An Open Door

On the Road to Recovery, as I travel across the Church

“There is a wide open door for a great work…” (I Corinthians 16: 9)

Among the many benefits of my travels throughout the African Methodist Episcopal Church is the opportunity to witness ministry taking place “in hard and remote places.” I was in Hyderabad, India, for the Opening Service of the AME-India Annual Conference, when I heard the Rev. Dr. Cecilia Bryant make the prophetic declaration that India will soon rival South Korea in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the continent of Asia.  This predominantly Hindu nation about the size of Texas, has the world’s second largest population.  Because of its strict adherence to a caste system, however, nearly one third of India’s population – roughly that of America – is marginalized and disenfranchised as “Dalits” (untouchables or oppressed people) or “Harijans” (God’s people).  They provide fertile fields of souls ripe for harvest.  Muslims seized upon this opportunity early on, and in recent years the Christian Church has begun to show a more noticeable presence.  One of the presenters at the Conference estimated that Christians presence to be as high as twelve (12) to thirteen (13) percent in some regions of the country.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, since its beginnings in 1816, has recognized and acted on opportunities to expand the Church:

• In 1824, Richard Allen endorsed a mission to Haiti
• In the 1830’s, William Paul Quinn took the Church “westward,” even into the slave states of Kentucky and Missouri
• In 1840, Morris Brown welcomed Canadians into the Church
• In 1891, Henry McNeil Turner took the Church to Africa

In 2007, Bishop John R. Bryant, followed in the tradition of those who had gone before him.   At the invitation of the Reverends Abraham Peddiny and Minnie Sarah Peddiny, who had oversight of several small Christian congregations and who sought an association into the Church of Richard Allen, Bishop Bryant worked out the terms of that partnership in ministry.  This agreement was confirmed at the Cathedral of St Thomas (named after the Apostle Thomas who is credited with having taken the Gospel to India after the death of Christ) in Chennai, India.

The 48^th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference (2008) officially accepted the membership of AME-India, thereby establishing the presence of the AME Church on the continent of Asia.

At this, the Second Session of the AME-India Annual Conference:

• 40 congregations reported a total membership that exceeded 2000.
• Lay, WMS and YPD components met.
• The Book of Discipline was presented to candidates for ministry.
• 8 deacons were ordained.
• 39 pastors were charged and sent out.
• Delegates were elected to the 49^th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference.

It was the foresight of pastors and members of the Fifth Episcopal District who embraced the vision of establishing an AME Outpost on the continent of Asia, and the unwavering support of Bishop T. Larry Kirkland that have brought us to this point.  Bishop Preston Warren Williams II, Presiding Bishop, and the constituency of the Seventh Episcopal District, along with the generous support of AME’s Connectionally, have assisted pastors and delegates with the necessary sustentation, travel and housing.

For all that my eyes saw, that my ears heard, and that my heart felt, I am grateful!

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  So, courtesy of the Rev. Gary McCants, Presiding Elder of the South District, Illinois Conference, I invite you to view the attached “pictorial” for the rest of the story.

Clement Fugh

To view descriptions, click the Play button, then click the Expand button on the lower right, and then click the “Show Info” link in the upper right.