Hi, everyone!! Today or (saturday august 24th) Our college football team had an open house, where the community got to meet the football players, my daughter, myself, our community outreach director and youth group went to welcome the team. By the way we were the only church represented. It was a lot of fun! And I was surprised how many of the players said they were looking for a church. But what amazed me the most is that the black players from california had never heard of the A.M.E church. We even had some from L.A who had never heard of our denomination! There seems to be a generational gap. These young players were excited we came to visit them and were hungry for the word of God. What are your thoughts about our denomination and name recognition. How do we get the word out to this generation about our great denomination?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

Answers

Reverend Rogers,

I hear what you are saying loud and clear. Yet on the other hand this makes me wonder how this could be. One of the Largest Churches in the Connection is First AMEC in Los Angeles where Dr. Cecil "Chip" Murray is pastor. The Church has a massive multi-ethnic ministry and a membership, which exceeds 15 or 16,000 persons. It was not only the first African American Church in Los Angeles County but has among it parishioners such greats as Dionne Warwick and Arsenio Hall as well as was the late great Mayor Thomas Bradley. The church has made headlines world-wide in that it virtually rebuilt and reclaimed Watts.

In addition to First AMEC there are such great churches as Ward AME and Grant AME--which is now pastored by a young man, who at age 21, was the Senior Pastor of the church to which I belong.

So, yes your observations shows that we need a campaign to make youths aware of who we are but additionally this shows the need to make them aware of the community at large and especially the contributions and achievements of the African Diaspora world-wide.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002

Hi, Robert I know it is incredible that these young men did not know about the church in L.A I asked about 20 of them. They did not know. And today while I was at the store I met a black couple from louisiana that just moved here and they are looking for a church. They were southern baptist, but they went to the baptist church in town and said it was dead. I asked if they knew about the A.M.E church they said they didn't know. But their was one woman I met this week in grew up in maryland in the 50's she is white and told me fond stories of sneaking into an A.M.E church when she was a child. The pastor was so kind to her and the black people loved her. She could never understand white their had to be segregation. That A.M.E church and pastor changed her life profoundly. So, I was just wondering what other people thought. Personally there is so much to be proud of in our denomination. I am going to shout from the roof tops how great our denomination is!!

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002