Africa Jurisdiction and its misinterpretations

The question or rather the issue of Africa Jurisdiction has been debated, thought about and discussed for a very long time now. However, as a concern member of this zion, I am propmted to call my brothers and sisters, as well as my colleagues both in Africa and Overseas to order.

The growing interpretations and misinterpretations of African jurisdiction is of a grave concern to me. Firstly, the killing germ is spread by way of messages by uninformed and ill informed people. the current perception on African Jurisdiciton as it is created within the realms of the connection should be considered as false. As one of the members of the group that came forth with the idea of African Jurisdiction I am astonished today, when hearing many reports with diffrent meaningsd and comprehension of the same.

To this end, I have decided to help clear the air before the connectional Church would make a big mistake with rippling effects. Africa Jurisdiction since its inception was never meant to be a process whereby the connection would be divided in two. No, No, No by all means. Neither is it a mechanism whereby Africa wants to isloate itself from the rest of the connection. If people thought that this was the case they were misleaded.

Africa Jurisdiction was a process proposed to equalize the imbalances within the connectional level. What Africa says is, good we have been part of the connection, but when will we be given a chance to serve on thye connectional level, if we find ourselves most of the time in a catch 22 situation, where the offices of Episcopacy are and were abused and misused, when such officers misapprpriated funds and a lesser quota of the original number of delegates attend the General Conference. When the overwhelming majority of delegates are from the Continental USA, what are the chances that African candidates would be able to win elections. Notwithstanding the fact that all the African leaders elected thus far were elected based on bargaining excercises among Bishops.

So waht African Jurisdiction is saying is let us sit down and involved Africa in actual decision making. How can we do that? Yes if we start to elect Bishops from Africa, General Officers from Africa, in order to make our process a participatory process. Let us enter into discussions and negotiate on a qouta basis the number of offices available to Africa, and to USA. That was the basis of African Jurisdiction, not to brake away, or be cut off. The Jurisdiction form was a proposal to have a level where the candidates from Africa would play themselves out and the more succesful ones would be submitted to the General Conference. Similar sessions were also suggested to the rest of the connection, that we introduce another tier, or level where the candidates from a specific Jurisdiction would contest in that jurisdiction and the names of the succesful candidates would be submitted to the Geenral conference. Through this process it was hoped to bring about equity and harmonay and solidarity. Should anybody need more inforamation, feel free to contact me. To my Colleagues, brothers and sisters in Africa, I think we should be careful about people that wants to grap this opportunity, create commotion within it and step out with gains at the other side. contest

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2001

Answers

I wonder why the stony silence on the Harare meeting of the African jurisdictional conference. We the people in Africa have the right to know what happened there but it seems that transparency is not the order of the day on this important isssue that is going to affect the continent of |Africa. Since the idea came about. Let me say that this whole idea was mooted when the anti Bishop Mckinley Young folk wanted to undermine the entire church. now "we" say we don't want independance. The truth of the matter is that in the Cape Annual Conference the members(majority) don't know what the AJA is all about. When they wipe their eyes out they the impoverished people will be paying so that oppotunist can exploite us.Don't get me wrong,yes we as Africans should be elected Bishops and SERVE WITHIN THE ENTIRE CONNECTION.Why should Africa only have African Bishops.We have had excellent American bishops and presently we are truly blessed. People all over the connection must realise that we have excellent African leaders who can stand any where in the world. I believe that there is an outcry for recognition and the idea that we are that far behind has to come to an end.We do not have the financial resources yes,but we do have human resources.Especially in South Africa we are not living amongst the lions or wild animals and when we received our liberation in 1994 we were able to do so peacefully.We I believe deserve to be given a chance not by cutting our throuts (AJA)but by partnering and sharing of resources and oppotunities

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Perhaps God is trying to tell us something. Let's read the Book and see what it is He is saying. Blessings Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Very sorry to say that Rev. Ursula Higgins' sentimental views are very misleading. The Africa Jurisdictional Conference was never plotted by anti-Bishop Young activist. The truth of the matter was that Bishop Young was never able to distinguish between his position and person. Bishop Young misinterpreted Pan-Afrianist AME ideology as anti-American and anti-Young, and his biggest mistake was to confused the quest for recognition with the confusion in the Cape. The 1992- 1996 quadrennium in the 15th Episcopal District was worse because the Kapenaars were divided in power grioups and the other 4 conferences had great difficulty in maintaining stability during Episcopal meetings. The best decision we can even take as the 15th Episcopal District, is to shift the Office and Residence of the Bishop to, say to De Aar or Upington. That will be geographically central, and the bishops will be at ease, far away from the power struggles in Cape Town. Believe you me and mark my words, it is just a matter of time and it won't be long before the Cape will envelope Bishop GGM Ingram in controversy. I just pray and hope that this bishops spirituality and the fact that they are a team, will see them through.

With the Namibia Annual Conference, the record is clear. Nobody refused transfers by Bishop M Young. Whenever we had any differences, these were put in writing but whenever he returned he was always cordially received and all our reports wer 100%. Namibia was at the forefront in propagating the Africa Jurisdictional Council, and the Namibia Lay Organisation was the catalyst in this process. Personally, as a licentiate, I was humiliated and ostracised, and left out in the cold because of my pan-Africanist beliefs and for the paper I presented at the Lay Convention in 1993. God intervened in the afffairs of the 15th Episcopal District with the assingment of Bishop H B Senatle, and if you do not see God's fingerprints on the 1996-2000 parcel, than we are blind.

The African Jurisdictional Council's organising meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe is not shrouded in secrecy. Those who attended that meeting did not exploit the poor, and this is a very far-reaching unfounded statement by the Rev. Ursula Higgings. How has her views on travel changed since she was last included in Bishop Young's ecumenical delegation that went to the same city of Harare, Zimbabwe for the World Council of Churches's 8th Assembly??? Hypocrisy to say the least! Thanks to Bishop HB Senatle I got ordained, and has proven my leadership skills and was assigned after my first pastoral report to the historic Ebenezer AME Church, one of the cornerstone congregations in the Namibia Annual Conference. Thanks to Bishop GGM Ingram my contributions in establishing the AJC was recognised and I was included in the 15th Episcopal District delegation that attended that meeting. I did not ask for it. It was on a weekday afternoon that my phone rung, requesting me to be part of that delegation.

At the AJC, I was elected the acting Secretary in the opening session after the devotions, and when the process was concluded I was elected the AJC Assistant Secretary. The minutes of the AJC, by resolution of the AJC, were finalised by myself and handed over to bisgop GGM Ingram. And our bishop will distribute these minutes at the Council of Bishops within a couple of weeks. Each bishop must ensure that delegates in his/her district receive the Minutes. There is nothing secretive about the Organising Meeting of the AJC held in Harare, Zimbabwe. Rev. Higgings must really resist from misleading the AME Connection.

The Africa Jurisdictional Council is a legal constituted body of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The AJC and those of us who are really copassionate about this issue, did not and do not propose a severance of ties with the USA. What we are positioning ourselves for, is to have some bargaining power at the highest level of our denomination, and if people do not understand the African quest for recognition, they must rather ask for clarity and not write anything they think may apply. The contribution by Rev. Higgins did more harm than good. I am usually aggressive in expression but civilian in behaviour, and I trust and pray that members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church will accept my contribution in the spirit it is meant.

In conclusion, let it be known that I have nothing personally againts either Bishop McKinley Young or Rev. Ursula Higgins. We must, however, speak the truth, for the truth will set us free. God bless the AME Church.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001

Very sorry to say that Rev. Ursula Higgins' sentimental views are very misleading. The Africa Jurisdictional Conference was never plotted by anti-Bishop Young activist. The truth of the matter was that Bishop Young was never able to distinguish between his position and person. Bishop Young misinterpreted Pan-Afrianist AME ideology as anti-American and anti-Young, and his biggest mistake was to confused the quest for recognition with the confusion in the Cape. The 1992- 1996 quadrennium in the 15th Episcopal District was worse because the Kapenaars were divided in power grioups and the other 4 conferences had great difficulty in maintaining stability during Episcopal meetings. The best decision we can even take as the 15th Episcopal District, is to shift the Office and Residence of the Bishop to, say to De Aar or Upington. That will be geographically central, and the bishops will be at ease, far away from the power struggles in Cape Town. Believe you me and mark my words, it is just a matter of time and it won't be long before the Cape will envelope Bishop GGM Ingram in controversy. I just pray and hope that this bishops spirituality and the fact that they are a team, will see them through.

With the Namibia Annual Conference, the record is clear. Nobody refused transfers by Bishop M Young. Whenever we had any differences, these were put in writing but whenever he returned he was always cordially received and all our reports wer 100%. Namibia was at the forefront in propagating the Africa Jurisdictional Council, and the Namibia Lay Organisation was the catalyst in this process. Personally, as a licentiate, I was humiliated and ostracised, and left out in the cold because of my pan-Africanist beliefs and for the paper I presented at the Lay Convention in 1993. God intervened in the afffairs of the 15th Episcopal District with the assingment of Bishop H B Senatle, and if you do not see God's fingerprints on the 1996-2000 parcel, than we are blind.

The African Jurisdictional Council's organising meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe is not shrouded in secrecy. Those who attended that meeting did not exploit the poor, and this is a very far-reaching unfounded statement by the Rev. Ursula Higgings. How has her views on travel changed since she was last included in Bishop Young's ecumenical delegation that went to the same city of Harare, Zimbabwe for the World Council of Churches's 8th Assembly??? Hypocrisy to say the least! Thanks to Bishop HB Senatle I got ordained, and has proven my leadership skills and was assigned after my first pastoral report to the historic Ebenezer AME Church, one of the cornerstone congregations in the Namibia Annual Conference. Thanks to Bishop GGM Ingram my contributions in establishing the AJC was recognised and I was included in the 15th Episcopal District delegation that attended that meeting. I did not ask for it. It was on a weekday afternoon that my phone rung, requesting me to be part of that delegation.

At the AJC, I was elected the acting Secretary in the opening session after the devotions, and when the process was concluded I was elected the AJC Assistant Secretary. The minutes of the AJC, by resolution of the AJC, were finalised by myself and handed over to bisgop GGM Ingram. And our bishop will distribute these minutes at the Council of Bishops within a couple of weeks. Each bishop must ensure that delegates in his/her district receive the Minutes. There is nothing secretive about the Organising Meeting of the AJC held in Harare, Zimbabwe. Rev. Higgings must really resist from misleading the AME Connection.

The Africa Jurisdictional Council is a legal constituted body of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The AJC and those of us who are really copassionate about this issue, did not and do not propose a severance of ties with the USA. What we are positioning ourselves for, is to have some bargaining power at the highest level of our denomination, and if people do not understand the African quest for recognition, they must rather ask for clarity and not write anything they think may apply. The contribution by Rev. Higgins did more harm than good. I am usually aggressive in expression but civilian in behaviour, and I trust and pray that members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church will accept my contribution in the spirit it is meant.

In conclusion, let it be known that I have nothing personally againts either Bishop McKinley Young or Rev. Ursula Higgins. We must, however, speak the truth, for the truth will set us free. God bless the AME Church.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001

Pastor Higgins, It was an African man who resolved the debt of the 15th Episcopal Dostrict which was created by an selfserving American Bishop. It was an African Bishop that brought peace to the storm which was created by an American Bishop. It was an African Bishop who ordered that those who misused funds should repay it. It was an African Bishop who brought the most money from the United States to South Africa. It was an African Bishop who made you look good and really should have taken your church where you are mes..... Give credit where credit is due and get over the "anti McKinley Young" era. He just used you too.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

How short sighted and personal one can become.Firstly,I would like to remind "Lonely "that not once did I judged our African Bishop,not once did I undermine the authority of this AME Church.I believe that if you can't be a follower you can't be a leader.As for a African Bishop Helping me out of the mes....Maybe "lonely" is lonely because you can't tell me or my members of my congregation about "the mes..." to our faces.

Everything has an appointed time and season.Some people want to be in season all their lives. As for being sentimental.I have the right to my opinion and I will not with hold my right . Maybe the brother wanted to change his sex to represent the church at the World Council.I was there as a female clergy representive from Africa.I would like to ask this brother forgiveness for being selected in this capacity,but like anyone else I was not going to say no to such a life changing honourable experience.

It grieves me that people use this board for personal attacks when they know that I will not be abused in person.they should rather tell me to my face instead of smiling and pretending.I ,as they well know, am not scared of confronting issues.

I rebuke the spirit of jealousy and envy,hatred and confusion that reigns in their lives and pray truth ,peace,health and prosperity into their lives. God bless

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001