St James AME Church, Elgin, Illinois
African prelate installed as president of AME's Council of Bishops
Posted on Thu, Dec 11, 2008
African prelate installed as president of AME's Council of BishopsIn an investiture ceremony hosted by the AME Church in South Carolina on Monday evening December 8, 2008, Bishop Paul JM Kawimbe was made president of the church's global Council of Bishops.
The meeting, held at the Charleston Area Convention Center, was attended by all 21 bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, representing 20 districts around the world, according to Benjamin Harrison, public relations director for the 7th Episcopal District, which encompasses all of the state.
Kawimbe currently presides in Africa over the 17th Episcopal District, which includes Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia. He is from Lusaka, Zambia.
He will retain this post even as he assumes responsibility for setting the course the council will take, Harrison said.
The 17th district has grown from 150,000 to 250,000 members with a total of 1,040 churches, according to church officials. Kawimbe is one of a growing number of native Africans assuming leadership positions in the church.
The 7th district's Bishop Preston W. Williams II was instrumental in getting Kawimbe elected, Harrison said, and the new council president thinks of Williams as a spiritual father.
No messages have been posted.
You must first create an account to post.