CYAM Appeal to Young Adults to Attend Region Conferences

"Ships that Sail...:" 23rd CME Convocation Schedule Announced

Bishop Paul A. G. Stewart, Sr., Chair of the Annual CME Convocation Committee, Bishop Thomas L. Brown, Sr., Chair of the Convocation Program Committee and Reverend Dr. Tyrone T. Davis, Annual Convocation Director have announced the tentative schedule of the 2009 Annual CME Convocation which will be hosted by the Third Episcopal District in Saint Louis, Missouri. The 2009 Convocation will meet Monday – Thursday, September 21st – 24th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (formerly Adams Mark) in downtown Saint Louis. The theme of the Convocation is “The Ships that Sail Us from Good to Great.”
Included in the schedule are planned meetings of selected General Conference Commissions and Committees on Monday, September 21st from 3 PM to 6:30 PM.
The Annual CME Convocation will meet in conjunction with the quadrennial meeting of the Connectional Lay Institute sponsored by the Department of Lay Ministry. The Connectional Lay Institute will meet Saturday – Monday (am), September 19th – 21st at the Millennium Hotel 2½ blocks south of the Hyatt Regency. Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr. is the Chair of the Department of Lay Ministry and Dr. Victor Taylor is the General Secretary. Combined registration forms for either or both events are printed in The Christian Index. Forms can also be found on the CME Website (www.c-m-e.org).

Speakers and Preachers:
Bishop Henry M. Williamson, Sr.
[Keynote - Monday]
Bishop Thomas L. Brown, Sr.
[Communion - Tuesday]
Bishop William H. Graves, Sr.
[Commissioning and Covenanting - Thursday]
Reverend Dr. Clementine Mays
[Mid-day Worship - Wednesday]
Teachers:
Dr. Evelyn Parker
[Bible Study – Tuesday-Thursday]
Reverend Dollie Howell Pankey
[Plenary Presenter – Worship (Tuesday AM)]
Reverend Dr. Willie C. Champion
[Plenary Presenter – Membership (Tuesday AM)]
Dr. Leo Pinkett [Plenary Presenter – Mentorship (Tuesday PM)]
Reverend Dr. Charles Holbrook [Plenary Presenter – Leadership (Tuesday PM)]
Reverend Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield [Plenary Presenter – Discipleship (Wednesday AM)]
Bishop Kenneth W. Carter [Plenary Presenter – Stewardship (Wednesday AM)]
Dr. Allen F. Todd II [Concert Choir Director (Wednesday)]
Dr. Marie Jerigan [Wrap-up! (Thursday)]

Special Assignments:
Ms. Doris Herring
[Registrar – Monday-Wednesday]
Reverend Dr. Jerome E. McNeil, Jr.
[Prayer Coordinator – Monday-Thursday]

Monday, September 21, 2009:
10 am – 5 pm Registration
9 am – 2 pm Departmental Meetings
9 am – 3 pm Presiding Elders’ In-service Training
3 pm – 6:30 pm

Commissions and Committees
Board of Directors for Ministerial Assessment Center
Commission on Economic Development
Commission on Ecumenicity Commission on Faith and Order
Commission on Life and Witness
Commission on Ritual and Worship and Committee to Develop a New CME Hymnal
Commission on Social Justice and Human Concerns
Commission on the Concerns of Women in Ministry
Committee on Resolutions

5 pm – 6:30 pm Orientation of Facilitators
Orientation of Security Access Monitors
7 pm – 9:30 pm Keynote Assembly
9:30 pm – Midnight Convocation Concert Choir Rehearsal

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 (T-Shirt Day):
8 am – 5 pm Registration
8 am – 7 pm Exhibits
8 am – 8:50 am Bible Study
9 am – 10 am Plenary Session
[Worship ~ Membership]
10:15 am – 12:15 pm Break-out Sessions
12:30 pm – 2 pm Lunch Break
2 pm – 3 pm Plenary Session
[Mentorship ~ Leadership]
3:15 pm – 5:15 pm Break-out Sessions
5:15 pm – 6:45 pm Dinner Break
7 pm – 9:30 pm Communion Worship Service
9:30 pm – Midnight Convocation Concert Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday, September 23, 2009:
7 am – 8:30 am Chaplains’ Breakfast
8 am – 7 pm Exhibits
9 am – Noon Registration
8 am – 8:50 am Bible Study
9 am – 10 am Plenary Session
[Discipleship ~ Stewardship]
10:15 am – 12:15 pm Break-out Sessions
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Mid-day Worship Service
1:30 pm – 3 pm Lunch Break
3 pm – 4:30 pm Workshops
3 pm – 6 pm Convocation Concert Choir Rehearsal
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Convocation Committee Meeting
7 pm – 9:30 pm Convocation Annual Concert

Thursday, September 24, 2009:
8 am – 8:50 am Bible Study
9 am – 9:30 am Wrap-Up!
9:30 am – 10:15 am Commissioning and Covenanting Service

Submitted to The Christian Index by Dr. Tyrone T. Davis

Funeral Arrangements for Presiding Elder Rev. Sebron Isom
Services for Rev. Sebron Isom, retired minister and former presiding elder of the Washington-Virginia District, New York Washington Region, 7th Episcopal District, will be at 11 AM, Saturday morning, June 27, 2009, at the Israel Metropolitan CME Church, 557 Randolph Street, NW, Washington, DC. Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., will officiate. 

Department of Lay Ministry Graham-Webb Scholarship 2009-10 General Information
The Department of Lay Ministry of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church believes that educating our young is a positive step in helping to provide role models for future generations. Thus, the Graham-Webb Scholarship named in honor of Dr. Willie L. Graham and Dr. Roscoe Webb, will provide assistance to deserving CME male students who plan to further their education after graduating from high school. The Department of Lay Ministry will, therefore, award nine (9) Graham-Webb Scholarships (one from each Episcopal District within the United States) in an amount no less than $700 and not exceeding $1000. An additional 5% of the award amount will be provided to young men who choose to attend a CME College. We believe that this scholarship is one small way of helping to make dreams come true.

 
Applicants for the scholarship must plan to enroll in a full-time program of study at an accredited institution of higher learning, vocational, or technical school. The recipients must provide proof of enrollment prior to receiving the award. After sufficient proof of enrollment is provided, one-half of the award shall be forwarded to the recipient for the first semester and the remaining one-half at the beginning of the second semester. When the learning institution’s classes are scheduled on a trimester basis, the student will receive the award in equal parts during each trimester. Scholarship awards are to be used to assist with the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board and/or supplies.  

Selection of the Scholarship recipients will be based on: membership in the CME Church, academic achievement, and financial need. Completed applications must be post marked no later than July 17, 2009. The Graham-Webb Scholarship application can be accessed online at c-m-e.org.

If there are questions, please contact:
Mr. Clifford L. Harris, Chair
Graham-Webb Scholarship Committee
918.304.1999 (home)
918.519.4233 (cell)
Email: mrcliffharris@yahoo.com

Funeral Arrangement for Mrs. Minnie Washington - Mother of Missionary Messenger Editor Rita Washington

Funeral Arrangements:
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Metropolitian Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
8955 South Freeway
Houston, Texas 77051
Phone Number :713-748-5947 Fax Number 713-748-2718

Visitation
9-11 AM - Saturday, June 13, 2009

Funeral Service

Metropolitian CME Church - Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 11 AM

Funeral Home
Grimes
3900 Holmes Road
Houston, Texas 77051
Phone Number - 713-733-3336 - Fax Number 713-733-1149

Rejoice,

Dr. Elnora P. Hamb
Women's Missionary Council President

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4

Loss of Mr. William Everett 

Dear Connectional Members and Friends,

It is with deep regret to inform you of the passing of Mr. William Everett, the father of Rev. Paul Everett, pastor of First CME Church (Anchorage, Alaska) in the Alaska-Pacific Region of the 9th Episcopal District. Mr. Everett passed away yesterday.

The funeral service for Mr. Everett will be held on Monday, June 15, 2009, 1 PM, at New Hope Friendship Baptist Church, 2205 Harrison Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113. Church telephone: 619-234-5506.

You may send condolences, cards, flowers, and other expressions of sympathy to the Everett family in care of New Hope Friendship Baptist Church. You may contact Rev. Everett via e-mail at reveverett@aol.com .

Please keep Rev. Paul Everett and his immediate family in prayer.

In His Service,

Bishop Henry M. Williamson, Sr.

3 Historically Black Churches Formally Launch HIV Testing Campaign with Balm In Gilead
(Richmond, VA) The senior bishops of the nation’s oldest Black church denominations are launching a national crusade to engage churches of all denominations to support The Balm In Gilead’s 9th Annual Our Church Lights the Way! HIV Testing Campaign. Each senior bishop: The Rt. Rev. John Bryant, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME); The Rt. Rev. George W.C. Walker, Sr. of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion) and The Rt. Rev. William H. Graves, Sr. of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) has produced a public service announcement to be used by churches, community and civic organizations and individuals, as well as all media outlets to encourage African Americans to take the HIV test.
The 2009 Our Church Lights the Way Campaign also includes a public service announcement with the combined leadership of The Rt. Rev. Yvette Flunder, Senior Bishop of The Fellowship and Senior Pastor of The City of Refuge United Church of Christ; and Dr. Katie G. Cannon, Professor, Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA along with the senior bishops of the AME, AME Zion and CME denominations.

According to Pernessa C. Seele, Founder/CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Our Church Lights the Way HIV Testing Campaign is a Call to Action from pulpits across our nation to encourage and support individuals to take the HIV test and to seek immediate care and treatment if test results are positive and for everyone, with positive or negative results, to live responsibility regarding sexual and emotional behaviors.

In 2007-08, the campaign resulted in a 300% increase in the number of African American churches conducting HIV testing programs at their places of worship. Faith-based testing programs often report a 100% return rate of persons receiving HIV test results. “The significance of faith-based HIV testing programs cannot be under estimated”, states Ronald V. Dellums, Mayor of Oakland, CA and former US Congressman. “These institutions are respected cornerstones in the community and have a great role to play in the AIDS pandemic. The Balm In Gilead’s model for engaging faith institutions in addressing HIV/AIDS is a successful global model for community mobilization”.

Our churches must do far more to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in our communities. We have been so misled and misinformed about this disease. It is time for all of us to be led by facts and unconditional love regarding HIV/AIDS, states, Bishop William H. Graves Sr.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 2% of the African American population is presently living with HIV/AIDS. It is believed that 20,000 to 30,000 African Americans become newly infected with the virus that causes AIDS every year. “Most people in our communities do not know they have the virus in their bodies. Our churches must begin to realize its role in getting people tested and caring for all persons who are HIV positive”, states Rev. Katie Cannon.

In 2005, The Balm In Gilead in partnership with the Women’s Missionary Societies of the AME, AME Zion and CME denominations launched its African American Denominational Leadership Health Initiative. Today, this partnership has resulted in the establishment of a strong network of health ministries that support the service delivery of disease prevention and health promotion activities to local communities across the US, Africa and the Caribbean.

For your free copy of the public service announcements and other materials on how your church and community can participate in Our Church Lights the Way HIV Testing Campaign visit www.balmingilead.org or 888-225-6243.

The 2009 Our Church Lights the Way HIV Testing Campaign is supported by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National HIV Testing Mobilization Campaign. 

Photo shows Senior Bishops Walker, Graves and Bryant of Three Historically Black Church Denominations, along with Pernessa Seele, Founder/CEO of the Balm In Gilead, Call on Churches to Support HIV Testing Month in June.

Statement of Commission on Social Justice - '09 General Board
To Senior Bishop William H. Graves, Bishop Ronald M. Cunningham, Chair of the College of Bishops, the College of Bishops, General Officers, Judicial Council, Heads of Connectional Institutions, and Members of the General Connectional Board.
The Commission on Social Justice and Human Concerns met on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 and made the following recommendations:
1. We are proud to salute the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. We recognize that this significant milestone is the result of the improvement in race relations in the United States of America as it gives us more hope for positive change as we move toward a more perfect union.
2. We continue to support a universal health care system for all Americans that would provide adequate health care resources to more than 45 million Americans. We support President Barack Obama's health care expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and other health initiatives underway. We also support participation in the 50 Million Pound Initiative started by Dr. Ian Smith, awareness of issues regarding African-American men and prostate cancer, and removal of the stigma regarding issues of mental health. It is OK to ask for help.
We support President Obama's proposal yesterday to ask Congress for 63 billion dollars over six years to battle chronic global health crises, including AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
3. We must re-direct and re-focus our attention on major health issues facing African Americans: the HIV/AIDS crisis and proper drug and mental health treatment. Therefore, we recommend that our CME churches lift up and educate our black men and women about the HIV/AIDS crisis and other major health issues, and support, coach and mentor our black youth and young adults to ensure that they are spiritually, physically and mentally healthy! We salute the Balm in Gilead and the Women's Missionary Council for their efforts in this area and encourage participation in this endeavor.
4. We encourage every CME church to be engaged in voter registration efforts and partner with the NAACP to register members within the church and persons within the community.
5. We support the One Church One School community partnership program that encourages every church to partner with a public school to improve academic achievement, social behavior, and personal development of all students. We applaud the efforts of the College of Bishops supporting One Church One School by appointing Episcopal directors in each District, to coordinate and increase the number of church school partnerships across our nation.
The National One Church One School Conference will be held in Memphis, Tennessee, October 21-23, 2009.
6. We support the National Urban League's report, The State of Black America 2009: Message to the President, that examines the critical challenges -such as unemployment, home foreclosures, education and health care reform - that President Obama's new administration must address. The message encourages and inspires us to join in working to help President Obama fulfill the promise he made to us last summer "to build a nation worthy of our children's future."
7. We recognize that the greatest civil rights challenge facing black America in the 21st century is the economic line between Blacks and whites, rich and poor, the haves, have-nots, and have mores. We recommend that our connectional churches in our communities focus on our Black males, Rites of Passage programs, educational and economic opportunities, and developing ministries in the churches and communities to meet their needs.
8. We continue to call for prison reform, drug rehabilitation efforts, and the abolishment of the death penalty because it has been proven to be discriminatory against people of color and particularly our African American males.
9. We encourage and support Bread for the World 2009 Offering of letters to end hunger both in our nation and around the world.
10. We support all efforts to address and end domestic violence, and support for victims of domestic violence.
11. We must continue to , For the end of the Iraq war, and pray for the safety and security of our men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces to protect America!
12. We encourage all CME congregations to be proactive in learning all of the facts regarding the federal economic stimulus package and how it will impact and help our communities.
13. We want to remind every CME that 2010 in addition to being a General Conference year is also the year of the Census. It is important that we become involved in the process through education and participation individually as well as collectively. If we are not counted, we will not count!
14. We salute Rev. James T. Morris of the 3rd Episcopal District and a member of this Commission on his recent election to the Missouri State Legislature.
Finally, we salute Senior Bishop William H. Graves for being selected again as one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans by Ebony magazine in its May 2009 issue.

Respectfully submitted,

The Commission on Social Justice and Human
Concerns

Bishop Henry M. Williamson, Sr., Chair
Rev. Amariah McIntosh, Secretary
Rev. L.K. Allen
Rev. Larry Brown
Rev. Paul Freeman
Rev. James Morris
Rev. Brian Reese
Rev. Regina Reese-Young
Rev. Anthony Ware