In another thread a Presbyterian minister is quoted as to making comments about the silence in the black church. I thought to myself if there was someone to this board, they would think that our denomination is not doing anything. We are far from silent. Please share with us the work your church or conference is doing in your community, city and or globally. By the way someone mentioned seminars regarding Aids that were being done in their church. Holy Trinity A.M.E church in Portland has an Aids ministry for those who have Aids. Rev. Mclendon and her church go to those who have aids. My church in Montana is one of six churches building a homeless shelter. There are so many other churches and conferences that are busy. Please, let's also shine the light on the good things that we are doing. I think of all the things Rev. Flakes church is doing in Nyc. Please add to this list, God bless you.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2002

Answers

One such congregation on the move is First AME in LA. Dr. Chip Murray has provided a model for innovative ministry pertinent to this age. I am amazed at the numerous ministries and economic programs which come out of this church. During the Rodney King Riot, Dr. Murray personally appealed to persons not to take advantage from a "messed up situation." It was a bold, yet timely move to keep the church open 24 hours a day as a shelter until things cooled down. It was a bold move to serve as a mediator to bring peace and calm. I was proud to see that! Another shining star would be that of St. James in Newark, NJ. Dr. Bill Watley has a Mid-week worship service which outnumbers his Sunday Services. There is also a School and numerous programs. These two churches are really involved in the lives of the community. Both churches,located within the inner city, are making a difference. I can go on for days speaking upon the positive examples of ministry. Other churches making a difference: St. Mark Orlando, Bridgestreet Brooklyn, Oak Grove Detroit, Bethel Baltimore, Empowerment Temple Baltimore, Reid Temple Washington, DC, Charles Street Boston, St. Paul Cambridge, Bethel Boston, Ebeneezer Fort Washington, Big Bethel Atlanta, Turner Chapel Marrietta, Quinn Louisville,etc... The list is too numerous to count! Be encouraged my dear sister! And I commend you for your vision and service in an area often overlooked.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2002

Pastor Ray,

Thanks for the list of churches that have active and on going programs to meet the needs of disadvantaged persons. Pastor Denise, that's good news, to know that your church is activly involved in a needed resource for displaced persons.

Our church has an outside faith-based ministry that provides HIV-AIDS counseling and referrals. The program is run by another AME pastor and one of its centers is our church.

We're thankful that our new pastor is evangelistic and mission oriented. I'm so happy to report that we've begun having evening service (prayer meeting and Bible study) on Sundays, that was unheard of five, ten years ago, so that our people can become equipped. We've just begun a new Bible study series on fasting and prayer and it was the people who asked to know more about the subjects. I have HOPE!!

Perhaps what this Presbyterian minister meant is that our church is silent because very few of AMEs blow their own horn. We just do the work.

And because our Bishops do not issue edits of where we stand on issues, and what we're going to do about the issues, like some denominations - therefore to some, perhaps we are silent.

Brother Bill, did Bishop close the Allen Outreach Centers?

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2002

Thank you Bro. Ray Allen for mentioning St Paul Cambridge on your list. Under the leadership of Pastor Attles, we have several ministries serving the community. We have an infant/toddler thru grade one school, Henry Buckner School, 80 students and open to the community. On Weds and Sat we have a Food Pantry serving 3000 families per year and on holidays distribute 250- 300 Turkeys. We have the Hildebrand Family Self-help Center that includes 14 units of emergency shelter to Greater Cambridge homeless families and 22 units of affordable, subsidized housing in the Boston area. We have had a Prison Ministry since 1970. While we do not operate the programs for Narcotic and Alcohol Anonymous, we provide space for them to meet in our Christian Life Center. Up until recently, we had our own version of 12-step called One Step Beyond. When you look at the Mission Statement of AME, it is not possible for every church to do everything listed.We are blessed by size and do have quite a few active ministries. Churches may have to serve according to size. These programs secondary priorities, the first being the salvation of souls. We have found that many have been brought to Christ through their participation and interaction with the saved church members To God be the Glory. Bob McCain

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2002

Thank you everyone!!!!!! I know our denomination is busy in the community. But if we do not share the good news how will they hear it. Last week when I was in Missoula, Montana. I made a promise to the mayor and city counsel of that city. That within a year we would not be sending our homeless to their city. My town of Bozeman is a tourist town and gorgeous, so the homeless are put on the greyhound and sent to Missoula. The mayor looked at me and asked how I could make that promise. I told him because "I am an A.M.E pastor with an A.M.E church and our mission statement does not allow us to be silent when things like this occur!" Our church is working with the Salvation Army to get a shelter built. I am not discouraged, to the contrary I am excited about our denomination. We have a lot to be proud of. So let's hear from some other churches. Focus on the work of Jesus Christ and it will continue to grow. If we focus on the darkness we will die. Jesus is the way, and the A.M.E church is marching right along doing his work. Be proud!!

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2002

A "Big Sky" Amen is in order for our dear sister in Montana! Keep up the good work Rev. Denise!

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2002

If our people are not equipped they cannot minister to anyone. Much time has to be spent in prayer, Bible study, and meditation of God's word. People cannot lead someone to Christ if they do not have a sound solid foundation from which to work. Some of our people have been sitting on the pew with the thought that that was all they needed to do. Come on Sunday and that's it. Now we've begun telling those church go'ers they are to evangelize, and they're trying to figure out what's that all about. "I can't talk to anybody about Jesus, that's the pastor's job" is their mentality.

Looking at the overall picture, the beginning is repentance, revival, renewal, so that we're equipped to meet the total needs of those who are lost and in darkness. There are lots of folk who don't know they're in the dark, many think that things are A-OK because my momma, granny, etc. did it this way, or they'll say, "yeah, I know what you're talking 'bout, but..." so until the truth of the matter is brought to their attention through the Word, they continue with business as usual or continue slipping into darkness. That's where we come in, to lead the church go'er and the unsaved out of darkness into the marvelous light.

Lord Jesus, give us the unction to reach, teach, preach, and send them forth. "The harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9:37,38.

Pastor Denise said if we focus on the darkness, we will die. Yes, let's do that, die to our sins and trespasses,let's die to our will and our way, let's get crucified, nailed to the cross, if you will. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20 I do see Jesus as he focused on the darkness that was in the religious leaders and in the streets. The church go'ers He called hypocrites and the sinnners He asked "what would you have me do"? So, as I see it, it's all in the approach. I must admit, my approach does not begin with AME, it begins with 'do you know Jesus'? And then I listen to see what they know.

Let's be the spark that lights a candle.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2002

Dear Rev. Denise As you know Dr. Leonard Santucci and I are working on the Connectional Church Insurance Company. The Company is now licensed and in negotiations with industry carriers for our Church Program. This represents the first step, by any denomination, anywhere in the world to move into a comprehensive full participation program. I am pleased to advise you that the Church Company will start generating revenue (God Willing) in the second half of this year. Our Sister Denominations are waiting for us to then proceed with the same format for their individual denominations as well. Within the next five years the "Black Church" will be able to speak with both spiritual and financial might.

Thank God for Rev. John Fisher who's gift of love allows us to keep up with what is going on within our denomination.

Blessings to you All and Keep the name of Jesus High

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2002

Okay.....

NOW! This is a foot stepping question.....The Word says, the Jesus prayed unto the Father, that we all be one, how come from Mother Methodist, she had sprung CME AME and Zion? From Mother Baptist, Full Gospel Baptist? and From the AZUSA Street movement (which started in a Methodist church, the orginal holy rollers) Apostolic was born. Then Mason, and Johnson couldn't get along, COGIC and Assembly of God came to be and then let's not go there of the Mother Catholic who played a great part of iontroducing idol worship in the church....hummm, the Word clearly states when Jesus asked his dicisples "Who do man say I am" and Peter said "Thou art the Christ" and Jesus said, "Son of Barajona, FLESH and BLOOD have not REVEALED this to you but SPIRIT of God reaveled this to you..upon this ROCK (revelation) I shall build my church and the gates of hell shall not preval against it" See in NO shape or form, the Church of the Lord Jesus was to be build on the revelation of a man! That is the problem of the church, man assumed that the Church was to be built upon flesh in the process we forgot about the Spirit. Whenever someone couldn't work with this person or that person, they split apart. NO WHERE in the Word of God said to establish demoninations. Show me where, then I will shut up. When man builds something without the Spirit of God operating through them, they are operating in the spirit of witchcraft. Is there anything good about the AME Church? Hummm, if the AME is operating in flesh and NOT operating in the Spirit, then the answer is no. You can say this with ALL demoninations.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2002

There are some good things being done around Boston. I have mentioned some of the things that St Paul Cambridge is involved with so here are some of the thing our sister churches are doing.

Bethel AME Church - Boston under the leadership of Pastor Ray Hammond and Asst. Pastor Gloria White-Hammond, both MDs, have helped establish an AIDS clinic in Kumasi, Ghana. The Boston Globe reports (Sat Feb 2, 2002) that many of the congregants of Bethel are Health care workers and they have had Health related ministries for several years. The article quotes Dr Joyce Sackey-Acheampong saying, "The Foundation for African Relief was founded as a result of praying about concerns about how the epidemic was ravaging the continent. We pray our way through every project and really believe that a major partner here is Jesus Christ. I believe my work and my faith don’t need to be separated.."

The Historic Charles St AME Church, Rev Gregory Groover, Pastor, has joined into a three-way partnership to open a new technology high school (400 kids) that will prepare kids for careers as engineers, programmers and technicians. The other partners are the City of Boston and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The district will spend an estimated $1 Million a year to operate TechBoston Academy and rent a building owned by Charles St AME. The church will renovate the structure and use it at night and on weekends. Adults will use the building at night for computer training sponsored by the church. The Gates Foundation has tentatively awarded the Boston School system nearly $500,000 to help launch the magnet school.

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2002