And a good time was had by all…

“And a good time was had by all…”  Thanks and appreciation are extended to all who contributed to the success of the Holiday Luncheon held December 13, 2011, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center during the meeting of the General Conference Commission and CONVO XV, sponsored by the Clement W. Fugh for Episcopal Service Team.  The venue, the food, and the fellowship came together as a warm expression of sincere hospitality.

Team 13 Day – December 13, 2011

Recovery Team!

December 13, 2011, is “Team 13 Day” at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, TN, as we entertain the General Conference Commission and CONVO XV.

The dress for the day is black dresses for women (or pants suit) with exaggerated red flowers.  Men are to wear black suits, white shirts and red (bowtie) tie.

JOB ONE:  EXTEND WARM HOSPITALITY!

See you there!

HOUR OF POWER

HOUR OF POWER, Central South Carolina Annual Conference, Orangeburg, SC.
Bishop Preston Williams II, Presiding Bishop.

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.

Players win games. Teams win titles!

“Players win games. Teams win titles,” a quote from the Boston Celtics locker room was used by Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Bishop of the Thirteenth Episcopal District, while addressing the attendees of the standing-room-only Strategy Breakfast of The Recovery Movement and Campaign to Elect Dr. Clement W. Fugh to Episcopal Service in 2012. The meeting was held on Thursday, July 22, 2010, at the Renaissance Hotel, Nashville, TN, the site of the Episcopal District Christian Education Congress.

“Team 13” is the unified/solidified force of the Thirteenth Episcopal District, poised to host the 49th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference in Nashville, June 27 – July 4, 2012. She stated that “Team 13” must be committed to victory in every aspect, including helping our “Home Team Candidate for Episcopal Service” on to victory.

The Breakfast served as an occasion for Dr. Fugh to introduce some of the key players of the Recovery Movement to rank and file supporters:

Presiding Elder Linda T. Martin, General Chairperson
Presiding Elder Thomas Hughes (4), Connectional Coordinator
Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson, Connectional Liaison
Mr. John Thomas III, Young Adult Advisor

Bishop McKenzie announced that Dr. and Mrs. Clement Fugh will serve as the Honorary Chairpersons for the Quadrennial Banquet, to be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on June 26, 2012, the evening before the opening of the 49th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference.

Dr. Fugh thanked those in attendance for their show of confidence. His partner in life, Mrs. Alexia Fugh, joined him in sharing her appreciation for the love and support of Bishop McKenzie and of “Team 13.”

Special thanks was extended to Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Henderson of Henderson Financial Group for underwriting the event.

Along the Road to Recovery

“One picture is worth a thousand words.” (Chinese Proverb)

Since the launch of the Recovery Movement and my Candidacy for Episcopal Service – 2012, I have been a man on the move! I have been to the East Coast and to the West Coast, and North and South, and all areas in between. Alexia and I even traveled to Lyon, France to the Global Development Council where the highlight of the meeting was the reception of a French congregation, the Nouvelle Alliance AME Church, into the African Methodist Episcopal Church. This was the culmination of groundwork laid by Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry and brought to fruition by Bishop Sarah Frances Davis.

Wherever I traveled, I took pictures of those things about African Methodism that excited me. The pictures will tell the story! Watch for this new segment titled, “Along the Road to Recovery.”

What have you seen in your local setting or as you have gone from place to place that excites you about the future prospects of our Zion? Take a snapshot! Shoot it to me (digitally) so that we can all benefit from it.

Thanks.

Thoughts on Recovery

A friend of mine shared some of the thoughts that recovery in African Methodism evoked for him. Please read them and let me hear your response.

The expression “recovery” calls forth a wellspring of thoughts when I consider the legacy of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

I think of “recovery of our history.” I recall the role we played during slavery and afterwards, reconstruction, and the struggle for civil rights.

I think of “recovery of the Spirituality of Methodism.” Others have taken on attributes that were characteristically “Methodist” – original Methodist were spirited (Pentecostal); held camp meetings that afforded fellowship with common people; the Church of the warm heart. We seem to have diminished the importance of these attributes.

I see the need to “recover the itinerancy!” We need to break this new mold where we think that we are ordained for a locale, thereby refusing to “travel.”

We need to “recover the philosophy of the priesthood of all believers.” Lay folk have priestly functions, too.

We need to “recover the MISSION of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.” We need to revisit our mission statement so that we concentrate on the “central issues” and not the “side issues.”

Finally, we need to “recover our ancestral history” which invariably will take us back to the cradle of civilization. When the founding fathers of our church thought it not prudent to extend themselves beyond these shores of America, the mothers of the church saw the pressing need to reach beyond to the shores of Africa. We must recover our ministry and mission to the next big wave of Christian Evangelism which will take place on the shores and in the very heart of Africa.

REB

What are your thoughts on “recovery“?  Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

A Good Bishop!

Bishop in Methodism does not represent a different order of ministry (deacon/elder), only a difference in governance and responsibility. Bishops are elected from the ranks of their peers, hence, “first among equals” – (Primus Inter Pares). What attributes does a “good bishop” possess?