Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Loss of Birmingham Region Missionary President Lula M. Bowden
The Funeral Services for Ms. Lula M. Bowden, Birmingham Region Missionary President is as follows:

Funeral Home

Arrington Funeral Home
520 Cotton Avenue S.W.
Birmingham, Alabam 35211
Phone Number: 205-786-6288
Fax Number -205-786-2050

Please send all condolences to the Funeral Home.

Visitation will be Friday February 22, 2008 from 1:00pm-8:00pm

Funeral Service will be Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Metropolitan CME Church
1600 Avenue K. Ensley
Birmingham, ALabama 35218
Phone Number 205-787-3295
Rev. George P. Hill Jr. Pastor

Attention All Missionaries please wear white for the Funeral Service.

Submitted by Dr. Elnora P. Hamb, President of the Women's Missionary Council

Monday, February 18, 2008

California One Church One School 11th Annual 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Keepers Workshop 
Over 200 children, youth and adults attended the One Church One School (OCOS) 11th Annual Dream Keepers Workshop on Monday, January 21, 2008. The workshop was located in the Southern California Region of the 9th Episcopal District where OCOS Founder Bishop Henry M. Williamson, Sr. is presiding prelate.
Calvary CME, Pasadena, CA, Rev. Byron Smith, Sr., pastor, hosted the workshop and gave leadership to the theme, "Remember, Celebrate, Act: A Day On, Not a Day Off." First Lady Mrs. Jill Smith served as the program coordinator.
One Church One School has modeled the Dream Keepers Workshop for th[Photo]e past 10 years. The format includes a general session (Harambee), age specific small group sessions, a feedback session and lunch. The curriculum includes the life, work (civil rights movement; six principles of nonviolence) and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Instructional materials published by OCOS support the curriculum. An additional component this year was an adult class taught by Bishop Williamson.
Children and youth (PreK, K-12th grade) came from churches throughout the Southern California Region to learn about Dr. King. In addition, Pastor Smith invited Pasadena city officials and other leaders to participate in this historic experience.
Pasadena's mayor, chief of police, council persons, commissioners, NAACP president, interdenominational ministerial leadership and other community members were in attendance. Bishop Williamson remarked that the variety of denominations, ethnic, professional and age groups was a realization of the dream of Dr. King.
Mrs. Phedonia Johnson, OCOS Director, expressed her appreciation to the dynamic and diverse instructional team that included members of the host church, Calvary CME, other CME churches in the Southern California Region, a Los Angeles County judge, the director of the Boys and Girls Club, staff and students from Claremont School of Theology.
One Church One School expresses its gratitude to the officers and members of Calvary CME Church, Pastor and Mrs. Smith and the Pasadena community for carrying out the legacy of Dr. King, the mission of OCOS Dream Keepers Workshop and significantly enhancing the lives of our children, youth and their families.
For more information about implementing the Dream Keepers Workshop, please call the OCOS office at (773) 651-0071.

Monday, February 04, 2008

The Historic Appointment of Presiding Elder Wilma Walden. Rev. Wilma Haynes Walden was appointed Presiding Elder of the Southeast District, East Tennessee Region of the 1st Episcopal District. This appointment makes Rev. Walden the first female to hold such a position in the history of the CME Church in the State of Tennessee, and in the 50-year history of the Southeast District.
Senior Bishop William H. Graves, Sr., appointed Rev. Walden to this historic appointment during the Tennessee Fall Reporting Meeting on October 20, 2007, at historic Mother Liberty CME Church, Jackson, TN.
She received her early education in her hometown of Henry, TN, and is a graduate of Central High School in Paris, TN. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethel College, McKenzie, TN. Further, she graduated from the Citizens Academy of the Knoxville Police Department, the Knoxville Police Chaplain Corps, the Community Action Committee, and the Knoxville Leadership class. Moreover, she has participated in many training institutions, workshops and courses of the CME Church.
She has three children: Steven (Sheila) Walden, Charissa (Al) Cobb, and Chadwick Walden; eight grandchildren, and a number of “adopted” children and grandchildren.
Rev. Walden accepted her call to preach in 1969 in Asheboro, NC. She began her pastorate in May 1976 when Bishop John Madison Exum appointed her as supply pastor to Hope Hill CME Church in Milan, TN. At the Annual Conference in August of that same year, she was appointed the Pastor of Hope Hill and Hullum Temple (Rutherford, TN) at the recommendation of the late Presiding Elder R.E. Honeysuckle, then Presiding Elder of the Brownsville/ Dyersburg District. In 1978, Rev. Walden was appointed to the Medina Circuit. Her pastoral journey led her to St. James in Dresden, TN, in 1980. She returned to her hometown of Henry in 1995 to pastor Coles Chapel. From there, in 1998, she moved to the extreme eastern part of Southeast District to lead her current charge, Mattie E. Coleman CME Church, Knoxville, where she also organized a Mission at the Isabella Towers Apartment Complex.
She has served the Church in many capacities; most notable as a delegate to General Conferences and as Chairperson of the Annual Conference’s Committee on Ministry for the East Tennessee Region. Presiding Elder Walden is a much sought after speaker, training facilitator, and worship and praise team leader – she is a gifted gospel singer.
Presiding Elder Walden sets a precedent for other firsts: the first female CME preacher to be committed in Full Connection in Tennessee; the first female to serve as chairperson of the East Tennessee Region’s Annual Conference’s Committee on Ministry; the first Black female to be elected to the Board of Alderman in Milan (Gibson County); and the first Black female to be appointed secretary to the United Way Board (Knoxville).
She also serves the City of Knoxville as Chaplain with the Police Department, as well as being employed with the Public Schools system. Moreover, she has served her country in the United States Army, stationed at West Point, NY.
Her commitment to the work of the Kingdom and strong work ethic are hallmarks of her life. She exudes a great love for God, children, people and the Church. Members of the Southeast District are blessed that she is their District Shepherd.