NEW BISHOPS 

CLASS OF 2024

From left to right:

THE RT. REV. ERIKA D. CRAWFORD  -  THE RT. REV.  JULIUS H. MCALLISTER, JR. - 

 THE RT. REV. VERNON R. BYRD, JR. -    THE RT. REV. HENRY A. BELIN, III - 

THE RT. REV. JEFFEREY B. COOPER, SR. - THE RT. REV. GREGORY V. EASON, SR. 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 WHAT IS A LOVE FEAST?

(Taken from The Christian Recorder 1/10/07)

The Apostolic church instituted an Agape Feast, which evolved into the love feast. Early AME Churches had class meetings and love feasts prior to Communion. Historically, the love feast was celebrated with bread and water. The Bread was symbolic of our goodwill toward one another and water was symbolic of our desire for purification. The Love Feast and class meetings were to facilitate our love for God, our love for each other and our desire to live holy lives.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are We There Yet?

A Founders’ Day Litany

Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr., 115

Leader:                 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14, NKJV)

“Are We There Yet?” It is the appeal of children displaying routine impatience with the journey, a lament from the back seat of the car, the back seat of the church. “We have miles to go before we rest.”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

Leader:                 And some inquisitive child who had survived the Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia, seeing the cornerstone laid in place on a brand-new edifice called Mother Bethel, having completed a course of study at the school organized by Richard Allen, a preacher and businessman, known to have bought his own freedom and that of his brother, asked him, “Are we there yet?”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

Leader:                 In a proverbial sense, it was asked of Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne, after the founding of Wilberforce University (and 21 other colleges founded by the AME Church), and of President Booker T. Washington, after the founding of Tuskegee University, and of President Mary McLeod Bethune, after the founding of Bethune-Cookman University, and of W. E. B. DuBois, the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from Harvard, and George Washington Carver, scientist, and of Thurgood Marshall, first black Supreme Court Justice, and of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. after  receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and after the election of President Barack Hussein Obama, “Are we there yet?”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

Leader:                 As Sir Galahad would learn in his quest for the Holy Grail; as Paul surmised about the “prize of the high calling of God” —  the meaning is discovered in the journey. The relevance is in the quest. The purpose is discovered in the pursuit, the adventures, the experiences, the victories achieved, the challenges overcome, the lessons learned, the wisdom gleaned, the collective resolve to journey on that makes arriving at an elusive destination even more worthwhile.

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling! 

Leader:                 Then a small voice that matched the size of the supplicant asked the genius poets and authors and playwrights and composers and bandleaders and starlets, and showmen of the Harlem Renaissance, “Are we there yet?”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

Leader:                 Then a small girl sidled up beside Deaconess Rosa Parks, sitting as dignified and defiant as she might at the front of the bus, and asked, “Are we there yet?”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

Leader:                 Then some youthful voice, from the colored section of the ball park in 1947, yelled above the raucus cheers of spectators in the direction of Jackie Robinson as he rounded third base towards home-plate; just as his older brother had asked of Jesse Owens after winning four gold medals in the Berlin Olympics in 1936, and his younger sister asked after Henry ‘Hank’ Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s homerun record in 1974, “Are we there yet?”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

Leader:                 Then some youthful lad made a crisp military salute in the direction of uniformed pilots as they lifted their planes into the “wild blue yonder” from an airfield in Tuskegee, wondering aloud as he considered their skill and heroism; just as we asked of Dr. Mae Jemison, NASA’s first black woman astronaut; and of Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the first female bishop of the AME Church,  “Are we there yet?”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

Leader:                 It is God in Christ Jesus who beckons us forward and upward; “Follow Me, He says.” It is His call — towards salvation and liberation — and discovering along the journey grace and mercy and peace that surpasses all understanding, and complete forgiveness and love and joy and Life Abundant, here and now, and Life Everlasting! And the next generation will ask of us, “Are we there yet?”

People:                We join the forward march of those who have preceded us, insisting that ‘our lives matter.’ We press toward the mark; it’s a high calling!

(A Litany by Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr., 115)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

THE LONGEST DAY

Alzheimer's Association

Wednesday, June 21, 2017 was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. On this day the Alzheimer's Association sponsors The Longest Day activities. These events are to raise awareness about the disease. The events are held on this day to symbolize the daily challenge of those living with the disease and their caregivers. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia and causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is a fatal disorder that results in the loss of brain cells and brain function. It is sometimes difficult to know the difference between age related changes and the first signs of Alzheimer's disease. To help, the Alzheimer's Association has created a list of 10 warning signs for the disease.

The 10 Warning signs of Alzheimer's Disease

• 1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life.

  2. Challenges in planning or solving problems.

  3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure.

  4. Confusion with time or place.

  5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.

  6. New problems with words in speaking or writing.

  7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.

  8. Decreased or poor judgment.

  9. Withdrawal from work or social activities.

  10. Changes in mood and personality.

If you notice any of these signs, please see a doctor. For information, visit alz.org/10signs or call 800-272-3900

Copyright 2009 Alzheimer's Association. All Rights Reserved

-------------------------------------------------------------------------