” really means, the growth in both areas will come.

I challenge our Zion to examine what foundation our church is built upon. We must put away the lack of communication between boards, organizations, clergy and Lay on every level while coming together to implement a structure that touches and impacts EVERY part of our denomination. We must live out the vision statement, “to be a transforming church for Jesus the Christ within a changing world.” After all, upon this rock our church is built, or is it?

September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Submissions

Birmingham Region Department of Social Concern Conducts Food Box/Milk Giveaway and COVID-19 Testing Submitted by Rev. Troy D. Johnson, Director

The Birmingham Region Department of Social Concerns of the 5th Episcopal District of the CME Church provided vegetables/fruit food boxes and COVID-19 testing on three different dates and in collaboration with Forestwood Farms and Borden’s Dairy through a USDA Farmers to Families food box and dairy grant, and the Alabama Regional Medical Services (ARMS). Pastors and members of the Birmingham District were instrumental in providing 20lb produce/fruit boxes, fresh milk and COVID-19 testing to families in the Birmingham Metropolitan and surrounding areas.

The Farmers to Families initiative was a grant that the USDA provided to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Per the USDA.gov website, “As part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Secretary Perdue announced on April 17 that USDA is exercising authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute agricultural products to those in need. Through this program, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is partnering with national, regional and local suppliers, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service businesses, to purchase up to $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat products. The program will purchase $461 million in fresh fruits and vegetables, $317 million in a variety of dairy products, $258 million in meat products and $175 million in a combination box of fresh produce, dairy or meat products. Suppliers will package these products totaling $1.2 billion into family-sized boxes, then transport them to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need from May 15 through June 30, 2020. AMS may elect to extend the period of performance of the contracts, via option periods, dependent upon program success and available remaining funds, up to $3 billion.”

As Director of the Department of Social Concern, I was contacted by the Director of Black Catholic Ministries of the Birmingham Diocese, Mr. James Watts, who was aware of the pending grant application, and through those interactions I was given an opportunity to become a part of the distribution process. From there the opportunity took hold as members of the Birmingham District sprang into action.

Under the assistance of Rev. Dr. Larry Batie, the pastor of Metropolitan CME Church, we used their church as the site that would be used as our focal distribution center. And with the help of: a local nonprofit, MESI Community 30

The Christian Index • September 2020

Submissions Services; Forestwood Farms as our produce/fruit distributor; Borden’s Dairy as our provider of milk; and the participation of Councilor John Hilliard of District 9 of the Birmingham City Council, we all came together to plan and provide for this giveaway.

Three distribution giveaways were done: May 18th, June 1st, and lastly June 11th, with awesome participation and success. Collectively, approximately 10,000 (20lb) food boxes and 9,500 gallons of fresh milk were given away. It was during our last giveaway that we partnered with the Alabama Regional Medical Services (ARMS) to provide COVID-19 testing in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church in Ensley, located across the street from our food giveaway. Cars were able to come through the food giveaway and continue into and through the COVID-19 testing area to receive free testing. In all, over 17 non-profit organizations and 3,000 individuals came through our giveaways and were blessed by these endeavors.

Life Has Detours

Submitted by Rev. Jessie Faye Manuel 4th Episcopal District, Louisiana Region

I’ve had many detours in my life, the most recent being when I decided to stop my job in a career I loved.

I didn’t understand at the time why things were happening but I was obedient to God. It was definitely by God’s design in the end, but this was a change of plan I didn’t ask for, nor was it on my timing.

I had to walk through the idea that my plans had changed and remind myself that it's “the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Life Has Detours The thing is, we need detours, the set backs and plans to change. It is through the detours God always takes us to where we’re supposed to go in the long run. It’s ok if it doesn’t look the way we thought it was going to look, because thankfully, God knows the bigger plan.

God is God. Often times a detour may be His way of getting you to look at Him and fulfill His purpose.

God sees the whole picture.

Your whole story.

Your entire future.

His purpose prevails.

You can trust in Him, even when your plan derails off your track, because He is good, in control, and His plans are always greater than our plans.

Rest in the assurance that you can trust the One who knows what’s ahead. I did. I will continue to trust His plan.

My life Foundation scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

(Jeremiah 29:11)

"Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually."

--Psalm 119:116-117 (KJV) September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Submissions

YEARNING TO BREATHE FREELY Submitted by Hiram, Mary, and Kimberly Springle

In past years I have been a frequent contributor of my opinions to the media. After my grandson transitioned after a period of nine days of life, in August of 2015, I lost my words and my pen fell silent. However, I was inspired to lend my voice again as I and the world witnessed George Floyd transition in a little less than nine minutes while his pleas of ”I can't breathe" were ignored by his executioners. We all watched in horror as George called out for his Mother to usher him to the other side.

This article, a collaboration of Hiram, Mary, and Kimberly Springle, is dedicated to the memory of Nile Kongo Vance Springle-Levy. Mary and I have been members of Israel Metropolitan CME Church for over 40 years. Our daughter, Kimberly Springle, was raised in the Church. She now lives in Washington, DC, where she is the Executive Director of the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives.

Breathing problems for Africans began when they were captured by terrorists, both foreign and domestic.

They were forcibly herded onto slave ships for the dangerous and treacherous journey through the middle passage on the human misery leg of the slave trade triangle. It was hard for men and women, little boys and little girls to breathe chained together and tightly packed in the cargo bay of slave ships. Slave ship captains believed this horrific means of transporting their human chattel was the most profitable, even though for every 100 breathing slaves arriving in the new world, at least 40 perished.

Upon their arrival these human beings, destined for generations of enslavement, were put on the auction block. Bidders who came from far and wide were free to inspect and buy these enslaved people as they wished, without regard for their humanity or established family units. Mothers and fathers were separated from their children, brothers and sisters from their siblings. It’s hard to breathe when you are overcome with grief for the loss of your family.

Once purchased, the enslaved Africans were taken to plantations all across the South where they would be put to work cultivating and harvesting crops for their owners. They were not paid and were furnished the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter. They worked from sunup to sundown with little or no rest. Profitability for the plantation owner, not the welfare of their “property,” was paramount. It’s hard to breathe when you are tired, hungry, too cold or too hot.

After generations of forced, unpaid labor, the emancipation proclamation was signed. The formerly enslaved people rejoiced and sang praises at watch night services. They thought that, now, maybe they could breathe freely. The deconstruction of Reconstruction quickly squashed their moment of freedom.

All of the political, educational and economic gains made were completely wiped out in the postReconstruction era. This devastating reversal of fortunes knocked the breath out of the recently freed enslaved after a brief experience with a miniscule dose of freedom.

With no property or any other economic assets, these formerly enslaved people were forced to return to the plantations as share croppers. The system worked like this: the plantation owner would let a tenant farmer (formerly enslaved) cultivate and harvest the crops. In addition to the land and shelter, the former slave master controlled any businesses (food, clothing, leisure) the tenant family needed to survive. At the end of the harvest, the tenant share cropper and his family held their collective breaths as the plantation owner tallied up the proceeds from the crops minus amounts owed for goods and services they needed to subsist. Usually they broke even or found themselves further in debt. Seldom did they end up making a profit. The cycle repeated itself year after year after year………………………………………………………………………………

The Jim Crow era was a period when states passed laws and statues designed to legalize segregation and to deny African-Americans the right to vote, equal access to a quality education and housing, equal employment opportunities, commercial transportation and public accommodations, and even cemeteries.

The black codes were a series of laws established to regulate and control the lives of the freedmen.

Former slave patrollers and confederate soldiers serving as policemen and judges, in combination with 32 The Christian Index • September 2020

Submissions the black codes, guaranteed African-Americans that they could not breathe easy or expect fair treatment from such a biased legal system. Its modus operandi was not to liberate, but rather to intimidate, emasculate and incarcerate. The penal system was used as a source of cheap labor for plantation owners. The leasing of convicts enriched the coffers of many municipal and state governments for years.

Remnants of this culture survive to this very day in some of our law enforcement agencies. The biased and prejudiced attitudes of law enforcement officials have led to countless cases of police brutality and murder perpetrated against the African-American community.

The May 17, 1954, Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." The court ordered states to desegregate "with all deliberate speed." Many Southern states refused to obey this ruling. Some continued to build facilities for African Americans they considered “separate but equal.” One state closed all of their schools rather than integrate.

Christian academies sprang up all over the South in an effort to maintain all-white institutions. The watershed moment for integration in Greenville County, South Carolina, came in 1970. Black high school students held their collective breaths as they were bused to formerly segregated, all-white high schools, often far from home. While the 1970 transition has been described as peaceful, many African-American students from that class speak with baited breath when describing their traumatic experiences during this period.

African-Americans continue to struggle with a legal system that is inherently biased against them. This culture survives from systems that were installed in the 1860’s to intimidate and criminalize Black people, especially men. Our society should have evolved past this archaic, cruel and unfair method of policing.

Law enforcement has to be conducted in such a way that all citizens are treated equally, fairly and without prejudice or bias. The image of a policeman aided by three of his colleagues, all of whom were sworn to serve and protect, calmly forcing the life breath out of another human being by pressing his knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds is not indicative of an agency that respects all of its citizens equally.

We are all members of the human race and all of our lives matter. The countless shootings and murders of unarmed black men, women and children have precipitated the Black Lives Matter movement and the need for drastic changes to our current law enforcement and justice systems.

If all of our citizens are ever to breathe freely as Americans, we must, as stated in the Gettysburg Address, become “a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

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

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"You can't be loyal to fear and ambition at the same time."

--Keenan K. Winters September 2020 • The Christian Index

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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.

Subscribe to The Christian Index Only $30.00 per Year Call Rev. Dr. Roderick Lewis, Sr., Publisher, at 901-396-5400 34

The Christian Index • September 2020

Children/Youth

Wordsearch Puzzle for September (Some of the Black Lives That Mattered)

AHMAUD ARBERY AIYANA JONES ALTON STERLING BREONNA TAYLOR ERIC GARNER FREDDIE GRAY GEORGE FLOYD

JONATHAN FERRELL JORDAN EDWARDS KEITH SCOTT MICHAEL BROWN SANDRA BLAND STEPHEN CLARK TRAYVON MARTIN

September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Children/Youth Answers to Puzzle

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Ecumenical News From: https://www.bread.org/blog/call-life-racial-justice-healing-and-transform. Accessed 8-7-2020.

September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Ecumenical News

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Ecumenical News

September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Ecumenical News

It’s Time To Do More Submitted by Dotcy Isom III One week [...] following the video of George Floyd’s murder, I posted on Twitter “Again…I’m exhausted.”

Like many [...] I watched the news and social media outlets, saddened. Yet, I’m more saddened by the fundamental lack of recognition of its root cause: Racism. Created by centuries of slavery, nurtured by dehumanizing coded language and imagery that reinforces irrational fear of black men, perpetuated by practices and customs that continue to oppress black people long after immoral laws were changed.

These protests and civil unrest begin after events like George Floyd’s execution—again. Breonna Taylor shot eight times and killed in her own home by police serving a “no knock” warrant—again. Atatiana Jefferson shot and killed through her bedroom window by unannounced police—again. Ahmaud Arbery chased, cornered and murdered by armed white men in February, but not arrested or charged until the cellphone video emerged in May—again. But for phone video and social media, these could easily have been swept away. Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott—the roll call is too long.

Then, in the usual sleight of hand, focus is drawn to the violence and looting, as if perpetuated by legitimate protesters of unjust, targeted acts of aggression. “Why can’t they protest peacefully?” “They’re hurting their own cause…,” many say. Most of the looting is by bad actors with other motivations that take advantage of the unrest. Moreover, the reality is peaceful, non-violent acts of protest like Colin Kaepernick’s, Tommie Smith’s and John Carlos’, even Muhammed Ali’s are met with derision and contempt by those who would obfuscate the core issue by focusing on the protest itself, whatever its form.

There is a huge, historical problem with policing of black and brown people in America. As a young adult in Chicago, I was pulled over, stopped and frisked, pockets emptied more times than I can remember. Occasionally the seat cushions were pulled from my car and the trunk emptied. Then, I was left on the side of a road to put it back together. I was scared and helpless.

I naively thought that as a maturing adult it would stop. It didn’t. Even while I was a T-Mobile executive, my wife and I were followed by the police until we reached our destination and the white colleague we were visiting waved to them that she (so by extension, now, we) were OK. She never realized what was happening.

Only a few years ago, after walking into a shop in Bellevue (where I reside) police rushed in after me and demanded my ID and wanted to know why I was there. The shopkeeper said I was a regular customer.

Then they said I “fit the description of a suspect.” A 50-year-old, well-dressed black man? Yeah right. If the shopkeeper hadn’t known me…

Even in retirement, those are things I think about every time I leave my home until I arrive at my destination.

The stress levels of driving, jogging, walking and just being black are immeasurable. If you don’t have frame of reference, don’t assume you can even imagine. Don’t castigate or talk about protests and even riots by inauthentically referencing Martin Luther King’s non-violent message when you haven’t read or heard the whole of his truth. In The Other America Dr. King also said: “I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots… And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”

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The Christian Index • September 2020

Ecumenical News So, what can you do? Drive the progress. Go beyond town halls, forums and open dialogues. As leaders, look around and consider the decisions you have and will make. When you look at your direct report teams and don’t see black and brown people, make up your mind to immediately change that and promote some. Give them the same privilege: Looking past their imperfections just as you have others’; give them the opportunity to fail just as you have others; directly coach, mentor, sponsor them as vigorously as you have others (even if you don’t hang out with them after work or on weekends as you do others); believe that they have that indescribable “it factor” as others have; finally, trust them to be able to handle a role 2-3 times larger than their prior one as you have others. In actuality, these are the same opportunities that you’ve been given too.

Edmund Burke wrote in 1770: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [people] to do nothing.” It’s even truer today. It’s time for you good people with the position and power to do more. It’s time to go beyond the words and walk the talk.

Obituaries

Joining the Great Cloud

Dr. Mose Yvonne Brooks Hooks

Dr. Mose Yvonne Brooks Hooks was born July 1, 1939, in Jackson, Tennessee to the late Reverend Phillip E. Brooks, Sr. and Mrs. Lottie Thompson Brooks: She was the third born of seven children which included four daughters and three sons - Charlotte, Phyllis, Mose Yvonne, Phillip, Joe, Mona, and Fred. Four siblings preceded her in death.

At a very young age, Mose Yvonne accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. Her father, Elder Phillip E. Brooks, was a presiding elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, where he served congregations in both Jackson and Memphis, Tennessee. She moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with her family when she was four years old. Mose Yvonne remained a member of Mt. Olive Cathedral until her passing. As education and culture were highly valued and emphasized, all of her brothers and sisters took lessons in piano, violin and other musical instruments.

She and her siblings served as musicians in their father's church as well as other affiliate churches.

Mose Yvonne was third generation in her family of educators. She attended elementary and secondary schools in the Memphis City Public School System. In 1956, she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School as an honor and gifted student. Mose Yvonne continued to participate in her Booker T. Washington High School class reunions.

Mose Yvonne received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Foreign Languages with a

concentration in the French and Spanish languages from Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee. While pursuing her Baccalaureate degree in French, she studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, for one year, acclimating herself with the customs, culture and language(s) of the people. She received her Masters of Arts Degree in Modem Foreign Languages with a major concentration in French Language and Culture from Colombia University in New York, New York.

At Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, she continued her education with post-graduate studies in French Language and Culture; at Memphis State University post-graduate study was pursued in Curriculum and Instruction. In 1971, she began a program of doctoral study at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She graduated with a Doctor of Education Degree in March, 1973, with a major in Educational Administration and Supervision, collateral areas in Curriculum and Instruction, Sociology and Psychology. She did additional studies at Harvard University in Educational Administration. Mose Yvonne received post-doctoral fellowships and was an active member of the American Council on Education (ACE), The Federal Government (Washington D.C.), The Eisenhower Foundation, American Council for International Visitors, Member of the Memphis of the U.S. - China Peoples Friendship Association, Chairman of the Memphis Committee for the National African-American Crafts Exhibition and Jubilee, Memphis-Arkansas-Tennessee Council of Governments, The Girls Club, and Memphis Council of International Friendships. She also served on the first Memphis in May Board of Directors where she organized and created the foreign educational September 2020 • The Christian Index

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Obituaries

Joining the Great Cloud

program component for schools and universities for the organization. Mose Yvonne was president of the Memphis in May, 1984, when the organization honored Mexico. She was on the Board of Trustees at Lane College and served professionally in many other educational, civic, and social capacities.

Mose Yvonne's professional career in education began very early in the Memphis City School System, where she taught at both the elementary and secondary levels. She was sent to Central High School as the first African American teacher to integrate the school.

Later, she worked as a Research Specialist in the Division of Research and Planning of the Memphis City School System. She was involved with many auxiliary and civic organizations, including service as the president of the Memphis Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and president of the Memphis Chapter of the Links, Incorporated before becoming an active member of the Shelby County (TN) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.

Mose Yvonne was also an active member of Societas Doctas, Incorporated, where she was currently serving as District Director (Mid-Western Area).

Mose Yvonne enjoyed reading, playing the violin and piano, working crossword puzzles, watching The Price is Right, calling family and others on the telephone, and traveling abroad once a year.

She was truly the epitome of a phenomenal woman, leader, teacher, sister, aunt, and mentor to many people. She impacted and changed so many lives.

Mose Yvonne's legacy will forever live on, and her many contributions will never be forgotten.

Mose Yvonne departed this life on May 15, 2020. She leaves to celebrate her life and cherish her memory: two siblings, Phillip and Mona (Edgar); brother-in-law Samuel; two nieces, Samone (Ernest) and Sandra; six nephews, Edgar (Agatha), William "Billy," Todd, Damon, Justin, and Samuel (Elise); one great niece, Eren; two great nephews, Samuel and Eli; one godson/mentee, Jeffrey, with whom she invested much of her time; a host of cousins, other relatives, and dear friends. We give thanks to God for the life and legacy of Dr. Mose Yvonne Brooks Hooks.

Danisa Herron

Danisa Herron was born February 16, 1966, to the late Oliver Herron and Annie Maxine Robinson Herron in Jackson, Mississippi. She departed this life peacefully on July 20, 2020, at 10:15 p.m., at Merit Health Central Medical Center (Jackson).

Dana attended Jackson Public Schools and graduated from Provine High School. She loved to sing and was a member of her High School choir.

She worked at Willowood Development Center for two years and passionately enjoyed working with her hands and building friendships with other program participants.

Dana loved to travel, dance, and socialize, and met you with a very bright "smile." She also loved watching television and listening to music. Dana would dance to whatever music or tune was played ... she really enjoyed life!

She was baptized at an early age and was a faithful and beloved member of Lynch Street CME Church where she also participated in the Sanctuary Choir. A former pastor, Rev. Dr. Charles E. Holbrook, Sr., declared a "Danisa Herron and Henry Brinson Day" on which they were honored and celebrated during worship service, and it was all about them!

Danisa's smile showed that she was proud of the honor and relished her reign as "Queen for a Day" at Lynch Street.

Dana was preceded in death by her father, Oliver Herron, paternal grandparents, Joseph and Arvella Courts; and maternal grandparents, Elbert and Christine Robinson.

A person is never dead until they are forgotten, and Danisa will continue to live through her loving and devoted mother, Annie Maxine Robinson Herron; her sister, Katrina Herron; and a host of cousins, other relatives, and friends.

"A Christian is a keyhole through which other folk see God."

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The Christian Index • September 2020

--Veronica Sturdivant

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

Bishop Paul A.G. Stewart, Retired - 8145 Summerwood Circle, Olive Branch MS 38654-7060 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

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 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 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.

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

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)

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