Community

AME Church Elects New Leadership and Begins LGBTQ+ Discernment Process at 2021 General Conference

At the General Conference new bishops, general officers (department executives), and members of the Judicial Council were elected. The five incumbent general officers were retained.

Published

2 years ago

July 30, 2021

Isabelle Price

Bishop Anne Henning Byfield
President of the Council of Bishops

Bishop Silvester S. Beaman

Bishop Frederick A. Wright

Bishop Marvin C. Zanders II

Bishop Francine A. Brookins

The 51st Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church met from July 6-10, 2021, at the West Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Over 1,600 delegates met as the church’s supreme governance body to review and change the denomination’s laws and policies, receive reports from its agencies, and elect denominational leadership.

Due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 200 delegates representing countries on the continent of Africa were unable to travel to the United States and were to participate via a satellite location in Cape Town, South Africa. After the South African government restricted in-person gatherings due to public health concerns, a virtual platform was created to allow these delegates to participate in the deliberations virtually.

“The 2021 General Conference was truly a test of the denomination’s resilience and capacity to adapt,” said Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, general secretary of the AME Church. “In spite of the last-minute difficulties, we were able to ensure that all members of our family were able to share in this important aspect of the life of our Church. I am proud of our planning team and grateful to the AME Church leadership and delegates for their patience and understanding as we made this shift.”

In addition to the business of the General Conference, greetings were received from the president and vice president of the United States. AME church member and Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida delivered a keynote address to the assembly as well. Demings said that the role of the Church is to ensure that no one is left behind and that the most vulnerable…. are protected. Demings called the Church to collective action, saying, “the urgency is now.”

Among the legislation approved by the AME Church General Conference was an “AME Sexual Ethics Discernment Committee” designed to begin a three-year process to bring back recommendations to the 2024 General Conference. The committee is designed to “develop and propose legislation that undergirds the evangelical responsibility of the church ‘to minister to the social, spiritual, and physical development of all people’ – including people of various sexual orientations and gender identities.”

At the General Conference new bishops, general officers (department executives), and members of the Judicial Council were elected. The five incumbent general officers were retained. New persons elected to leadership in the AME Church include:

Bishops

-The Right Reverend Silvester Beaman, 139th Elected & Consecrated Bishop (Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Wilmington, Del.)

-The Right Reverend Marvin C. Zanders, II, 140th Elected & Consecrated Bishop (Pastor of St. Paul AME Church, Jacksonville, Fla.)

-The Right Reverend Francine A. Brookins, 141st Elected & Consecrated Bishop (Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Fontana, Ca.)

-The Right Reverend Frederick A. Wright, Sr., 142nd Elected & Consecrated Bishop (Pastor of Quinn Chapel AME Church, Cincinnati, Ohio)

General Officers

-Mr. Marcus Henderson, treasurer/chief financial officer of the AME Church

-Rev. Dr. James Miller, executive director, Department of Retirement Services

-Rev. Dr. John Green, executive director, Global Witness, and Ministry

-Rev. Dr. Marcellus A. Norris, executive director, Department of Church Growth and Development

Judicial Council Members

-Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, Judicial Council – Clergy

-Rev. Dr. O. Jerome Green, Judicial Council— Clergy

-Advocate Thabile Ngubeni, Judicial Council – Lay

-Mrs. Monice Crawford—Lay Alternate

These elections marked several significant milestones. As a South African, Advocate Ngubeni became the first African layperson elected to the General Conference to serve in the AME Church in any capacity. Bishop Beaman delivered the benediction for the inauguration of President Joseph Biden. Bishop Zanders is the first Morehouse College graduate elected as a Bishop in the AME Church. Bishop Francine A. Brookins is the fifth woman elected as a Bishop and is the daughter of the late Bishop Hamel Hartford Brookins. Bishop Wright is the first Bishop elected from Ohio since 1948 and the son of the first AME female Presiding Elder, Reverend Cornelia Wright.

The AME Church General Conference will next meet in July 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“The 51st Session of the General Conference had ended with its joys and sorrows, challenges, and accomplishments and through it all, we saw the hand of God. To God, be the Glory!” said Bishop Anne Henning Byfield, president of the Council of Bishops.

Up Next

S.F. Mayor London Breed Announces $4.5 Million in Grants to Over 560 Small Businesses

Don't Miss

Council President Pro Tem Sheng Thao Champions Public Safety Investments for Oakland

Isabelle Price

Click to comment

Arts and Culture

Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater to Hold Fundraiser for Youth Programs

The Bay Area Jazz Society will hold a fundraiser and CD listening party to raise funds for youth programs at Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater (BBRT), the only Black-owned-and-operated theater in the East Bay.

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Oakland Post

Larriah Jackson from ‘The Voice” will be one of the guest artists at the fundraiser for the Berkeley Black Repertory Group. Courtesy photo.

By Clifford Williams
Special to The Post

The event will take place at the BBRT on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA. Tickets are $25. The master of ceremonies will be KPFA’s Afrikahn Jamal Davis.

Many artists featured in “The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets” compilation CD will perform with special guests including Larriah Jackson from “The Voice” Niecy ‘Living Single’ Robinson, one of the Bay Area’s most popular vocalists and Derick Hughes, who sang with Roberta Flack for many years, taking the place of Donnie Hathaway.

Other artists attending include Donnie Williams from “American Idol,” (the same year Jennifer Hudson and Latoya London appeared), and Williams’ sister, Terrill Williams. There will be live performances with food and drink for everyone, and the CD will be playing in the lobby when the performers take a break.

BBRT has had limited programming during and throughout the pandemic and is now struggling to regain continual of operations. Bay Area Jazz Society Executive Director Paul Tillman Smith, has an extensive background in theatre, starting with a stint as musical director for the Oakland Ensemble Theater’s Melvin Van Peebles play, “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death,” featuring television star Ted Lange of the “Love Boat,” as director.

Tillman Smith is also the co-producer, along with Norman Connors, Levi Seacer Jr., and Nelson Braxton for the new Bay Area CD ‘The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets.” Other artists listed on the CD may be in attendance, including Lenny Williams, Derick Hughes, and Lady Bianca to meet and greet guests.

The Berkeley chapter of the NAACP will also support the fundraiser.

The first 20 individuals attending the fundraiser will receive a free copy of the CD. Thirty percent of the CD sales will go into a fund to help aging artists who don’t have a pension and, in many cases, no social security.

For more information regarding the fundraiser and how to obtain tickets, contact Paul Tilman Smith at 510. 689.3332, or Bayjazz@gmail.com.

Black History

Remembering the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

The “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” brought an unprecedented throng to the National Mall on Aug. 28, 1963. From every corner of the U.S., marchers came to demand fair wages, economic justice, an end to segregation, voting rights and long overdue civil rights. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his incomparable “I Have a Dream” speech on that day.

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Oakland Post

March on Washington, August 1963

By Gay Elizabeth Plair Cobb

Gay Plair Cobb

Editor’s note: The “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” brought an unprecedented throng to the National Mall on Aug. 28, 1963. From every corner of the U.S., marchers came to demand fair wages, economic justice, an end to segregation, voting rights and long overdue civil rights. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his incomparable “I Have a Dream” speech on that day. Below, Gay Plair Cobb shares her remembrance.

“Sleepy eyed, joining the early morning-chartered bus ride from New York City to Washington, DC … exhilarated, but not knowing what to expect in the late August heat

…. the yearning for justice, solidarity with others on the journey, the possibility of new legislation, and also the possibility of violence … We just did not know.

In the end, there were an amazing 250,000 of us, awed and inspired by Mahalia Jackson, John Lewis, Dorothy Height, James Farmer and, of course, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Dream that became our North Star is still our North Star 60 years later and into eternity. Grateful to have been a foot soldier then. Still grateful now.”

Poster for March on Washington.

Art

Oakland Celebrates Hiero Day 2023, Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop

Thousands of music fans showed up at Oscar Grant Plaza Monday, Sept. 4 to celebrate the 11th annual Hiero Day block party and commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, featuring the Souls of Mischief, Oakland native Kev Choice, Mister F.A.B. and a special guest appearance by Common.

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Oakland Post

Common was honored on Hiero Day at by Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Kimberly Mayfield. Photo courtesy of Ariel Nava.

By Post Staff

Thousands of music fans showed up at Oscar Grant Plaza Monday, Sept. 4 to celebrate the 11^th annual Hiero Day block party and commemorate the 50^th anniversary of hip-hop, featuring the Souls of Mischief, Oakland native Kev Choice, Mister F.A.B. and a special guest appearance by Common.

Hosted by the City of Oakland and Mayor Sheng Thao, the free event showcased over 30 live performances on three stages, including legendary, underground and undiscovered performers of hip-hop, R&B and other genres.

Souls of Mischief is part of the rap collective Hieroglyphics, which founded Hiero Day and this year celebrated its 30^th anniversary.

“HIERO DAY (is) a driving force in the music festival culture in Oakland,” according to event organizers. “The event is widely regarded as a day to celebrate independent hip-hop music and serves as a Labor Day destination being one of the largest hip-hop music gatherings in the Bay Area.”

The event was held at Jack London Square last year, but this year, it moved to the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall, reflecting its new connection with the Mayor’s Office and the City of Oakland.

“I’m so grateful to be here in Oakland,” said Common said after receiving a “heavyweight champion” belt and proclamation from Mayor Thao. “Y’all inspired us … The music, the culture — Hieroglyphics influenced me.”

Said Mayor Thao: “Oakland is the heart of the Bay Area’s music, art and culture scene, and I am so grateful for all the work our Hiero Day organizers did to celebrate it.”

The City of Oakland this year is hosting three events to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of hip-hop, including the collaboration with event organizers of Hiero Day. A special event was held on Sept. 10 to honor “50 years of women rooted in hip-hop,” including Pam the Funkstress, the Conscious Daughters, Traci Bartlow, and Mystic and Black.