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October 31, 1988
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Vol. 138, No. 3
The AME Christian Recorder
October 31, 1988
12th Episcopal District Joyfully
Receives New Leaders
Bishop H. A. Belin, Jr.
Oklahoma City, OK—The Rt. Rev.
Henry A. Belin, Jr., and Mrs. Lucinda
Crawford Belin greeted the members
of the 99th Session of the Oklahoma
Annual Conference with a message
that challenged: “There is much work
to be done and much we can do, as we
grow together in His name. Our theme
for this Quadrennium is ‘Growth.’ If
we are to be God’s servants, we must
continue to grow in grace, in love, in
spirit, in giving of ourselves and our
stewardship, in wisdom, in under-
standing, and in caring and sharing.
Growth means a continuum of study-
ing and learning. Fasting and praying
will ensure spiritual growth.”
The site of the inaugural annual
conference in the series of conferences
of the 12th Episcopal District was
Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, Okla-
homa City, with Rev. E. W, Dawkins
serving as host pastor, Host presiding
elders were the Reverends L. B. Quinn
and Morris E, Griffin.
The inspirational challenge of the
episcopal leaders indeed set the tone
for an action-packed, Spirit-filled
meeting. The Lay Organization’s
Annual Banquet was, following tradi-
tion, well-planned and well-
orchestrated. Dr. James Gavin, III,
guest lecturer, distinguished physi-
cian and member of Avery Chapel
A.M.E. Church, electrified the
audience as he extolled the impor-
tance and the necessity of lay minis-
tries. The focal point of the
motivational message was “Ministers
and Laypersons alike must develop
their individual gifts to the maximum,
and use them unselfishly in the
kingdom-building of God.”
A second memorable event was
sponsored by the Lay Organization
during the conference. The out-going
Conference Branch President, Bro.
Albert Yarborough, was honored with
a gala reception and with gifts in
recognition of his faithful and untir-
ing service to the Conference.
The members of the Women’s ~
Missionary Society were involved ina
plethora of activities. Following a
directive from Supervisor Lucinda
Crawford Belin, large quantities of
canned foods were collected for distri-
Please turn to page 7
Pope John Paul IT Makes
™“~
Pope John Paul II
Pilgrimage to Southern States
by Sarah Nkele Matlhare
In his first ever pilgrimage to South-
ern Africa, Pope John Paul II visited
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho,
Swaziland and Mozambique, and ex-
cluded South Africa because of its
apartheid policy. W.M.S. Associate
Editor Sara Nkele Matlhare was in
Gaborone, Botswana, to capture the
moment and bring you an up-to-date
news his visit.
The Pope’s jumbo jet touched down
at Sir Seretse Khama International
Airport at 10:45 a.m., on Tuesday. He
was accompanied by a party of one
hundred journalists and top-ranking
Catholics, and was officially met by
President and Mrs. Quett Masire and
his cabinet and thousands of well-
wishers. As is customary, the Holy
Father, Pope John Paul II, kissed the
ground on disembarking from the
plane to symbolize love and peace for
Bishop Desmond Tutu
that country on an official visit.
The usually quiet Gaborone airport
was a colorful, spectacular sight as
Catholic nuns, choirs, school children,
and curious spectators mingled
shoulder-to-shoulder to welcome the
Holy Father, and perhaps be able to
shake his hand.
President Masire, in his welcome re-
Please turn to page 5
igh ee
OF lth APRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL
HH OFFICTAL ORGAN
k H
“«
PRICE; 50 CENTS
“
URE BROTHER
Colorado Conference opens in Grand Ole
Fifth District nvie> Spiritual
The 102nd Session of the Colorado
Annual Conference, Sth Episcopal
District, African Methodist Episco-
pal Church, convened at_ historic
Campbell Chapel A.M.E, Church,
Denver, CO, on September 6, 1988,
with the Rt. Rev, Vinton R. Anderson,
presiding, Rev. M. L. Shakespeare
was the host presiding elder.
Campbell Chapel A.M.E. Church,
under the dynamic leadership of Dr.
Ezekiel Habersham, was host to this
Spirit-filled session of the annual con-
ference at the request of Tanner
Chapel A.M.E. Church, Phoenix, AZ,
who along with all Black institutions
and organizations in Arizona, were
conducting an economic boycott of
business done in that state due to the
Bishop Vinton R. Anderson
biased position taken by it’s former
governor, Evan Mechan, against
declaring Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Day a state holiday.
Please turn to page 7
You Can’t Say Honey in Kiribati
Says Bible Translator
New York, NY—The honey and lo-
custs referred to in the gospels of Mat-
thew and Mark present challenges to
translators of the New Testament into
Kiribati. Neither honey nor locusts are
known on Tarawa Atoll, the main
island of Kiribati, where a Bible Soci-
ety team is at work and still searching
for an adequate translation.
Coconuts would pose no problem,
but nowhere are coconuts mentioned
in the Bible. Which is just as well, says
Bible Society translation consultant,
Dr. Joseph Hong. He notes that the
people of the South Pacific nation,
once the Gilbert Islands, have five dif-
ferent words to denote the coconut at
its various stages of growth. The trans-
lators would have a hard job deciding
which should be used when.
Dr. Hong’s comments appear as a
lighter side in a report to the Amer-
ican Bible Society, which is partially
Please turn to page 7
Call on Black America to Impose Economic
Sanctions Against Japan
by Lemuel M. Wells
New York—Angered by insulting re-
marks by Japan’s Michio Watanabe,
chairman of the Policy Research
Council of the Liberal-Democratic
Party and a former Finance and Trade
Minister, Assemblywoman Geraldine
L. Daniels (Democrat-Liberal, Har-
lem’s 70th Assembly District) urged
Black America to impose economic
sanctions against Japan.
In a statement issued from her Har-
lem office, located in the famous
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office
Building, Assemblywoman Daniels
said, ‘‘Because of this second insulting
anti-Black American remarks by Japa-
nese officials, I am asking Black
America to buy American made pro-
ducts only, with no Japanese made
parts in the product. Since, according
to Watanabe, we Black Americans do
not know how to use credit cards
properly and economically, and go the
route of bankruptcy, we Black Ameri-
cans will keep our bankrupt two hun-
dred fifty billion dollars and see to it
that none of it goes to Japan, not one
Black cent.”’
As the first Black American elected
official to demand an apology from
former Prime Minister Yashuhiro Na-
kasone and received one, Assembly-
woman Daniels continued by saying,
“First the Prime Minister insults us
about our intelligence and now his
lackey insults us about our spending
habits. Enough is Enough.”’
Twenty-Four-Hour Prayer Vigil Revitalizes
Allen Temple A.M.E. Church
Atlanta, GA—A _ twenty-four-hour
prayer vigil was held at Allen Temple
A.M.E. Church—a religious event
that was termed ‘‘successful’’ and
“sinvigorating.’’ Dr. C. E. Wells, Sr.,
the esteemed pastor of this great
church, after thought and considera-
tion, was directed by the prompting of
the Holy Spirit to implement the
prayer vigil.
Pastor Wells was seeking to convey
the concept that our heritage was
founded and centered on the prayers
of our matriarchs and patriarchs, and,
furthermore, that Methodism was
founded and established on prayer. He
was thoroughly convinced that a
greater degree of spirituality for the
church and the community could be
achieved and he aggressively pursued
the accomplishment of this endeavor.
The twenty-four-hour vigil was phy-
sically exhausting, yet the results were
overwhelming. A higher level of wor-
ship and praise surfaced in the realm
Please turn to page 6
—————
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2 The AME Christian Recorder
October 31, 1988
Boy Scouts of America Plan National Good Deed
“On my honor I will do my best:
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law; to help
other people at all times; to keep my-
self physically strong, mentally awake
and morally straight.’’
This, as I recall, is the Boy Scout
oath. It’s been a long time since I was
a Boy Scout and member of a troop,
but those were exciting days.
When I learned that several mil-
lion Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Ex-
plorers, in 1988, have planned a Na-
tional Good Deed, I was very pleased.
The Scouts will distribute collection
bags door-to-door on Saturday, No-
vember 12, with an appeal that they be | ROBERT H. REID, JR.
filled with non-perishable food most
needed for nutrition, to help alleviate hunger in America. On the following
Saturday, November 19, the Scouts will collect the bags of food.
When the Scouts engage in this massive national GOOD TURN, it will
become the largest appeal for food in the history of the nation. According to
the Boy Scouts of America, twenty million Americans, including four million
children, ‘‘go hungry at some time every month.’’ ‘‘By sheer numbers, as
well as health risk posed, hunger is a problem of staggering proportions,’’ ac-
cording to Dr. J. Larry Brown, a participant in the program and Chairman of
the Physician Task Force on Hunger in America at the Harvard University
School of Public Health. The problem of hunger is all the more disturbing
since hunger was virtually eliminated in the United States during the 1970’s.
The Boy Scouts of America organization also quotes studies which claim
there is more hunger in America today than at any time in the past twenty-five
years.
“Hunger is a problem we can do something about by working
together,” observed Chief Scout Executive Ben H. Love of Irvin, Texas.
“Scouting for food is a starting point. It is an example of Scouting’s long
standing commitment to community service.”
Scouting officials said they hoped at least one hundred million canned
goods will be donated. Foodstuffs will be sorted and boxed at collection
centers throughout the country and then distributed to, or picked up by, ex-
isting food banks and other distribution agencies cooperating with the
Scouts. The agencies will subsequently provide the food to the needy in their
home communities at no cost. Cooperating with the Scouts nationwide will
be the United Way and the National Guard. Many others, such as food
chains, civic and religious groups, fire departments and various governmental
agencies are cooperating on regional or local levels. The national chairman of
this national appeal for food is Frank J. Morgan, president and chief
operating officer, the Quaker Oats Company, whose corporation is providing
supportive resources to the Boy Scouts of America in the conduct of the
Scouting for Food Good Turn.
The Boy Scouts of America Good Turn traces back to American busi-
nessman William D. Boyce. He was lost in a London fog and a boy offered to
take Boyce to the address he wanted, and then refused to tip, saying he was a
THE A.M.E. CHRISTIAN RECORDER
Nashville, Tennessee.
The A.M.E. Christian Recorder was established in 1852
$15.00 per year by mail, Make all money orders and cashier's checks payable to A
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EDITORIAL STAFF
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Jacquelyn Grant, Women’s Ministries Editor; Rev. John Q, Owens, Social Action
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tributing Editor; Or. Jamye Coleman Williams, General Features Editor; Mrs
Delores L. Kennedy Williams, Senior Missions Editor; Mrs Ruth Hill Jones, Con-
sulting Editor; Rev. Alonzo Middleton, Regional Editor; Rev E. L. Blankenship,
Regional Editor, Rev Ww. J. Jackson, Regional Editor; Mrs. Vorheese D, B
Jamison, Laymen’s Editor; Chaplain (Captain) William Holt Liptrot, Jr., Chaplains
Editor; Atty. Mary R. Turner, Basic Law Editor; Dr. J. W. P. Collier, Overseas Cor-
respondent; Dr Kenneth S. Robinson, Medical Ministries Editor; Rev. Frederick Cc
Harrison, Overseas Mission Editor, Mrs. Sarah Nkele Malthare, South African
Editor; Mrs. Sheridan R Reid-Banks, Special Features Reporter; Rev. O Urcille
Ifill, Sr., Contributing Editor, Dr. Henderson Sheldon Davis, Archives Editor, Dr
William P. DeVeaux, Career Development Editor, Dr Dennis Clark Dickerson,
Contributing Editor; Rev. Cecil Murray, Contributing Editor; Dr. Marjorie Jones,
Contributing Editor; Rev. Walter Winstead Reid, Sr., Contributing Editor; Rev
Cyrus Keller, Religious Literature Editor
The A.M.E. Christian Recorder welcomes letters from its readers on matters
of general interest All letters must be signed and contain the address of the writer
The A.M.E. Christian Recorder will occasionally withhold the name of a writer ota
signed letter, if there is a valid reason given. No defamatory, libelous or slanderous
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ject or edit any letter or article to conform with good taste, style and space re
quirements
Postmaster please send address correction to A.M.E. Sunday School Union,
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Avenue, South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4181. Second Class postage paid at
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Boy Scout. Boyce’s curiousity was aroused. He later had the youth take him
to Scouting’s British founder, Lord Baden Powell. From this chance
meeting, the Boy Scouts of America was born. As a result, the Good Turn
has been a cornerstone of Scouting’s citizenship and character-building ef-
forts. Promotion of a safe and sane Fourth of July in 1912, was the first na-
tional Scout Good Turn. Scores of others have followed. The most recent
was a 1986 effort to inform persons of the need for donated human organs
and tissues.
At every church where I pastored, I always fostered a Scouting program
because of its great worth for girls and boys. In fact, the African Methodist
Episcopal denomination has fully endorsed the Scouting movement of
America. The A.M.E. Discipline states: The Boy Scout organization shall be
the organization movement for boys of the African Methodist Episcopal
Church. Each pastor is authorized to set up and maintain an organization of
his/her church or to see that the boys of his/her church participate in the
movement through other Protestant churches.
(B) Proper official contacts shall be maintained between the local church
board and the National Director of Boy Scouts. (C) All Scout troops under
the supervision of the African Methodist Episcopal Church shall study the
history of the A.M.E. Church, appropriate portions of the Discipline, the
biography of Bishop Richard Allen and the Holy Bible.
The section on Girl Scouts states: The official organized movement for
girls in the A.M.E. Church shall be the Girl Scouts. The General Secretary of
the Division of Christian Education will appoint a Connectional Director of
Girl Scouts who shall have responsibility for and general supervision over all
Girl Scout Troops in the A.M.E. Church.
(B) All pastors are authorized and urged to organize Girl Scout Troops
in their local churches. Presiding Elders are urged to appoint directors in
their Districts, Bishops are asked to appoint Episcopal District Directors of
Girl Scouts.
The Division of Christian Education and the Connectional Director shall
maintain proper official contact with the National Office of Girl Scouts and
cooperate in promotion of the program. Local troups should keep in close
contact with their local Scout headquarters. All Girl Scout Troops shall study
the history of the A.M.E. Church, the life of Richard Allen, selected portions
of the Bible, selected portions of the A.M.E. Discipline; and any other mat-
ter suitable for growth and development.
As I recall from my youth experience, there were many wonderful things
that I learned as a Boy Scout. Never to be forgotten is its potent motto, BE
PREPARED. The Boy Scout starts off as a Tenderfoot Scout. After he
learns certain things and becomes a Second Class Scout, he learns more skills,
and then becomes a First Class Scout. He may continue by advancing to the
Star Rank, Life Rank and, finally, he can become an Eagle Scout, the highest
rank of all. Any boy in the nation is eligible to join. Cub Scouts are eight to
ten years old; Boy Scouts, eleven to thirteen years and older; and Explorers,
fourteen years and older.
There are twelve points of the Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy. A
Scout is loyal. A Scout is helpful. A Scout is friendly. A Scout is courteous,
A Scout is kind. A Scout if obedient. A Scout is cheerful. A Scout is thrifty.
A Scout is brave. A Scout is clean. A Scout is reverent.
The Christian Recorder Editor salutes the Boy Scouts of America and
congratulates them for their 1988 appeal for food to feed the hungry people
of America.
ee te OE EE EE A
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It opens our
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===== DSC05650.JPG =====
The AME Christian Recorder
The Voice of the Episcopacy
“Ecumenical Journeyings”
Bishop F. H. Talbot
The focus is on COCU (Commis-
sion on Church Union). I attended the
Executive Committee which met in
New Orleans from October 24, 1988,
and made preparations for the 1988
Plenary, which will be held at the
Intercontinental Hotel in New Or-
leans, December 5-9, 1988.
The Executive has issued the fol-
lowing statement which summarizes
the vision of COCU:
After more than twenty-five
years of study, delegates to the Con-
sultation on Church Union from its
nine participating communions are
nearing agreement on a proposal
for church unity without uniform-
ity. The recommendation, spelled
out ina new document, Churches in
Covenant Communion, will be
considered by a plenary session of
the Consultation in December,
1988. Upon approval by the
Plenary, it will go to the churches
for study and, in time, for action by
the highest governing body of each
church—a process that may take
until about 1995 for all the member
churches to have completed.
What is proposed is that these
nine churches become a covenant
communion of churches. Each
church, according to this plan, will
retain its own name and identity, in-
cluding its own form of church goy-
ernment and worship, its own pat-
tern of ministerial training and
placement, and its own confession-
al and international relationships
What is new is that these churches,
while continuing to be autono-
mous, would enter into eight ele-
ments of full communion with each
other:
confessing the faith
people,
embracing inclusiveness of per-
sons as a sign of wholeness,
—recognizing each other’s mem-
bers in one baptism,
as one
P. O. Box 19039
Enclose Check
or Money Order for $5.95 Per (
ATTENTION: Know Your Church!
ALL MINISTERS—ALL LAYPERSONS
Get Your Personal Copy Of All New Legislation And Budget
Passed at The 43rd Session of The
GENERAL CONFERENCE
Sehd Your Order To
THE SECRETARIAT
A.M.E, Church
‘opy
—fully recognizing each other as
true churches,
—mutually recognizing our or-
dained ministries as one ministry,
—celebrating the Lord’s Supper to-
gether,
—engaging in witness to Christ in
ways that give evidence that Christ
has made us one, and
—creating a means of deciding and
acting together.
Some will be surprised to learn
that the COCU churches are not al-
ready one in these ways. But the
painful fact is that they are not. In
Spirit they are one. That is the gift
of God. But in practice they are
divided according to their different
insights into the faith and their dif-
fering experiences of God’s grace.
Yet diversity also is God’s gift. It is
intended not to divide, but to enrich
the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians
12:4-7). Hence these nine churches
seek together not uniformity but
community in Christ. They seek
God’s grace to become a covenant
communion of churches.
The aim of this covenant com-
munion will be to make visible and
practicable, in the places where we
live, what we already say with our
lips: that the church is one, holy,
catholic and apostolic. We propose
to demonstrate both to ourselves
and to the world that we really are
one body in Christ, though varied
in our traditions. Through
covenanting, we seek to grow in our
experience of unity in faith, sacra-
ment, ministry, and mission, we
seek to become more mature in
Christ, embracing the rich diver-
sity of persons and gifts which the
Spirit has given for the common
good; we seek to uphold the free-
dom and dignity of every person,
speaking with one voice to issues of
justice, peace, and the stewardship
of creation; and we are committed
by God’s grace to demonstrate, for
the sake of the world, a model of re-
conciled communities of difference
within the one community of the
people of God
The ten delegates to the Plenary
are listed in alphabetical order
ANDERSON, Bishop Vinton R
DeVEAUX, The Rev. Dr William
GRE li NE * Mrs Jo Anna
HOWARD, The Rev. Cecil
JACOBS, The Rev. Daniel W., Sr
KELLER, The Rev. Cyrus S
MING, Bishop Donald S
TALBOT, Bishop Frederick H
TYLER, The Rev. Mrs. Carolyn
WATLEY, The Rev. Dr. William
Philadelphia, PA 19138 9039
East Tennessee Holds Annual
Conference at St. Paul A.M.E.
Church, Fayetteville, TN
Bishop C. E. Thomas
Nestled in the southeast section of
middle Tennessee, about 30 miles east
of the foundation of the KKK, about
30 miles north of what is known as the
rocket city, Huntsville, AL, about 16
miles south of the famous Jack
Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, and
about 45 miles west of the great and
beautiful Swanee University of the
Episcopal Church, is the small town of
about 28,000 citizens of Lincoln
County. The county that gave birth to
the Rt. Rev. Earnest Lawrence Hick-
man, retired bishop of our great Zion.
There are some eight A.M.E. churches
in the area.
This county opened their doors to
the eighty-eighth session of the East
Tennessee Annual Conference, held at
the St. Paul A.M.E. Church, with
Host Pastor Rev. James Kenneth
Brown, and the Reverend Ozell
Mason as host presiding elder
God would have it that I would be
present with the committee when they
met with our presiding bishop, who is
the president of the Bishop’s Council
and the prelate of the blessed Thir-
teenth Episcopal District. After the
presiding elder made his report on the
day before the conference opened,
Bishop Thomas made the comment to
Rev. Mason that “your report speaks
well of your district.” The ministers
present replied, “that is the way a good
presiding elder and the Chattanooga
District works.” My mind told me then
and there that we would be in for a
great conference
Was | disappointed? Some, but not
much, It was on the same night that
Bishop Thomas proved to me what he
has said many times to the ministers of
our district, We sat and talked man to
man, just the two of us, It was a very
profound and rich conversation
Should the Bishop lead the
processional in the Conference? I have
heard this question asked. Bishop
Thomas said that “this is your conter-
ence, | am only the Bishop.” So the
choir goes first, then clergy and then
the Bishop
Rev, O, Mason presided during the
opening Worship Service The newly
organized East Tennessee Conference
Choir led in singing “And Are We Yet
Alive,” “When Peace Like a River,”
“Through It All,” and “On Jordan's
Stormy Banks,” which set the tone of
the conference. The high note of the
opening day was the dynamic preach
ing of Dr. Edward W. Jackson
Subject “Spintual Leadership,” from
Joshua: lt i-2) The Rt Revealed:
Bearden served as Chief Celebrant for
Holy Communion.
After a spiritual feast, we retired to
the lower fellowship hall for a feast of
some of the best food you can eat any
place. This was an everyday feast for
us while at the conference. The coop-
eration of the area A.M.E. churches
and their very fine members cooking
the way country folks cook. Let me
include the meal at the country home
of one of the pastors of the conference,
Rev. and Mrs. R. L. Bailey, who fed
some 20 persons one afternoon.
The afternoon of the first day will go
down in history asa very dull day inan
annual conference.
We had some good preaching, as
usual in our conferences. On Wednes-
day night Rev. A. C. Griffin (your re-
porter), preached on the topic*What Is
Your Opinion of Christ?” St. Matthew
22:42. Rev. E. M. Martin preached at
the noon-day service September 23,
from the topic “How Jesus Believed
the Church Can Grow,” from St.
Matthew 13:31.
On Friday night the Laymen of the
conference, led by Bro. Albert
Williams, presented a panel discus-
sion on why the Laity should support
the expansion fund of the 13th
Episcopal District. Bro. Williams
stated in his own way the reason the
laymen of the district should take lead
in seeing to it that the fund becomes a
success. Others on the panel were Bro.
Henry Ash and the Reverend W. H.
Smith.
On Saturday morning the
conference, along with the YPD’ers
present, held the Ordination Service,
with the Rt. Rev. I. H. Bearden
preaching the Ordination Sermon. He
used for his text St. Luke 19:10. There
was no subject, but many areas
covered. The Conference ordained
two itinerant elders. They were the
Reverends Amos Woodruff and
Charlene Boone. This left only three
members of the class, This also shows
the great need for more laborers in the
vineyard
The youth night program, under the
direction of Ms. Shelia Harris, pre-
sented a program titled, “Great Para-
bles to Live By -
Your presence would have been one
of long remembrance. | am sure that
the young people missed the presence
of their Episcopal Supervisor, Mrs.
Susie J. Thomas, who left the confer-
ence due to illness
The Sunday morning Worship
Service was held at St. Paul A.M.E
Church. | reflected a concern that
makes you wonder why we do not get
as many people to attend the Annual
Conference, Many of us know, but are
not trying to do anything about it.
The Sunday morning sermon was
preached by Rev. James Arnell, pastor
of Young's Chapel A.M.E,. Church,
Louisville, KY. He used as a text
Ezekiel 37:3, with the topic being “Can
These Bones Live?” The young
preacher preached out of his heart
The memorial service revealed the
passing of two of the local elders of the
Please turn to page S
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The AME Christian Recorder
October 31, 1988
**Agriculture Mediation Program
Expands to Meet Growing Need’’
Farmers and their creditors around
Oklahoma are taking advantage of a
Statewide program designed to assist
them in resolving problem loan
Situations. According to state coor-
dinator, Jim Stovall, requests for
mediation have been coming in at an
unprecedented rate from all parts of the
state. The increase may be due to the
85% success rate achieved so far in
assisting farmers and their creditors in
reaching an agreement satisfactory to all
sides.
Farmers in more than 40 counties
have already used the program to reach
agreement with the Federal Land Bank,
Farmers Home Administration, and
various commerical banks. Under the
new Agricultural Credit Act of 1987,
Farm Credit Service and Farmers Home
Administration institutions are required
to participate in state certified mediation
programs and to explore debt
restructuring proposals advanced in the
course of mediation.
Oklahoma’s Agriculture Mediation
Program (AMP) was the first in the
nation to be certified under the
provisions of the new Agricultural
Credit Act. AMP is a cooperative
program of the Oklahoma Depart-
ment of Agriculture and the Okla-
homa Conference of Churches
When asked to explain the reasons for
the programs success, Stovall points out
that unlike bankruptcy or foreclosure
proceedings, the mediation process
keeps the power of decision making in
the hands of those most directly effected
by the situation: the farmer and _ his
banker. “It's an arrangement where
participants are not handing over
decisions to other people” Stovall
explains.
lhe goal of the mediation process is to
provide an opportunity for farmers and
creditors to make joint decisions about
how they will respond to problem loans,
loans which both parties originally
thought were sound.
To meet the growing demand, AMP
officials recently arranged a_ training
program for twenty-one additional
mediators from across the state. This
new group will join the current team of
27 state certified agriculture mediators.
In the mediation hearing, the
mediator serves as a neutral party who
helps facilitate communication and
assists parties in working toward a
“win-win” solution.
For more informaiton on AMP, call
(405) 525-2055.
First Endowed Professor of
Jewish Studies Appointed
At Harvard Divinity School ___
Jon D. Levenson of the University of
Chicago has been appointed the first
Albert A. List Professor of Jewish
Studies at Harvard Divinity School.
Devoted exclusively to Jewish studies,
this endowed professorship is the first of
its kind in the nation at a predominately
Christian divinity school.
Dr. Levenson is currently Professor of
Hebrew Bible in the Divinity School and
the Committee on General Studies in the
Humanities of the University of
Chicago. His groundbreaking research
in theological traditions in biblical and
rabbinic Judaism has brought a
distinctive approach to both biblical
studies and Jewish studies. His work
combines critical philosophical, his-
torical, and theological analysis that
are replete with implications for both
Judaism and Christianity.
Ronald F. Thiemann, Dean of
Harvard Divinity School, said, “We are
most fortunate to have this brilliant
scholar join our faculty. Steeped in
Judaism both in its personal practice and
in its academic understanding, Professor
Levenson interprets the Hebrew bible
from within the Jewish tradition. With a
masterful command of the ancient
sources extending from the Mesopota-
miam scribes to the Jewish Amoraim
he is reclaiming biblical studies as a
Jewish intellectual endeavor and
making a monumental contribution to
the field. We are delighted to welcome
him to the Divinity School community.”
Three of Professor Levenson’s book,
Theology of the Program of Restoration
of Ezekiel 40-48, Sinai and Zion: An
Entry Into the Jewish Bible, and
Creation and the Persistence of Evil:
Jewish Drama of Divine Omnipotence,
have been acclaimed as major Jewish
intellectual works with significance for
both Judaism and Christianity.
Commenting on Sinai and Zion, Paul
Hanson, Lamont Professor of Divinity
at Harvard, said, “Skillfully, Professor
Levenson keeps the attention of both
Jews and Christians, disabusing his
Jewish readers of their traditional
skepticism vis-a-vis historical methods of
biblical study, and calling into question
established conclusions of Christian
readers that rest less upon textual
evidence than upon their christological
confessional framework. The book is a
brilliant illustration of the vision coming
to expression in the last line of its
Introduction: ‘If both communities can
grow through a common reappropria-
tion of a book for which they do not
share even a name, then the possibilities
for fraternal respect may grow as well.’”
A 1971 summa cum laude graduate of
Harvard College, Professor Levenson
also did his graduate work at Harvard
and received his Ph.D. from the
Department of Near Eastern Languages
and Civilization in 1975. Before joining
the faculty at the University of Chicago
in 1982, he served for seven years as
Assistant Professor of Religion and
Biblical Studies at Wellesley College.
The List Chair was created by a gift
from the Albert A. List Foundation. Mr.
List, a prominent New York industrialist
and financier, was a leading philan-
thropist in the fields of medicine, edu-
cation, arts, and religion. He served as
a trustee of the Jewish Theological
Seminary and Mt. Sinai Hospital,
both in New York.
Harvard Divinity School’s interest in
Jewish Studies is not new. It was as a
member of this faculty that Professor
George Foote Moore wrote on Judaism
in the 1920’s, changing decisively the
understanding of Judaism in Western
scholarship and giving English-speaking
Christians a new appreciation of
Judaism. Beginning in the 1920's, the
great Jewish scholar Harry Austryn
Wolfson was for several decades a
member of the Divinity School faculty.
Jewish students have, for many years,
enrolled in advanced theological de-
gree programs in significant numbers.
The Harvard Divinity School Collo-
quium, co-sponsored in 1967 with the
American Jewish Committee, became
a significant event in international
Jewish-Christian relations.
The creation of the Center of Jewish
Please turn to page 6
Intermedia Christmas Card 1988
Spirit of Peace
Spirit of Peace is the strikingly dif-
ferent Intermedia Christmas Card for
1988. On a background of deep blue,
the rounded form of a white dove is
partially cut away to reveal silhouettes
of Mary and the Christ Child. Em-
braced in the symbolic wings of the
dove, the holy pair reside in quiet
calm. Added gestures of harmony and
peace, typified by a sprig of green olive
leaves, trail from the dove’s bill. The
colors for the card typify the univer-
sality of the message: blue, the divine
color, touches green, the primary
shade of Earth. Both colors participate
in the light of sacrificial spirit por-
trayed by the dove.
The card’s message reads:
“‘When the Spirit of Peace and Jus-
tice becomes a part of our lives,
everyday will be Christmas
and every night will hold
The promise of the New King-
dom.”’
An interesting story lies behind the
design of this year’s card with its sim-
ple, yet expressive, lines. The idea for
the card came into being through col-
laboration by two people: the original
inspiration from Nora Quiroga Boots
and the created design by Lou
Theoharides. Mrs. Boots who comes
from Cochabamba, Bolivia, and who
is presently living in New York City,
envisioned a card which spoke to peace
and justice for Latin America, as de-
termined by the recent Central Ameri-
ca Peace Plan, where new life for so
many longs to be born in the spirit of
peace. Lou Theoharides, director of
the art studio Theoharides, Inc., has
transformed Nora Boots concept into
a design with universal appeal and un-
derstanding. For Nora Boots’ the de-
sign demonstrates the Magnificat, the
hymn sung by Mary after her Annunci-
ation: ‘‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior...for all generations shall call
me blessed.”’
The Spirit of Peace card measures 5
x 6% and is packaged in shrink-
wrapped sets of 20 cards. (Intermedia
regrets packets cannot be split.) One
packet of 20 cards costs $10.00; for 10
packets or more, there is a 20% dis-
count. Postage and handling charges
are $2.00 for one packet; $3.25 for
two; $4.25 for three; and ten (10%)
percent of an order for four or more
packets. Purchases are tax-deductible.
Make checks or money orders payable
to Intermedia. Order from: In-
termedia, Room 670, 475 Riverside
Drive, New York, NY 10115.
Intermedia is an international Chris-
tian ministry for communication and
adult basic education. Proceeds from
the card underwrite literacy and media
projects in Africa, Asia, Latin Ameri-
ca, the Caribbean, and the South Paci-
fic.
\LLOP THE
WOMEN
OF THE
BIBLE
Over 300 concise biographies
of women in the Old and New
Testaments—the major named
figures in the foreground and
the nameless women in the
background of Scripture.
by Edith Deen
(2 ED OD ER LN OS OD eS ED ED ED OD OH AD GS PSD OM on OD 2 OS Ot OD OP oD GR Ee mE ES ne om an DOD EO oo T
This is the first comprehensive book §
i ever written on all the women of the
- Bible, flavored with the color and!
adrama of the original stories. Mrs.
' Deen’s comments on these women, g
H their influence, and their times, gives the &
1 book a quality that is as constructive as 4
Vit is entertaining.
¥ RA-601000 0.2.6... e eee eee $19.95 §
(Please add 13% postage and handling.)
H Please send me _____ copies
| of All the Women of the Bible.
H Enclosed is payment in the
! amount of $ plus 13%
H postage and handling.
‘
! Name
H Church
i Address
1 City
J State Zip.
1 Phone
1
: AMEC Publishing House
; 500 Eighth Avenue South
' Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4181
4
1
%
ea memenwen cen eneeneseceeed
SSE oe
===== DSC05652.JPG =====
October 31, 1988
The AME Christian Recorder
Motivational Talk by Contemporary Star
GAINESVILLE— Movie actress and television talk-show host Oprah Winfrey entertained
an estimated 10,000 fans in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the University of Florida
campus. Telling the crowd stories about her road to stardom, Winfrey said it is up to each
person to ‘‘seize the moment’’ and find their own road to success.
ABS Develops Scripture Selection
to Minister to Spiritual Needs
of the Nation’s Homeless
NEW YORK, NY, (ABS)—‘‘I Am
Somebody Special!’’, a booklet of Bi-
ble passages which can give strength
and comfort to the homeless, is one of
the new Scripture items which the
American Bible Society will publish
this fall.
The inspirational, 42-page booklet
has been developed by ABS expressly
in response to a growing need on the
part of both churches and social ser-
vice-agencies that minister to that
small sector of society which has be-
come so disturbingly visible in recent
years.
No one venturing onto the down-
town streets of even small American
cities can fail to be reminded of the
growing number of men and women
who spend their days and nights on the
streets.
There are believed to be at least two
million of these homeless people who
are without habitation and for various
reasons cannot support themselves.
“I Am Somebody Special’’ is in-
tended to help these people realize
their own worth, as individuals and in
the sight of God. The Scripture pas-
sages are in the clear wording of the
Good News Bible in Today’s English
Version. The introductions to the
various sections all begin with the
words, ‘‘I’m Somebody.”’
ABS felt it was important that
readers relate instantly to ‘“‘I Am
Somebody Special!’’, even before
opening its pages. Pictures of home-
less men from the Bowery Mission on
New York City’s Bowery who helped
with the project appear both on the
cover and inside.
ABS general secretary Alice E. Ball,
who speaks from first hand experience
of working with people in shelters for
the homeless, says, ‘‘Unless you wit-
ness it for yourself, you cannot fully
understand the power of the Scriptures
to turn lives around. I saw it happen
over and over again.”’
The Bible Society has approached
the mayor of cities with ten thousand
or more inhabitants, as well as coun-
cils of churches and other agencies, in
announcing the new Scripture booklet.
Their response has been enthusiastic.
Three hundred thousand copies have
already been ordered, two months
before the booklet is due off the press.
ABS explained in a letter going to
the various agencies that it can help
minister to the spiritual needs of
others through ‘‘God’s Word which
has, throughout the ages, brought
hope, comfort and strength to people
in times of greatest need.”’
The Society is suggesting that ‘‘I
Am Somebody Special!’’ can be made
a part of existing food and shelter pro-
grams, and offered during counseling
sessions. Copies could be displayed
for anyone to pick up at shelters,
church food pantries, single-room oc-
cupancy hotels and halfway houses.
The Reverend Daniel P. Gardinier,
Program Director of the Denver
Rescue Mission in Denver, CO, wrote
to ABS, ‘‘I thank the Lord for your
sensitivity to the needs of others and
your willingness to offer this resource
free of charge . . . We can use at least
one thousand. We will serve that many
at Thanksgiving, and probably the
same number at Christmas.’’
The Mission’s own letterhead bears
part of the 11th verse from the 15th
chapter of Deuteronomy, ‘‘The poor
shall never cease . . . Thou shalt open
thine hand wide unto thy brother, to
thy poor, and to thy needy.’’
Continued from page 3
East Tennessee Holds Annual
Conference at St. Paul A.M.E.
Church, Fayetteville, TN
conference who died this year. The
Reverend Henry David Boyd, Sr.,
died September 12, 1988. He served
with St. Paul A.M.E. Church in
Alcoa. He was known to be very coop-
erative to his pastors and the presid-
ing elders of the district. The Reverend
Willie Bee Brown died September 17,
1988. He served with the Warren
Chapel A.M.E. Church in
Chattanooga. He was licensed to
preach under Rev. J. Edward Tillman.
Rev. Brown had a very cooperative
spirit, he loved his church and his
church family. These two wonderful
persons will be sadly missed by their
church families.
The conference voted to hold the
89th Session at St. Paul A.M.E.
Church, Alcoa, TN. Hope to see you
there. Pray for us.
A. C. Griffin, Sr., Reporter
Continued from page 1
Pope John Paul Il Makes Pilgrimage to Southern States
marks said, “the church in Southern
Africa is in the forefront in the strug-
gle against the inhumanity of
apartheid, which is evil. The contribu-
tion of the church is essential for the
body and soul of humanity,” He
pointed out that in Botswana the
church has made a_ significant
contribution in education and in the
socio-economic field, though more
still needs to be done.
In his response, the Pope thanked
President Masire for the invitation to
visit Botswana and said, “Botswana is
a country at peace with itself and its
neighbors, which is due in a great
measure to the peaceful nature of
Botswana, Freedom of speech and
religion are part of your human life,”
he continued. “With God’s help, may
your country continue to be an agent
of peace with its neighbors.” From the
airport, the Holy Father held talks
with President Masire at the State
House, the official resident of the Pres-
ident.
At 4 p.m., a Popal Mass was held at
the National Stadium in Gaborone,
where about 60,000 Christians packed
the stadium from as far as Namibia
and other neighboring states.
The congregation erupted with joy
as the Pope emerged in a papal vehicle
that was specially made in Botswana.
It took about thirty minutes for the
people to settle down as the Pope cir-
cled round and round the stadium for
everyone to get a good look at him.
There was a Spirit-filled service of
Christian worship, characterized by
prayer and song, under the
appropriate theme “Justice and
Peace.” The Liturgy of the Word, first
reading, was from Micah 4:1-5; the
Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 84; and
the Gospel Reading, John 20:19-23.
Pope John conducted the Homily
and based it on peace and justice. He
firmly pointed out that our present day
presents many challenges for those
who advocate peace, justice and recon-
ciliation. “The sin of injustice brings
fear to those who perpetrate it. Fear is
driven off by perfect love, which is
revealed in Jesus Christ, who has given
us the gift of peace. God has entrusted
us to use the ministry of reconciliation.
Reconciliation and communion are
essential to strengthen us in our daily
struggle,” he said.
The Pope addressed issues such as
the weakening of marriage and family
life, the increased divorce rate and
other human rights issues. Concern-
ing marriage, he said, “God founded
the marriage covenant on the equal
personal dignity of men and women,
who, in matrimony, give themselves
with a love that is total and, therefore,
unique and exclusive. Hence, any
forms of disregard for the equal
dignity of men and women must be
seen as serious contradictions of truth
that Christ has brought into the
world.”
People in Botswana were, however,
angered by the Pope’s convenient
silence on South African raids into
Botswana, in which women, children
and innocent civilians were murdered.
An offertory of indigenous foods and
gifts were presented to the Pope before
Holy Communion, after which the
final blessing and dismissal were
performed. The Pope and his entour-
age left for Lesotho the next day. His
trip to Lesotho was characterized by a
series of dramatic incidents.
Firstly, his plane could not land in
Lesotho due to bad weather, and it has
to be diverted to Johannesburg, South
African, a country which he,
ironically, was not scheduled to visit,
The quick-acting Foreign Minister of
South Africa, Pik Botha, promptly
seized the opportunity to receive bless-
ings for his apartheid country by wel-
coming the Pope to South Africa, and
provided him and his entourage with
road transport to Lesotho, escorted on
the 500 km trip by South Africa’s mili-
tary force, This was a major political
miscalculation, as the grinning Pik
Botha declared, “Man proposes, but
God disposes,” and that the enforced
landing in Johannesburg was a sign
that the Almighty wanted South
Africa to be included in the itinerary.
The second dramatic episode was
the hijacking of a bus carrying nuns,
women and children on a pilgrim to
Maseru, Lesotho’s capital, to see the
Pope. The bus was hijacked by four
gunmen, and passengers held hostage
for more than 24 hours outside the
British High Commission, who
demanded an audience with the Pope
and various Basotho officials. Accord-
ing to reports, South Africa’s security
force was called to assist by the mili-
tary ruler of Lesotho, General Metsing
Lekhanya. (Lesotho is in a state of
emergency following a coup in 1986.)
The trigger-happy South African
security killed all four gunmen and
two women in an attempt to free the
hostages just a few minutes after the
Pope and his entourage had entered
Lesotho. The gunmen are alleged to be
members of the Lesotho Liberation
Army. >
Given the state of emergency in
Lesotho, the shootout, the South Afri-
can presence, and the heavy rain, it
was hardly surprising that fewer than
10,000 of the expected one million pil-
grims turned out, and the potential
lucrative business was a financial dis-
aster for many Basothos.
For Lesotho, the events were a
humiliating underlining of the coun-
try’s dependence on South Africa.
Ninety percent of all Lesotho’s sup-
plies, including electricity, come from
South Africa. Its main sources of
income are foreign aid and the remit-
tance of over 100,000 Basotho migrant
miners in South Africa. The late Chief
Leabua Jonathan's attempt to break
this stranglehold through aid agree-
ment with U.S.S.R, China and Cuba,
were crushed in a blockade in Janu-
ary 1986, followed by the military
coup which brought Lekhanya and the
current Military Council to power.
Since then, Lesotho acts as a camou-
flage for South Africa to gain access to
the world’s captial markets, from
which it has been banned since 1985.
In Swaziland, African News Service
reports that the 20-year-old King
Mswati and his four wives heard the
Pope rebuke polygamy. The Pope’s
last leg of his Pilgrimage was Mozam-
bique before going back to Rome,
where a number of top Black South
African Church persons were reported
to be present. Again, Pope John was
silent over the role of apartheid in
backing MNR bandits. In retrospect,
the Pope’s visit to Southern Africa
may go down as one of the Vatican’s
most major recent political miscalcu-
lations. Whatever the well-meaning
intention, the end result has been indif-
ference, disagreements, and six deaths.
South African Catholic clergy,
heartened by the earlier supportive
statements that the Pople would not
visit South Africa until injustice there
ceased, were shocked to hear the
Pope’s latest pronouncement that he
wanted to visit South Africa, but
Please turn to page 7
Soe
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The AME. Christian Recorder
October 31, 1988
Jacob Speaks at the 25th Anniversary of the March on Washington
We come to Washington to demand
Jobs and Freedom—again.
Twenty-five years ago, we came—
Black and White, rich and poor—to
move a nation’s conscience... to
raise the flag of justice . . . to dream
Martin’s Dream.
Our cause is just. It is defined by the
racism and disadvantage that haunt
our people.
It is defined by the poverty and hun-
ger that wreck the lives of millions.
It is defined by the vision of justice
for all and equal opportunity for all
Americans.
Our demand is simple—parity be-
tween Black and White citizens in this
America that was built on the dream
of equality.
We want to close the great gap bet-
ween Blacks and Whites—
—in employment,
—in education,
—in family income,
—in housing,
—in health.
Our goal has to be parity by the year
2000.
A dozen years to close the gap. A
dozen years to be free and equal in
this, our land.
That’s a double goal.
The college students of the year
2000 are in first grade—right now.
The workers and managers of to-
morrow’s economy are in school and
on the job—right now.
And the means to transform today’s
forgotten and neglected people into
productive, taxpaying citizens are
known to everybody—right now.
There’s no mystery about how to
close the gap and get Black-White
parity—no mystery.
We know that quality job training
and affirmative action can put people
into decent jobs. No mystery about
that.
We know that quality pre-school
programs can produce kids who learn
better and stay out of trouble. No
mystery about that.
We know that prenatal health care
and nutrition programs result in
healthy babies and children. No mys-
Resolution to the 43rd General Conference
We, the members of the Overseas
Social Action Committee, meeting at
this 43rd session of the General Con-
ference of the A.M.E. Church, con-
vened in Fort Worth, Texas, 1988,
again confirm the A.M.E. Church’s
historical commitment to the libera-
tion struggle of all oppressed people,
especially the Black people across the
globe. It is, therefore, with immense
concern that we note;
1. The continued existence of the
most oppressive State of Emer-
gency in South Africa.
2. The continued callousness and
practiced brutality of the South
Africa Police and South Africa
Defense Force, as it perpetrates
atrocities against the Black people
in South Africa.
3. That the evil of apartheid con-
tinues to majntain a shackling
dominance over Black people, de-
priving them of their human dig-
nity and their own being.
4. The intensified struggle of our
Black brothers and sisters in
South Africa to work for the ab-
solute dismantling of the evil
system of apartheid; therefore,
e it resolved that this General Con-
tery about that.
The real mystery is government’s re-
fusal to implement programs that
work,
The real mystery is the refusal to
fund programs so that all those eligible
can benefit from them.
The real mystery is policies that per-
petuate poverty and sabotage the
economy.
The real mystery is the refusal to ac-
knowledge the racism that poisons
American life and the lives of minority
citizens,
Twenty-five years ago we were mov-
ing forward. We buried Jim Crow and
put Black people back into the Con-
stitution.
But today, we’re moving back-
wards.
It’s time to move forward again—to
a new era of racial parity—to a society
in which being Black doesn’t mean be-
ing second-class citizens with three
times the poverty rate, three times the
unemployment, three times the infant
mortality.
It’s time to move forward to achieve
a society of equals by the year 2000—
to finally make America the color-
blind society it says it is.
To do that, we’ve got to put the can-
didate’s feet to the fire.
Michael Dukakis can’t ignore us
and George Bush can’t neglect us.
We’ve got to demand that they back
policies aimed at achieving parity.
We’ve got to demand that competence
or experience must be joined by com-
passion—and by hard-headed policies
that get us where we want to be.
We’ve got to demand that they
don’t make excuses for continued
minority disadvantage. They can’t cry
about the budget deficit. That deficit
got so big because the President and
the Congress took money from poor
people’s programs while giving tax
cuts to the rich and a blank check to
the Pentagon.
Government has to stop being a wel-
fare machine for the affluent and start
being a progress machine for the rest
of us.
Full employment and training poli-
ference,
1. Following the resolution adopted
at the 42nd session of the General
Conference, support and re-af-
firm its position of mandatory and
absolute sanctions as a peaceful
means to a total dismantling of
the system of apartheid.
2. Deplore, in the strongest terms,
the practice of detention without
trial, especially detention of chil-
dren, and appeal for the uncondi-
tional release of all political pri-
soners and call for the return of all
refugees.
3. Support the efforts of the /ibera-
tion Movements such SWAPO,
ANC, PAC, in Southern Africa to
bring an end to the tragic situation
now prevalent; and also being in
Support of Lusaka Declaration of
May 1987.
4. Pray for an end to the unjust rule
by observing June 16 (Soweto Day)
and March 21 each year (Sharpe-
ville Day) as Connectional Days of
Prayer.
5. Commit itself to continue to work
for an immediate end to the apart-
heid system of South Africa by
lobbying, writing letters to the
United States Congress and to the
cies—quality education for poor kids
—atfordable housing—access to
health care—a real war on drugs.
Those are things the government
ought to be doing. Those are policies
that can move us closer to parity.
Those are policies we've got to de-
mand from the candidates,
And we can’t let the private sector
off the hook.
They were in the driver’s seat these
past eight years. They got their tax
breaks. They got their defense con-
tracts. Now it’s time to give back to
society—to implement aggressive af-
firmative action programs—to buy
from Black businesses and hire and
promote minority workers—to stamp
out racism in three-button suits.
In 1963, our March on Washington
targeted U. S. businesses, as well as
the government. Today, we’ve got to
target international businesses, as
well.
We’ve got to tell the Japanese to
scrap their Sambo dolls and make sure
their American subsidiaries are good
corporate citizens.
This is a global economy, and our
jobs depend on fighting international
racism as well as domestic. So our
march today has to be heard in Tokyo
as well as in Washington, in Bonn as
well as in New York.
And we can’t let ourselves off the
hook either. Liberty is won, not given.
And in today’s world, liberty comes
from information, from knowledge,
from the willingness to sacrifice and
save and invest and work hard.
Those are Black values that saw us
through slavery and oppression,
through phony liberalism and hard--
hearted conservatism. And _ those
Black values can help us fight crime,
rebuild strong families, get our kids
off the streets and into the schools.
We’ve got to march on Washington
to demand our rights. But we’ve got to
get our kids marching too—to the
school rooms, to the libraries, to the
voting booths.
Our destiny lies in our own ability
to overcome hardship and deprivation,
to rise above racism and hate.
South African State President P.
W. Botha.
6. Call for the General Conference,
as a matter of urgency, to press
for a stay of execution of the
Sharpeville Six, twenty-six other
patriots whose execution is sche-
duled for July 19, 1988, and the
other political persons being tried
in court cases across the country.
7. Further, as this directly relates to
Namibia, the United Nations Se-
curity Council resolution 435 of
1978 be speedily implemented and
call on the government to desist
from linking the Namibian inde-
pendence with Cuban presence in
Angola.
8. That a delegation of Bishops of
the A.M.E. Church visit Namibia
and Southern Africa to acquaint
themselves of the daily worsening
situation of those regions.
9. Provide financial assistance for
church-initiated projects, such as
private Schools in Namibia, Day
Care Centers, Youth Centers in
Southern Africa and the Phillip
Street project in Johannesburg.
10. Condemn the atrocities commit-
ted by the Mozambique Resis-
tance Movement (Renamo) by ex-
Our destiny lies in marshalling our
talents and our political strength to
help America back to the path of jus-
tice and fairness.
Our destiny lies in fighting for pari-
ty—for equality—for our fair share of
the rewards and responsibilities of our
America.
Our March keeps hope alive . . . it
keeps faith strong... it keeps Mar-
tin’s Dream powerful,
It’s a march for parity in this—the
land for which we’ve fought and bled
and died and the land where we will
overcome injustice and indifference to
win parity.
Martin’s Dream lives on. Roy’s
Dream lives on. Carl Holman’s
Dream lives on. A. Philip Randolph’s
Dream lives on. Bayard’s Dream lives
on. Whitney Young’s Dream lives on.
The Black quest for justice lives on.
Let’s keep marching—until victory
is won.
Continued from page 1
Twenty-Four-Hour Prayer
Vigil Revitalizes Allen
Temple A.M.E. Church
of religious education, worship and
praise as a result of the prayer vigil.
A spirit of excitement prevailed dur-
ing the twenty-four hours of continu-
ous prayer. Everyone in attendance
participated in one of the following
*“ ways: prayer, testimony, the reading
of Scriptures, singing a favorite song,
or by giving other related expressions.
It was gratifying to witness the partici-
pation of the young people’s depart-
ment.
The attendance was impressive;
friends from throughout the city parti-
cipated. Rev. and Mrs. Wells express-
ed their ardent gratitude to the Allen
Temple Church family for receiving
them and making them feel welcomed.
Rev. Wells feels thankful, encouraged,
optimistic and prayful, attesting to the
established fact as written in Romans
8:28: ‘‘And we know that all things
work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose.”’
Dorethia Livsey, Reporter
Atlanta North Georgia Conference
tensive publicity. Severe human
suffering has resulted from the
civil war raging in that Southern
African country.
11. Support efforts to alleviate hu-
man suffering and appeals for jus-
tice and peace.
Humbly submitted by your Com-
mittee on Social Action for Overseas
Districts:
Rev. D. N. Makhetha, 19th District
Rev. S. S. Malinga, 19th District
Brother C. W. Jacobs, 15th District
Brother Morris Machesa, 19th District
Rev. John Q. Owens, Jr., 4th District
Connectional Director
Sister Sarah M. Matlhore, 19th Dist.
Appointed Assistant Director
Continued from page 4
1st Endowed Profession
of Jewish Studies
Studies in 1978 in the Faculty of Arts
and Sciences under the leadership of
Isadore Twersky, Littauer Professor of
Hebrew Literature and Philosophy,
encouraged the Divinity School to
contribute to this strengthening of the
study of Judaism within its own facul-
ty. The Albert A. List Professorship in
Jewish Studies will be at the heart of this
program.
Cee, EE
===== DSC05654.JPG =====
October 31, 1988
The AME Christian Recorder
Continued from page |
12th Episcopal District Joyfully Receives New Leaders
bution to the needy. During the annua!
“Night in White” extravaganza, the
Second Annual Action
Educational Scholarship was award-
ed to Bro. Howard McKire, Jr., who is
completing post-graduate studies at
Oklahoma City University School of
Theology
Mission in
There was renewed enthu-
siasm for the work of mission as a re-
sult of encouraging words from Con-
ference Branch President Doris O.
Pettigrew, 12th District President
Phyllis H. Lamb, former District
Supervisor Flossie Walker and Mrs.
Belin. We were inspired by the attend-
ance and active participation of the
WMS Connectional Worship
Director, Mrs. Jaquin Crawford, and
countless other “empowered” women
from across the district, connection,
and ecumenical lines. TO GOD BE
THE GLORY!
With all of the many conference-
related activities that naturally
occurred, “Preaching” remained the
order of the day! God used all of His
servants in a mighty way and we heard
the WORD froma list of distinguished
pulpiteers: the Reverends Blanton
Bennett, Leodis Strong, J. E. Hughes,
Sr., Edward E. Davis, Roy Robinson,
and Connectional Giants Dr. John Q.
Owens and Hercules Miles. The finale
came from our beloved Bishop Henry
A. Belin, Jr. He demonstrated homi-
letical excellence as he took a look at
Mark 5:19-20, and called upon the
Holy Spirit to guide him as he
delivered “Called to Witness.” The
Holy Spirit had its way, and was
evident in the service of recommit-
ment. Masses came to the altar to
rededicate their lives to the Master’s
service.;
The Conference Study Institute was
conducted by the renowned Rev.
Rufus King Young. “Church Growth”
was the topic of study for the institute,
which proved to be a stimulating
experience, as there was intense audi-
ence participation during the
question-answer period. The official
reactors, Mrs. Sarah Bell, Reverends
Leodis Strong and Harvey Potts, and
Dr. Lynn Mims, added interesting
summations daily to aid participants
in filling out the questionnaires. Be-
cause of the overwhelming response, a
two-day follow-up course will be
taught later this year.
The Young People’s Division
continue to carry on their work in
exciting and innovative ways. “Star
Search for Christ” was the program
theme that showcased the wide array
of talents. YPD leaders, Mrs. Cordelia
Bennett, 12th District President, and
Mrs. Madien Hurst, Oklahoma
Conference Branch YPD Director, are
to be commended for the exceptional
way in which they have nurtured our
youth.
Supervisor Belin has initiated “A
Happening” in the 12th! When you
attend an annual meeting of the
YPD, you willalso see WMS members
in large numbers giving support and
guidance to “our youth” and to their
overall program. Mrs. Belin says, “We
must bridge the gap; we have to be
visible for our children. We have to
give them a sense of purpose.” She re-
ceived a standing ovation for her
visionary prospectus. Miss Renita
Bennett, outgoing Oklahoma
Conference YPD President, was pre-
sented a certificate of graduation from
the YPD, and was officially welcomed
to the senior society by Supervisor
Belin and other officers and members.
The episcopal leaders and confer-
ence members happily welcomed dis-
tinguished guests who came from
across the district and the connection
to share with the Oklahoma Confer-
including Retired
Officer Dr. Ezra M. Johnson, Mrs
Beatrice Belin, Mrs. Mae Lamotte,
Mrs. Patricia Clark, Mrs. Jackie
Dupont-Walker, and Rev, Rodney D
Belin
A component of the Conference
quadrennial theme became a reality
when Bishop Belin committed himself
and members of the Conference to
participate in “A day at the Legisla-
ture™ on January 24, 1989, an event
sponsored by the Oklahoma Con-
ference of Churches, of which Mr.
Chester Gipson, Allen Chapel A.M.E.
Church, is president. The Conference
also made a sizeable donation to the
American Red Cross for the victims of
Hurricane Gilbert that ravaged
Jamaica.
The Sunday School in the Okla-
homa Conference is alive and well.
The session was well attended, and
awards were presented to Barnett
Chapel A.M.E. Church, Avery Chapel
A.M.E. Church, Forest Hill A.M.E.
Church, and Mid-Del A.M.E. Church
for their monetary contributions and
attendance. Congratulations are in
order to Mr. Chester Gipson, Confer-
ence Sunday School Superintendent,
and to all the teachers, for their exem-
plary leadership.
Bro. Gipson presented a citation to
Bishop Belin from Lt. Gov. Robert S.
Kerr, making him Honorary Lt.
Governor of the State of Oklahoma.
Everyone interviewed expressed
optimism and hope for the future
under the new District leadership.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
ence, General
Saundra S. Lucas and
Ela A. Hill, Reporters
Continued from page 1
Pope John Paul II Makes
Pilgrimage to Southern
States
Dr. Allan Boesak
“simply had not had time this trip.”
Furthermore, the Pope’s call against
sanctions and his support for the
forthcoming Council elections in the
Black townships of South Africa
angered prominent church leaders like
Dr. Allan Boesak. Moreover, Arch
Bishop Tutu and other church leaders
have called for a boycott of these elec-
tions.
Needless to say, these utterances by
the Pope pleased the South African
Government!
Continued from page 1
Colorado Conference opens in Grand Ole Fifth District
Style—Spiritual! _
On Tuesday evening Campbell
welcomed Bishop Anderson and Mrs
Vivienne Anderson, Episcopal Super
visor of the Missionary Society, to the
Colorado Conterence, with a recep-
tion. Greetings extended by religious
leaders included the Rt. Rev, Howard
Thomas Primm, retired, former pre-
siding bishop of the Sth Episcopal Dis-
trict; Rt. Rey. William Frey, Bishop of
the Episcopal Diocesan of Colorado;
Rev. Clyde Miller, Conference Minis-
ter, United Church of Christ; and the
Reverend Gilbert Horn, Director of
the Colorado Council of Churches,
Also in attendance was Rev E. B.
Childress, former presiding elder of
the Rocky Mountain District, Colo-
rado Annual Conference.
Government officials in attendance,
and extending greetings were Senator
Regis Groff, State Representative
Wilma Webb, and City Auditor Well-
ington Webb. A resolution was re-
ceived from the Denver City Council
and Council president, Hiawatha
Davis, Jr., welcoming Bishop and
Mrs. Anderson to Denver.
The reception was a resounding
success.
The Women’s Missionary Society,
under the careful and brilliant guid-
ance of Mrs. Anderson, with Mrs.
Beverly Habersham of Campbell
Chapel, as host opened it’s session at
the Clarion Hotel on Wednesday
morning, with Presiding Elder M. L.
Shakespeare as the worship leader.
Their theme was Empowered by
Christ for Change.”
At high noon, Rev. Curtis Sewell
took the conference to the throne of
grace as he delivered the Hour of
Power message.
On Wednesday evening the
Missionary Society thrilled the audi-
ence during it’s “Night in White,” with
a dramatic drama, God’s Woman,
written by Mrs. Joan Jackson of
Bethel A.M.E. Church, Mesa, AZ.
The women took us through a biblical
history of women, and it was a beauti-
ful description of how Black women
have endured the trials of life from the
earliest of times, but they must have
been empowered by God to serve.
The opening session of the
conference began on Thursday
morning, with Rev. J. L. Boyd of
Continued from page 1
You Can’t Say Honey
in Kiribati Says Bible
Translator
funding the translation.
Which Bible translation may seem
simple enough—just learn the lan-
guage, then translate it word-for-word
—the process is rarely that easy. In
fact, in certain cultures even an every-
day word like “eat” has its pitfalls.
For some peoples food is not just
food. Readers insist upon knowing
whether the food is hot or cold, wheth-
er it is eaten early or late in the day,
and if those eating it are grown-up, in
their teens or infants.
For example, how does one trans-
late the word for “snow” for people
who live in a tropical climate and have
never heard of the white stuff, let alone
seen it?
With literally thousands of words
and phrases, translators have to find
the proper equivalent that makes sense
to readers. Such wording must be
found if God’s Word is, indeed, to
speak to all people everywhere with
the same true message of love and sal-
vation.
Shorter A.M.E. Church preaching the
Annual Sermon from the subject, /n
the Fight, but Yet Saved
The Ordination Service of the con-
ference culminated in the ordination
of three ministers
The Ordination Service was
followed by an Institute conducted by
Presiding Elder Grady Brown of the
St. Louis, Missouri Conference, Pre-
siding Elder Brown was an excellent
instructor and the institute was highly
successful,
On Friday night the young people,
using the theme, Get High on Jesus,
under the direction of Daryl Walker,
lifted up Christ with a splendid
musical. The Youth Conference Choir
consisted of more than seventy-five
young people.
The laymen met Saturday morning,
under the direction of conference pres-
ident, Sutton. The laymen were
blessed to have in attendance Mrs.
Doris Bailey, Sth Episcopal District
president.
The concluding services for the con-
ference was held Sunday morning,
with Campbell’s Inspirational Choir,
under the capable leadership of Mrs.
Mildred Cockrell, furnishing the
music.
Bishop Anderson gave a soul-
searching message, using the subject,
Somebody Ought to Say Something.
Also in attendance at this service was
Bishop H. Thomas Primm, retired.
Bishop Anderson concluded the
Conference with the assignment of
pastors. Campbell Chapel was blessed
to have Rev. Habersham returned for
another conference year.
Everyone agreed the 102nd Session
of the Colorado Conference was a
great success, that the Sth Episcopal
District, under the careful guidance
and dynamic leadership of Bishop
Vinton R. Anderson and Mrs.
Vivienne Anderson, has embarked on
a great eight years of service to our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Willis L. Gilbert, Reporter
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===== DSC05655.JPG =====
The AME Christian Recorder
October 31, 1988
Bishop Barbara Harris Makes History ____
by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
We have often explained that the
best way to celebrate African Amer-
ican history is to continue to make his-
tory. For the first time in world
history, a woman has been elected
bishop in the Episcopal Church. The
Reverend Barbara C. Harris, an Afri-
can American Episcopal priest and
social activist, was recently elected
Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of
Massachusetts, the nation’s largest
Episcopal diocese.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, Rev. Harris has been a long
time participant and leader in the
struggle for justice and freedom in the
United States and throughout the
world. At her election in Boston, Rev.
Harris stated that she will continue to
offer her “gifts as a Black woman and
as a woman priest” in service to the
Church and to the cause of justice.”
Rev. Harris commented, “Moreover, I
would bring a sensitivity to the needs
of different kinds of people, including
racial and ethnic communities,
women, the incarcerated, the poor and
the oppressed.”
I remember meeting Rev. Barbara
Harris at a conference sponsored by
the Episcopal Publishing Company.
What impressed me most about Rev.
Harris was her candid sense of moral
responsibility combined with her
unique agility as a committed social
activist. In particular Rev. Harris has
acquired many years of experience in
helping to promote prison reform in
the state of Pennsylvania and in other
regions of the nation. We need more
church leaders to follow the example
of Rev. Harris in the areas of prison
reform and criminal justice.
The election of Bishop Harris is a
victory for all women. In too many
places throughout the world and in the
United States, women are still victim-
ized by the sin of sexism. We take note
that the Episcopal Church, after
centuries of struggle and debate, has
taken an important step forward in
history. It is our hope that all church
denominations and religious bodies
will become institutions where women
will enjoy equal justice, respect, status
and support,
Already in the wake of the election
of Bishop Harris, the winds of negative
reaction are beginning to blow. The
Reverend Eddy Stride, who is the
chairperson of an organization is
affiliated, sees Bishop Harris’ leader-
ship as “a very serious challenge to
many in the Church.” Some tradition-
alists who oppose the ordination of
women as bishops attempt to make the
argument that because the Christian
ministry has primarily been male
dominated for nearly 2,000 years, then
there should not be a change.
We agree that Bishop Harris’ leader-
ship will bea “very serious challenge to
many in the Church.” We believe that
this is a necessary and positive chal-
lenge to the entire history of the nega-
tivity of sexism and racism in the life of
the church universal. We congratulate
and salute Bishop Barbara C. Harris
for her leadership and for her con-
tinued commitment.
The DMC-AME News and Views
by Dr. Julma B. Crawford, Connectional Administrator
Chicago, IL—One of the first fash-
ionably beautiful and _ spiritually
strengthening activities of the 43rd
General Conference of the A.M.E.
Church, held in Fort Worth, TX, was
the connectional Christian Debutante-
Master Dedication Ceremony.
Held on a Sunday in the Tarrant
County Convention Center, and wit-
nessed by a vast audience of several
thousand church and community
leaders, the ceremony featured fifteen
young men in white formal attire and
red cummerbunds, followed by thirty-
six young ladies in traditional white
gowns, gloves and pearl accessories,
carrying red nosegay bouquets. These
honorees of the occasion were young
people selected by their pastors or
youth leaders to be participants.
The young Masters were David E.
Carter, Otis Lee Duncan, Shaun L.
Freeman, Terry Gray, Christopher
Higginbothan, Eddie Hill, Jr., Shiloh
Hills, Darrell Manning, Jesse Lee
Mason, Jr., Horace McKay, George
Byron Morton, Edgar E. Mullin, Jr.,
Melvin L. Nays, Jr., Richard H. Sink-
field, II], and Russell D. Williamson.
The lovely Debutantes were
Yolanda D. Anderson, Lisa A.
Arington, Angela Blue, Adrienne R.
Childs, Tomothea Davis, LaTanya
Gordon, Myrta Grant, Eddtrice Gray,
Regina H. Green, Rhonda D. Heard,
Jeanine L. Hildreth, Karren D. Hill,
Sharon A. Hill, Delia Hills, Jacqueline
R. Homer, Jennifer L. Jones, Michelle
T. Langham, Kimberly Y. Lightfoot,
Chalaundra P. Lewis, Kawn K.
McQueen, Paula D. Mingo, Kendell J.
Morton, Jill L. Oxendine, Michelle B.
Pollard, Desiree M. Rivers, Belinda L.
Robinson, Kelley Ann Robinson,
Tara Nicole Sledge, Carrie Smith,
Thonisha R. Smith, Tonya R. Sutton,
Lisa Michelle White, Fatina D.
Williams, LaJuan K. Williams,
LaSandra D. Winters, and Deana E.
Young.
They dedicated their lives to con-
tinued service to God and humanity
after being formally presented to the
Church individually. In a darkened
auditorium, after repeating their
Pledge of Dedication, each Master
and Debutante turned on a light to
brighten a huge darkened cross, signi-
fying a promise to let his and her “little
light” shine for Christ.
Climaxing the complete commit-
ment Ritual, three A.M.E. elders gave
the Three-Part Prayer of Dedication.
They were Rev. Charles W. Pitts of the
6th Episcopal District, Rev. P. David
Saunders of the 4th Episcopal District,
and Rev. McKinley Young of the 6th
Episcopal District.
In following issues the column will
carry details of the other involved per-
sons: young people, musicians,
commentators, committee chairper-
sons, episcopal dignitaries, parents,
and host church committee. All contri-
buted to the tremendous success of the
Tenth Quadrennial Debutante-Master
Dedication Ceremony.
St. Paul A.M.E. Church
Gives Gold Pins for Service
Birmingham, AL—The Department of
Christian Education of the St. Paul
African Methodist Episcopal Church
observed the culmination of Christian
Education Week by honoring leaders
of the department. Mesdames Beatrice
Jackson, Annie L. Williams and
Lorerem Webb received gold pins for
serving for over fifteen years, con-
sistently, as teachers of Sunday School
classes.
Other teachers receiving certificates
were Mesdames Constance Ransom,
Earnestine Taylor, Wilma Ector, Ka-
ren Owens, Beatrice Parham, Annie
L. Wills, Sheryl Miller, Julia Pringle
and Bro. Herman Taylor.
Receiving plaques are Mesdames
Mattie Owens, Beatrice Parham,
Wilma Ector, Beatrice Moore, Bee
Etta Brooks, Sarah Cunningham, Ber-
nella Cook, Hattie Ellis and Bros.
John Gary and Charles Parham, for
over eight years of consistent Bible
study.
Boy and Girl Scout leaders cited
were Mesdames Linda Bell, Karen
Owens, Deborah Mitchell and Michael
Bell.
The Reverend Richard Allen John-
son is pastor of St. Paul, which is
located on 400 Fourth Court, North,
where Bible study is conducted each
Monday evening.
Dr. Hattie Bryant Green is Director
of Christian Education; Mr. Tom
Bates serves as Sunday School Super-
intendent and Mrs. Helen McDaniel is
Youth Superintendent.
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October 31, 1988
The AME Christian Recorder
*“*We Lift As We Climb’’
Sumter, SC—Once again the Sumter
district has lived up to its motto, “We Lift
As We Climb.” The 1988 Sumter District
Conference, under the direction of
Presiding Elder L. J. Hyman, met at St.
Paul A.M.E. Church, where the Rev.
Dr. B. J. Glover serves as pastor.
Dr. Glover spared no expense as he
provided the conference with one of the
newest and most innovative church
facilities in the Connection. St. Paul's
multi-purpose annex rivals the facilities
of any modern secular school or
governmental office complex. The
members of St. Paul walked the extra
mile in order to insure the comfort of the
conference.
As is his custom, the Dr. L. J. Hyman
provided the conference with an agenda
that was morally challenging, deeply
spiritual, and intellectually stimulating.
Morally, the conference was challenged
through Dr. Hyman’s admonition to
address the social issues of today. He
reviewed several pressing events that
must be addressed by the church,
including the Algeria situation, the
Jackson campaign, the Jimmy Swaggart
incident, the economic situation in
South Carolina, and the new Retirement
Bill recently passed in South Carolina.
The spiritual high points of the
conference were the two worship
services. At the Mid-Day Meditation,
Dr. J. H. Gillison, pastor of Mt. Pisgah
A.M.E. Church, proclaimed God’s
Word from the periscope of Genesis
28:12. He centered the message around
the subject, “The Theater of the Mind.”
The power of God's Spirit descended
upon the conference as this pulpiteer
unravelled God’s revelation. He sug-
gested that the human mind is often
the receptacle for God’s revelation.
“Did not our hearts burn within us,
while he talked with us by the way, and
while he opened to us the scriptures?”’
Rev. Gillison is a candidate for the
Episcopal Office. He has served the
Sumter community well, and has pre-
pared himself for greater service.
The evening worship hour was equally
inspiring. Rev. F. K. Richardson, pastor
of Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church,
r
ce
received the mantle and delivered the
evening sermon. His text was Job 34:20,
He chose for a topic “The Midnights of
Life.” Once again God's glory was
revealed through the preached Word.
Throughout his message, Rev.
Richardson provided a real-world view,
with all of life's pitfalls and tragedies. At
the same time, this Gospel preacher
empowered the conference to conquer
the midnights of life.
As food for the mind, the conference
was provided with a host of literary re-
ports. Distinguished Laypersons, Mis-
sionaries and Sunday School workers
yielded to the call and expounded on
vital issues facing the church today.
Presiding Elder Hyman is well known
and loved throughout the Connection.
His reputation as an innovative leader
has been spread abroad. As a result, this
District Conference was well-attended.
Visitors to this conference included the
Right Rev. F. C. James, presiding
prelate of the Seventh Episcopal district;
Dr. Theressa Gregg James, Supervisor
of the Seventh District WMS, and
helpmate to Bishop James; Presiding
Elders: Rev. P. B. Boston (Wateree
District), Rev. Clarke R. Hawthorne
(Columbia District), Rev. W. W. Miller
(Manning District), Rev. Lee M.
Steward (Spartanburg District), Rev. M.
W. Singleton (Marion District), and
Rev. W. R. Strom (Newberry District);
Pastors: Rev. Ernest Brown, Rev.
Lorenzo Dinkins, Rev. M. Duncan,
Rev. Hezekiah Ellis, Rev. Phillip Mixon,
Rev. Willie Nelson, and Rev. James
Wasington. Other special guests
included Mrs. Peggy Cain, Mrs.
Catherlene Cox, Mrs. M. Dotson, Mr.
E. M. Henry, Mrs. M. Mack, Mrs. Irene
Page and Mrs. Seward.
The Sumter District takes great pride
in the leadership exemplified by its
presiding elder, Dr. L. J. Hyman. This
leadership has made the Sumter District
a leading district in the Seventh Epis-
copal District. The Sumter District is
grateful to God for raising up this man
of God for ‘‘such a time as this.”’
Rey. J. Reginald Black, Reporter
a
U. S. CONFERENCE,
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
TIME
Thursday, December 1, 1988, 5 p.m.
through
Friday, December 2, 1988, 4:40 p.m.
PLACE
Inter-Continental Hotel
444 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
% AGENDA WILL INCLUDE @
*Plans for the 1991 Assembly will
be reviewed by Dr. Avery Post,
Moderator of the Assembly Plan-
ning Committee and Dr. Janice
Harmon, member of that commit-
tee;
*Plans for a 1990 meeting of the
U.S. Delegates to the Assembly
will be determined;
*Pre- and post-Assembly Pacific
travel possibilities will be detailed,
*The Black Church Liaison
Committee will report on their
historic Solidarity Journey to
Southern Africa and their meeting
with CICARWS, and more;
*The U.S. Delegation to the 1990
JPIC Convocation in Korea will
be finalized and the U.S. agenda
for that meeting discussed,
*Bishop Forest Stith and Mary
Ann Lundy, duly elected co-chairs
of the Ecumenical Decade:
Churches in Solidarity With
Women, will discuss future plans
with the U.S. Conference mem-
bers;
*A revised Constitution will be re-
viewed and acted upon.
Many people remember with
enthusiasm former times when the
U.S. Conference was an oppor-
tunity for informal discussions
with key staff from Geneva. This
will be repeated at the New
Orleans meeting. The meeting will
open December Ist with worship,
dinner and an eveing of discus-
sion with key Geneva staff on the
future of the WCC and how trends
in the U.S. church and society will
affect that future. This should bea
stimulating evening that could
point to a future direction and
style for the U.S. Conference
meetings.
Servant of God,
He started
April 22, 1922, and departed
it on December 21, 1987.
Early on Monday morning, Decem-
ber 21, 1987, the call came for him to
go, Rey. Kinder was the sixth child
born to the late Mr, Littleton Kinder
and Mrs, Elmina Kinder of
Eldorenda, GA (Miller County).
He confessed Christ and joined
Shiloh A.M.E. Church at an early
age and served well with the leader-
ship of his grandfather as a pattern and
as a guide. He also acknowledged the
call to “go into all the world and
preach the Gospel” to all mankind at
an early age.
He attended the schools in Miller
County, and, after being called into
the ministry, he thought that it would
be more beneficial to seek higher
learning, which he did, and found the
means by which he could take a corres-
pondence course provided by Morris
Brown College, Atlanta, GA. At that
time, Bishop Fountain was the helm in
Georgia, and he was interested in the
ministers and missionaries being
trained in the letter, as well as carry-
ing the Word. Rev. Kinder joined the
class, bought all the materials he could
find available for his use and passed
the course to the satisfaction of the
committee.
Easter was a special time for Rev.
Kinder because, he said, it was Friday
before the Third Sunday (Good
Friday) that he started on his earthly
journey, April 22, 1922, and stayed on
it until December 21, 1987. One of his
favorite expressions was, “I have been
blessed beyond measure. God has been
good to me, allowing me to serve and
be healthy all the way. lam most grate-
ful I have not had to be out of my
pulpit for being sick but three times
during my period of service in this
Great Zion of ours (the A.M.E.
Church).
“J have served in Georgia as a son of
the soil—and in Florida, too—being a
Christian and a servant and fellow
worker in some of the flourishing
places of the church in the state before
returning home to Georgia and the
Southwest Annual Conference in
1965.” His last appointment was at
Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, Hawthorn,
FL, the Gainesville District, under W.
A. Jenning, Sr., presiding elder, and
Bishop George N. Collins.
He served under Bishops Fountain,
Flipper, Hickman, Hildebrand,
Bearden and Talbot in Georgia. In
Florida, under Bishops Tookes, Allen,
Gregg, Ball, Hatcher and Collins.
On returning to Georgia in 1969, his
first appointment was at St. Stephens
Monumental A.M.E. Church, Edison,
and Tennell Chapel A.M.E. Church
(the Edison Circuit), where he served
for two years. From there he was
appointed to the Live Oak A.M.E.
Church, R. D. Griffin, presiding elder,
Donalsonville, GA, where he worked
as a big brother, father, minister, and
whatever else it took to make Live Oak
A.M.E. come alive. He did it and was
quite successful in doing it.
He was a good partner with the
youth of the church. They accepted
him with love. Live Oak is and always
will be better in some ways because
Rev. Kinder was there.
After pastoring there for five years,
he was sent to the Newberry Circuit
and St. John in Donalsonville. From
there, to the Allen Chapel Circuit and
a short stay at Ft. Gaines on the
Cuthbert District; then back to Edison
alone, this time, and then the Home
Eldorendo Circuit. His last appoint-
Well Done
ment was the Pleasant Grove Circuit.
It was here that he said that there is no
retirement in God's army, “but
because of my drop in physical fitness,
| am going to have to give up this year
at conference” (April 1988). He kept
that saying—and repeated it over and
over, daily.
When | think of how it happened...
just at the point...almost conference
time: he was thinking, / need to step
down; I have served faithfully, I was
not always pleasant, but I served. Any-
how, now I have got to go up and make
my last report at this conference to
man,
But the all-wise Almighty God, our
Heavenly Father, came and saw to it
that he did not have to be retired by
man, and on Thursday PM, around 3
o’clock, He touched him, and the
“Report” was made, because he was
speechless. He was rushed to Miller
County Hospital, Colquitt, GA, and
early Monday morning (12:20) the
journey which he started April 22,
1922, was ended December 21, 1987.
He had told me about this journey
so many times—and now it was ended.
Yet, not ended because he was so
cheerful when he would relate it to me,
saying from childhood to old
manhood.
Left to cherish his memory are a
devoted wife, Marie Sampson-K inder;
daughters, Ellen Ruth Kinder, Sondra
Kinder Cunningham; sons, Judson B.
Kinder, Jr., Roling L. Kinder, Andrew
J. Kinder, Willie A. Kinder; son-in-
law, Tyrone K. Cunningham; sister,
Martha. Kinder Payne, Rosie L.
Kinder Tinsley; brother, Charlie P.
Kinder, Sr.; brothers-in-law, David
Payne, Jr., Charles H. Sampson,
Frank Brown; 17 grandchildren and 4
great-grandchildren; sister-in-law,
Lillian Sampson Brown; aunt, Mrs.
Mary E. Jenkins, and a host of nieces
nephews and friends, Christians and
fraternal.
Bishop F. H. Talbot presided; Elder
T. R. Wakefield delivered the Eulogy,
and Rev. Kenneth Coty, pastor, read
the last Reading at the Grave.
————
Submitted by: Sister
Marie S. Kinder, wife, and Family
May God bless his memory.
Have you
planned for
your future?
A.M.E. Pension
Department
===== DSC05657.JPG =====
10 The AME Christian Recorder
October 31, 1988
LOOKING FOR A PROJECT? TRY THE CARRIBBEAN A.M.E. SCHOOL
Bishop V. R. Byrd
Chairman of the Board
Rey. Dr. V. H. A. Gordon
Vice Chairman of the Board
Every True A.M.E. should have the Book of
Worship to accompany your Bible, Hymnal Book,
and a Sunday School Quarterly
Dr. Louis Davis
Presiding Elder
Dr. Marine Joseph
Principal
African
Methodist
Episcopal
Church
Reduced
Only $5.00
BOOK
|| WORSHIE
The Book of Worship is a new book with a new name, offered in the hope that it will serve a
new age in our church. The change within is symbolic of the attempt to help Christians and those
who may become Christians to hear God’s word, and worship Him, in the language of their needs
and aspirations today.
BOW-815 PLEASE INCLUDE 13% POSTAGE AND HANDLING $5.00
Send to: A.M.E.C. Sunday School Union,500 8th Avenue, South, Nashville, TN 37203-4181
‘
| Basic Sunday School
owth In Black
+
=a §
i
by
| A. LEE and BOBBYE J. HENDERSON
by A LEE HENDERSON
”
QORBTE J NERDERSON
Does your Sunday School have purpose and
direction, well-trained teachers, and enthusi-
astic students who are practicing the biblical principles they have been
taught? In this latest book Dr. A, Lee Henderson and wife Bobbye tells
how to achieve these characteristics of a growing, thriving Sunday
School. This book contains topics that are on the heart of every Bishop,
Superintendent, Christian Education Director, Pastor, and Teacher.
Topics like Finding Prospects for Growth, Enlisting Workers for |
Growth, Training Workers for Growth, and Bible Teaching for Growth.
This is a must for those who are administering or teaching today’s Sun-
day School.
Caribbean A.M.E. School Students
Here in the U.S. Virgin Islands, we service several hundred students, many of
whom are in need of financial help. Would you, or your church Missionary
Society, sponsor a child or the school? You may contact the 16th Episcopal
District temporary headquarters: 131 Ashford Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003.
Telephone: (609) 751-7372.
SS eee ee ee
It is
CHALLENGING! AUTHORITATIVE!
PRACTICAL!
This Book is an excellent resource for teacher training.
_—
ST
Send me copies of BASIC SUNDAY SCHOOL GROWTH
NOTICE
Sunday School Workers Should Send A
Brief Resume And A Black And White Picture
To:
Dr. A. Lee Henderson
A.M.E.C. SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION
500 8th Avenue, South
Ee
Nashville, TN 37203
» Name
500 8th Avenue, South Nashville, TN 37203-4181
; Please add 13% for postage and handling ;
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October 31, 1988
Annual Conference Schedule
SEVENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT
A.M.E. CHURCH
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
THIRTEENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT
A.M.E CHURCH
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
BISHOP FREDERICK C. JAMES BISHOP C. E. THOMAS
CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
November 9-13, 1988
Liberty Hill A.M.E. Church
Liberty Hill Road
Summerton, South Carolina 29148
The Rev. George F. Flowers, Host Pastor
Church Phone: (803) 478-4812
Pastor’s Phone: (803) 722-8462
The Rev. W. W. Miller, Host P. E.
DISTRICT PLANNING MEETING
November 9, 1988
Greater Bethel A.M.E, Church
Nashville, TN
Church Phone: (615) 292-1959
The Rev. Harry L. Wilson, Pastor
The Rev. B. R. Booker, Sr., Host Pastor
The Rev. W. F. Scruggs, Co-Host P.E.
SEVENTEENTH EPISCOPAL DIST.
A.M.E. CHURCH
THE 1988-1989 SEVENTH DISTRICT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
PLANNING SESSION
November 25-26, 1988
EIGHTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT 2
AME CHURCH (
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
BISHOP R. A. CHAPPELLE, SR.
SOUTH WEST ZIMBABWE
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
October 31-November 6, 1988
Mpopoma A.M.E. Church
P. O. Box 142
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
The Rev. D. M. Mkwanazi, Host Pastor
BISHOP DONALD G. MING
LOUISIANA
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
November 9-13, 1988
Saint James A.M.E. Church
222 North Roman
New Orleans, LA 70112
Church Phone: (504) 522-6619
Pastor’s Phone: (504) 586-8381
The Rey. David J. Campbell, Host Pastor
The Rey. C. Collins, Host P.E.
The Rey. T. C. Johnson, Associate P.E.
The Rey. J. H. Cyprain, Associate P.E.
DISTRICT PLANNING SOUVENIR
MEETING BOOKLET
November 18-19, 1988 of the
ee ee 43RD SESSION
& ga aed GENERAL CONFERENCE
of the
Se AFRICAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
November 8, 1988
Louisiana Conference BY POPULAR
DEMAND
ELEVENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT
A.M.E. CHURCH Theme:
ANNUAL CONFERENCE Retooling with Christ for The
Third Century
July 6-14, 1988
Tarrant County Convention
Center
Fort Worth, Texas
ONLY $500
Order Today . . . First
Come. . . First Served!
ORDER FROM:
A.M.E.C. Sunday School Union
500 Eighth Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4181
(615) 256-5882
BISHOP P. R. COUSIN
BAHAMA ISLANDS CONFERENCE
November 11-13, 1988
Robinson-Morris Chapel
Nassau, Bahamas
The Rev. Howard Williamson, Pastor
1-809-323-7637
PLANNING CONFERENCE
November 18-19, 1988
JACKSONVILLE HOTEL
565 South Main Street
Jacksonville, Florida
(904) 398-8800
Quantity
43rd Souvenir Booklet(s)
Name
Address
The AME Christian Recorder
ARR G oioio toi gai ick kak doi akok dak dei aatodoak ack
Be Properly Informed!
BECOMING A MINISTER
in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
JOHN HURST ADAMS, Presiding Bishop
Second Episcopal District Board of Examiners
**
Walter Hildebrand, Chairman Maurice Wilson, Editor
All persons entering our ministry need to know
what they should do, Assumptions have left large
gaps in the training, support, and development of udiesA
aspiring young clergypersons MINISTER
This book addresses the concerns by making FEST
clear the standards, expectations, process, mutual
responsibility, and resources on becoming an Or
dained Minister in the African Methodist Episcopal
Church; it also deals with the concern of how the
African Methodist Episcopal Church relates to and
works with the candidates for ordained ministry, as
well as evaluating the candidates
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ee ee ne rT |
Roots of Resistance
The Nonviolent Ethic of
Martin Luther King, Jr.
William D. Watley. A special tribute for the
RESISTANCE first. national holiday honoring _ this
dynamic leader! Beginning with King’s
early theological roots in the black church,
this is a story of his lifelong search for
nonviolent ways to combat injustice. Trac-
ing the influences shaping King's thinking
from seminary student to pastor and pro-
test leader, this study paints a very per-
sonal portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. —
his life and his dreams. Hardbound,
$10.95. After June 30th, $12.95.
the Life of the Black Family
Wallace Charles Smith. Establishes the black ex-
tended family as a viable means of liberating
black people. Suggests innovative ideas for an
holistic program which considers today's needs in
education, employment, housing, health care, and
personal identity. Sample young adult curriculum
shows how suitable resources can be developed
to heighten self-image and enrich family life.
Paper, $9.50.
Those Preachin Women
Ella Pearson Mitchell, editor Fourteen powertul
sermons authored by a new generation of black
women ministers. These messages of hope bring
assurance that God hears prayer and will liberate
the oppressed from fear and prejudices. Sermons
emphasize the need for Christians to develop
positive attitudes and to find their identities
through oneness in God. Paper, $7.95.
To order, send check payable to
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12
The AME Christian Recorder
October 31, 1988
Hazo W. Carter, Jr. Inaugurated Our African Corner
as Ninth President of West
Virginia State College
Inauguration of Dr. Hazo W.
Carter, Jr., as the ninth president of
West Virginia State College was held
Friday, September 16.
Dr. Carter became president of the
College on September 1, 1987, suc-
ceeding Dr. Thomas W. Cole who is
now president of Clark Atlanta Uni-
versity and former chancellor of the
West Virginia Board of Regents.
Delegates from higher education in-
stitutions throughout the country and
other dignitaries attended the in-
augural convocation in Ferrell Audi-
torium. The convocation speaker was
Dr. Ralph E. Kirkman, professor of
higher education at Vanderbilt Univer-
sity, a former professor of Dr. Carter.
Since becoming president of West
Virginia State College, Dr. Carter has
created a Business and _ Industry
Cluster Program, an organization of
community professionals and campus
personnel whose goal is to enhance job
opportunities for graduates of the
College.
He recently was appointed to the
advisory board of the Dunbar office
of United National Bank. Dr. Carter
also is a member of the Board of Re-
Dr. Hazo W. Carter, Jr.
gents Advisory Council of Presidents,
advisory board of the National In-
stitute for Chemical Studies, the West
Virginia Chamber of Commerce and
the board of the directors of the West
Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Con-
ference.
Prior to becoming president of
West Virginia State College, Dr.
Carter served four years as president
of Philander Smith College in Little
Rock, Arkansas. Earlier in his career,
he was an administrator and member
of the faculty at Norfolk State Univer-
sity.
4
2 22.
Si hater
Detroit, MI (AP)—lt was billed as
Rosa Parks’ retirement, but the
veteran civil rights figure doesn’t plan
to relax anytime soon.
Parks, 75, retired as an aide to Rep.
John Conyers, D-Mich., but she said
she would devote more time to the
Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute,
which works with city youth. She
founded the institute last year, a de-
cade after her late husband Raymond
At the AMEC Publishing
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died. “I’m not going to be idle by any
means,” said Parks, who triggered the
modern U.S. civil rights movement in
1955 when she refused to move to the
back of a segregated city bus in Mont-
gomery, AL. “I hope to expand my
activities. I will continue to move on
with whatever pace I have.” “She is a
legend in her own time,” said Conyers,
who employed Parks in his Detroit
office since 1965.
Biblically based! It is written
for the young and also for
adults.
Reading The Silent Mo-
ment not only enriches your
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_Title
MAIL TO
a a
by Sarah Nkele Matlhare
American Church Leaders Refused
Visas to Visit South Africa
Ten church leaders from the historic
Black Churches of America visited
Gaborone-Botswana from Septem-
ber 23 to 28 after an unsuccessful
attempt to visit South Africa. The
South African government refused to
grant them visas.
They were given an enthusiastic wel-
come at the Gaborone International
Airport by the Arch-Bishop of the
Anglican Church, the Rt. Rev.
Makhudu, several leaders of the Bots-
wana Christian Council, a number of
loayal members of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church, who
had come from as far as Mafikeng in
Bophuthatswana to also welcome
President Delores ““Mmasechaba”
Williams, who, to our disappoint-
ment, did not arrive with the group.
Among those present in the group
were Bishop Speaks, A.M.E. Zion
Church; Rev. Joan Campbell, World
Council of Churches (W.C.C.) repre-
sentative; Sister Carolyn Scavella,
W.C.C. representative and first vice
president of the New York Conference
W.M.S., A.M.E. Church; Rev.
Donald Jacobs, pastor of A.M.E.
Church, Cleveland, OH; Rev. William
Watley, pastor of St. James A.M.E.
Church, Newark, NJ.
President Quett Masire of Bots-
wana and his cabinet held talks with
the visiting U.S. delegation as well as
the South African delegation that,
among others, was comprised of Dr.
Allan Boesak, Rev. Frank Chikane,
General Secretary of the S.A.C.C.
(both of whom were hosts of the dele-
gation), Bishop Harold Ben Senatle,
Prelate of the 19th Episcopal District,
and five other church leaders.
The delegation was exposed to a
new perspective of the Southern
Africa region, as President Masire
outlined the endeavors of the Front-
line States to bring about sanity in the
region. They also had discussions with
refugees.
A dialogue was held between the
U.S. delegation and the South Afri-
can leaders, after which the following
joint statement from them was
released at a press conference.
Joint Statement From Church
Leaders of South Africa and
Historic Black Churches of
America
We first regret the refusal of the
South Africa GM to grant visas to a
delegation of church leaders from the
Historic Black Church of America.
The refusal makes us question what
the South African government has to
hide from representatives of the
church of Jesus Christ who are on a
mission of peace
We are grateful to the Government
of Botswana for affording us a place
for dialogue. Since being here, we have
been made acutely aware of the
multifarious ways that the South
African government undermines the
life of the “frontline” nations. Among
the many observable effects of this
destabilization are
|. The refugee crisis and its inherent
destruction of family life
2. The physical attack by South
African “commandos” and the inva-
sion of the “frontline” nations by
South African security forces. We do
not believe that the granting of asylum
is a hostile act
The eradication of apartheid is more
than a South African problem. It ts a
challenge to humanity, It is the final
trump card in the idiological poker
game of the twentieth century. The
outcome will decide what ideology will
capture the minds of modern men.
Therefore, we express our support
and solidarity with the refugees, who
are forced to live in settlements, the
governments of the frontline nations
who offer asylum and their own
meager resources, and the families
who are disrupted by the apartheid
system which causes this tragedy.
We express our solidarity with the
churches of South Africa and all of
those who are engaged in the struggle
against the demon of apartheid. We
identify with the South African people
who live under a terrorist state. We
deplore the South African Govern-
ment persecution of the people of God
who dare to be Christian by opposing
apartheid.
We further express our united and
unequivocal support of sanctions
against the South African government
and in particular the Dellems
Cranston Bill presently before the
United States Senate. We also call
upon the International Community
and the governments of all freedom-
loving nations to support the front-
line states in their struggle.
Banik
Auf
one 5
REASON &
FOR
* BEING *
And Other Messages of Faith
From an
AFRO-AMERICAN MINISTER
by
William Webster Easley, Jr.
Pastor
Historic
ST. JOSEPH’S
African Methodist Episcopal
Church
Durham, North Carolina
(A participant in the struggles
for human dignity during the
60's, now speaks at age 42
through messages delivered in
pulpits across the nation after
25 years of experience as an or-
dained clergyman.)
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I reeeeennnenieeeeeenneeneeeee ene
