St James AME Church, Elgin, Illinois
TCR News Digest 11.13.2016
Posted on Wed, Dec 7, 2016
TCR News Digest 11.13.2016
Make America Great
By Rev. Renita Green
“Make America Great Again” is popular political rhetoric these days. This phrase begs the question, “When was America ever great?” I have never understood the European sense of entitlement to everything that could be conquered. I have never understood why I was supposed to be proud to be an American—or a white American, specifically. This land was acquired through acts of terrorism: lies, deceit, betrayal, murder, and forced assimilation. Young men and women are sent into foreign lands to ensure “American values” (white male power) that are enforced while leaving veterans suffering and impoverished at home.
Don’t Get Settled Worshipping Under a Tent
By Bishop Anne Henning Byfield, Presiding Bishop 16th Episcopal District
Ephesians 3:20, “Now to God who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,” is a verse that defines the Reverend Lisa Blake-Williams.The Rev. Blake-Williams has been the pastor of Hickman AME Church, Woodlands, Grenada, since 2010 and shepherded the congregation through the building of a new edifice after worshipping 12 years under a tent. On October 16, 2016, Bishop Anne Henning Byfield dedicated the new church to the glory of God.Hickman AME Church was started in 1974 and is named for Bishop Ernest Lawrence Hickman, the 73rdelected and consecrated bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Freedom: Some Basic Notions
By D’Weston Haywood, PhD
Movement. It’s a term that many of my students increasingly use to describe and participate in “Black Lives Matter” protests. It’s also a term that police, who have recently been responsible for killing unarmed Black people, use to explain their reasons for firing their weapon. I often challenge my students to answer broad, thematic questions like, “What is Freedom?” However, as an Assistant Professor of History, I strive to teach them the varied and historically contingent ways that Blacks have defined freedom in America. At different times, Black people have defined it in terms of equal protection under the law. At other points, it has meant ending lynching, having the ability to vote unencumbered, or gaining equal access to public accommodations like schools and restaurants. Sometimes Blacks have simply defined it in terms of movement.
Mothers of the Movement Visit St. Paul AME Church, Jacksonville with a Charge to Vote
By Bro. Sherman Riley
Mothers of the Movement Gwen Carr (mother of Eric Garner) and Lucy McBath (mother of Jordan Davis) visited St. Paul AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 25, 2016 to encourage the congregation and community to get out and early vote in the presidential election. The mothers shared the death stories of their sons and charged the members of the congregation to use their voices to make a difference. The Reverend Marvin C. Zanders, II led the congregation in prayer, along with the Mothers of the Movement, as we head into the United States General Election on November 8.
The Truth is the Light
By Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr.
John 11:21a, “Now Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here.’” Matthew 28:20, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” When Lazarus was ill, Martha and Mary said often, “If Jesus would only come.” They were afraid that death would come before Jesus would return. Eventually Lazarus died. The Bible says, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. However, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.” Some may conclude, “If Jesus really loved him, he would have been there.” The truth of the matter is that love does not always do what we want or expect. God does not always do what we want or expect.
Voting in Context
By John Thomas III, Editor
Disclaimer: This Editorial was written before the results of the November General Election in the United States.
The November 8, 2016 United States General Election will go down in history as one of the most contentious electoral contests of its 240-year history. Traditional political decorum was thrown aside as the Republican nominee Donald J. Trump openly assaulted the sensibilities of the American public through condemning Muslims, threatening mass deportations of immigrants, and even threatening to put Democratic nominee Secretary Hillary R. Clinton in jail. With all of his brashness and bluster, Donald Trump’s national support never dipped under 40% once he became the official Republican nominee and is projected to win at least 200 Electoral Votes.
College Corner
Global Hunger and Anti-Poverty Faith Advocate to Speak at
Seminary’s Founders’ Day event
More than 100 guests, including, AME bishops, alumni, and friends are expected to attend Payne Theological Seminary’s annual Founders’ Day Worship Service on Thursday, November 17 at 6 pm. The free, public event will honor the Seminary’s founding fathers and their legacy with a timely keynote message, worship, and music. The event will be held at the Chapel of the Living Savior, 1230 Wilberforce-Clifton Road, Wilberforce, Ohio. Springfield and Cedarville, Ohio native, the Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, will deliver the keynote address. As national senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Washington DC-based Bread for the World, this friend of Payne is a collective Christian voice that urges our nation’s top legislators to end hunger at home and abroad.
Connectional News
International AME Health Commission: FAITH IN ACTION
The AME Health Commission Provides Everything You Need for Disaster Preparedness
Did you know that September was National Preparedness Month? The first week of October was dedicated to Fire Prevention and October 20, 2016 was International Earthquake Drill Day. These are just a few of the national and international preparedness events the AME Health Commission promotes and shares on its website www.AMEChealth.org to prepare everyone for local, national, and international disasters. A disaster can happen at any time. It can occur during weekly church meetings, bible studies, prayer meetings, and even on Sundays! So the question is, is your church, staff, and congregation ready for an emergency?
The Bicentennial Bishops Poster
The Bicentennial Bishops Poster is available from the Department of Executive Director of Research and Scholarship.The cost is US$5 for a 12 inch x 18 inch poster.
Send check to
AMEC Department of Research and Scholarship
500 8th Ave South
Suite 209
Nashville, TN 37203.
50th Quadrennial Memorabilia and AME Bookstore Merchandise
While supplies last, you may still purchase 50th Quadrennial Memorabilia and AME Bookstore Merchandise. See merchandise and prices below. Please download the order form by clickingHERE. Complete the order form and email it back with any questions to [email protected].
The Investiture Celebration 2016
Ecumenical News
Just Two Days After Trump’s Election, Reports of Anti-Islam Attacks Spike
Less than 48 hours since Donald Trump became the president-elect, reports of Islamophobia are already on the rise. Attacks on Muslim Americans were already high before Trump clinched enough electoral college delegates to win the presidency on Tuesday night, with hate group experts attributing the uptick to his candidacy. But the situation appears to have worsened since his win. Here are just a few examples of Muslim American reporting instances of harassment and assault this week.
Faith Communities Explore Concrete Climate Action at COP22
Joining efforts to explore how to move from dependency on fossil fuel to a sustainable future, faith representatives gathered at the Indonesian Pavilion at COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco on 8 November, for an event hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry. “How will nations’ commitments in the Paris Climate Agreement be transformed into real action, thus limiting the warming of the planet?” The question formed the backdrop as Nana Firman, co-chair of the Global Muslim Climate Network, opened the floor for discussion. “Climate change is also about our moral crisis, and so it is an issue of our underlying values.
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