Humbled by God’s grace, greetings to each of you in the majesty of His power and the beauty of His might, for I am keenly aware that it has only been by those traits of the Master that has granted me this opportunity to travel safely and stand before you, the servants of our God. My gratitude is infinite to the church of my birth and nurture, providing me with opportunities to serve the denomination in this pinnacle of privilege, the 11th President of the Connectional Lay Council of the Freedom Church, for I stand greatly privileged and highly favored. To be in that number increases the depth of my humility and gratitude, an assignment only by God, which has proven to be a tapestry of achievements and challenges, elected at the 12th Quadrennial Convention of our beloved Lay Council. My life has been enriched and tremendously blessed through this work, igniting brightly my love for lay ministry, causing that love to expand and elevate because of the people I serve and the opportunities shared to better understand our God.
Acknowledging my Bishop, the 95th Prince of the church and Senior Bishop, His Grace, the Right Reverend Dr. Kenneth Monroe and Missionary Supervisor Sheila Wells Monroe; to the President of the Board of Bishops, the Right Reverend Dr. George Crenshaw; to the Right Reverend Dr. Michael Angelo Frencher, Sr., Chairman of the Connectional Board of Lay Activities; to the family of lay leaders, the Executive Board of the Connectional Lay Council; Ministerial staffs; General, Connectional, Conference and District personnel and representatives across the boundaries of our Zion, the Sons and Daughters of Varick of the Freedom Church, and all in the protocol of God’s Kingdom. I am filled with esteemed joy to plant my feet behind this sacred desk to share this Convocation address, with gratitude for this distinct opportunity to hasten & share with you a few crumbs gathered from droppings of the Master’s table.
The Freedom Church, A Movement Empowered by the Holy Spirit, from Strengthening Our Fellowship and now by Sharing Our Faith, reflects our mission and vision as a church and serves as our guiding light in dark times, our bridge over troubled waters, and the glue that will hold us together as a denomination even as circumstances seek to rip us apart. However, we must always remember that even with these circumstances, we are kept by the strength of His hand, the power of his love, and the reassurance of His promises. This quadrennial theme possesses the momentum needed for us to ascend to the heights God has set for us to build a strong future, even for our beloved Connectional Lay Council. The Black Church continues to be confronted with the rising issues that impinge on race and identity and social concerns such as poverty, gang violence, prison concerns, drug use, unemployment, homelessness, and blatant racism, just to name a few beloved.
Our next level of service requires the laity to increase commitment, redouble their efforts, retool, and restore with a strong focus for this task ahead in this quadrennial, towards Strengthening Our Fellowship, Serving Our Flock, and Sharing Our Faith. Quadrennial addresses in the past remind us of how we eradicate some of these issues, but I speak specifically to our Lay Council in this address utilizing the thoughts of our Episcopal leaders. How will the Lay Council “Share Our Faith” and respond to the pandemic of gun violence that has terrorized many of our communities, where our children are being slaughtered in the streets, devastating the families of all impacted by these tragic murders and robbing us of the potential of greatness deposited in these young men and women? How will the Lay Council “Secure Our Future” and respond in serving the flock, calling for greater accountability from the police departments who are given lethal authority and are sworn to “protect and serve” their communities? How will Lay Councils respond and address complex issues in urban areas that have resulted in gun violence and gang warfare that has spiraled out of control, all while our African American communities are drowning in a sea of poverty? We cannot sit silently on the sidelines, with our hands folded, while our communities are destroyed, our people held hostage, knowing that we are confronted with some of the most profound issues of our time. We cannot remain paralyzed Lay Councils with fear and hopelessness but find ways to restore order and tranquility to our neighborhoods.
Witnessing the passing of years is much like climbing a ladder; the higher you climb, the more you can see. I find this especially true, as I have witnessed the swift passing of the months and years since my election, providing leadership, many times virtually and now more in-person across the spectrum of our Zion. The view of the landscape is different from where I now stand; I simply request beloveds, as International President, to trust my sight and offer prayers for my success at every opportunity. The Lay Council is blessed with highly competent, visionary supervision and leadership across numerous Episcopal Districts, dedicated, committed officers who should be keeping their program agendas fresh, innovative, and focused on the significance of being prepared for Christian service, strengthening fellowships, serving the flock and sharing faith. However, please remember that any credit or success in this work first belongs to God and, secondly, to the people who have offered fervent prayers for success in programming. Sadly to say, my beloved, I am sure that there have been times when selfishness and unsympathetic comments, gestures, and attitudes have attempted to discourage you in kingdom building from uninformed laity, those who continue to pout, plot, poison, and pollute people and their ideas. We must be about praying, praising, and promoting the Kingdom of our God. Be also reminded that this work of lay ministry is not about you or me; it is about giving God the glory and the honor due to His name. It is not about our church membership; it is about the movement of God to edify His people. In order to share our faith, we must be strong advocates and witnesses of the litanies and statements we recite at our programs and Lay Day observances and fully understand our role as laity in fulfilling our mission. Have we really attempted to deepen the spiritual life of the laity by disseminating information to cultivate denominational loyalty across your boundaries, the local, district, conference, and Episcopal region? What have you done to expand the denomination through education and evangelism by promoting any other interest of the Kingdom of God? As we continue to Strengthen Our Fellowships, Serve the Flock, and Sharing Our Faith, are you mindful that the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a connection that has endured more than 200 years, where countless laypersons are nurtured with nourishment from the bosom of this church? Every generation ought to be more creative than the preceding one; this is the road to progress and success on every front. To strengthen our fellowship and share our faith, we must eliminate churches caught up in the web of shortcomings, ditches of despair, weaknesses, and failures, petty traditions that build monuments and unnecessary barriers for continued and consistent growth, but we must gain momentum and steam for effective change.
Even amidst changing events, conditions, and circumstances, God has remained unchanged. God knows God cares, God can, God has, and God will again. God is a missionary God. The Bible is a missionary book. The gospel is a missionary message, and the church is a missionary institution. Even in this cold and callous world and our attempts to share our faith, we cannot let our motto of “Come with Us to Christ,” Christian character, evangelistic outreach, and strong beliefs in reciting our Affirmation of Laity take a backseat or placed on the back burner. We have a duty Lay Councils, a mission and vision, an assignment and objectives for action, for which Christ calls us out and sends us into the world on our various fields of labor. We must be willing instruments and vessels of clay, which will eliminate suffering devastating consequences in the years ahead. We have been reminded how fragile life is by the road we are now traveling, witnessing the pandemic challenges of our health and the human condition, as well as a pandemic of blatant racism, inequities, inequalities, and injustices against our people, while the “knee on our necks” drains the energy and life from our existence.
Change is not our enemy; change is indeed our friend. Laity, there is still an enormous amount of work to be done in the vineyard. To call it quits now, or even turn your back on lay ministry, as we have ushered in the new quadrennial theme, now with the curtain lowering on its teaching, would jeopardize what we have accomplished as an organization with a motto of “Come with Us to Christ.” The church must leave the cloistered caverns that separate us, serene settings, the hallowed walls of its sanctuaries, where plush carpet and stained glass windows adequately muffle the sound of the cries for help within our reach, but we must venture into the community laity, and be the foot soldiers to establish ministries to build character and values, a sense of worth and self-esteem; ministries that seek out the least and the lost must now be our focal point to share our faith. We must continue to develop a deeper appreciation for the history of the denomination and the history of the Connectional Lay Council as we serve in these positions of trust. As laity in the Church of God, we must be inspired to take seriously the challenges of our day and time, an awesome task of leading and managing ministry, which is more than any one of us can master without God. Our quadrennial theme, embraced by the Connectional Lay Council at the 12th Quadrennial Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, must be the fabric in the life of every congregation in Zion Methodism. The Lay Council must continue to evaluate our position, expand our presence, equip our people, and explore our possibilities by communicating a transforming message with knowledge, discipline, insight, compassion, tolerance, and, more importantly, love for God and love for His people.
What kind of organization does it take for all of this? It takes a need-conscious Lay Council, a gift-oriented Lay Council, a ministry-balanced Lay Council, a biblical Lay Council, a motivated and mobilized Lay Council, and a failure-resistant Lay Council. Do you really believe what you stand and recite as the Affirmation of Laity? Do you solemnly believe, firmly advocate, and admirably support the need to articulate a self-purpose with open minds and faith in the Christian religion? Do you endorse and need people who understand all sides of a question to gain wisdom? Is human decency your priority, coupled with good manners, humor, compassion, endorsing openness, truthfulness, and honesty, thereby possessing the courage to stand for each creedal, our rock of affirmation? We stand and recite these statements. Are you serious about your willingness to be empowered through a series of educational experiences in Bible Study, theological reflections, the study of Zion Methodism, its history, doctrines, polity, Christian fellowship, and lay ministries and services that meet contemporary needs, thereby strengthening the integrity of the A.M.E. Zion Church? Do you believe our Lay Council Scripture in Proverbs 3:6, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths?” Do you really believe in our Lay Council Closing Prayer that God our Father will pour out His steadfast love upon us and keep us forever in His care? Do you believe our Lay Council Mission of actively involving more people for peace and justice, and Christian teaching for the brotherhood of man? Do you believe our theme song that we can be truly guided by our “Great Jehovah” as pilgrims through this barren land? Do you believe that God is mighty and will hold us with His powerful hand and will feed us bread from heaven until we want no more? Yes, we have accomplished much, but our work is still undone. People still need an encouraging and empowering word; lay councils must be the providers of help for the helpless, hope for those endangered by hopelessness, and a healer providing ministries that should be vital to the life and witness of the church. Yes, you may have to work and walk with weary legs, walk and witness on tired feet, and work with calloused hands to make a difference while sharing your faith.
I acknowledge and cherish the confidence you have placed in my leadership to lead this organization to a higher plateau. As I move by God’s grace further into this quadrennial as a servant leader, together, we must hear God’s voice calling us to step up our efforts, to reach our potential, to seize the opportunities to move in a new dimension, to another level, to a different horizon. The call will beckon us out of our comfort zones and established boundaries, demanding we live more boldly than we otherwise would. What you have heard and witnessed here this morning is not my work or even my thoughts; it is the work that God gave to me as leader to people and people to leader for this celebration, for I have attempted to do my best to please Him. My love for this denomination has no boundary, for I have been nurtured in its bosom, and I know no other milk; who and what I am comes from the qualities of the church. I only hope and pray, for I dare not consider my deeds worthy, that God will look upon what I have done here today as your speaker and accept it as my offering of praise. As International President, I know “A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify; a never dying soul to save and fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill; O may it all my powers engage to do thy Master’s will. Arm me with jealous care, as in thy sight to live; and O thy servant, Lord prepare a strict account to give.” The deed is done; the Convocation address is now completed for your record and chronicled in the minutes of this great organization, but the struggle continues. It is in the name of Him who is to know is to love, and to love is to serve, Jesus, who by faith we call the Christ. Amen.
