Hi, everyone. I need the prayers of my A.M.E. family, on tuesday June 3rd. I have to do a memorial service for 52 people who have died in the last year at the nursing home that our church does it's second service. I am also the chaplain at the facility. This is the most we have had in years. We will have the families, and staff at the service. More than half of those who died attended our church services regularly. I want to share with you the power of the A.M.E. Church. Everyone at this facility is white. But our church is the only one that comes every week, we do a full worship service every tuesday morning for the residence, staff and the disabled in the community. For many it is the one thing that keeps them going, is that the A.M.E. church is coming. Many joined our church. Their families abandoned them but God did not. Several of the women started the "Bishop's Club" because they were so concerned about Bishop Bryant's travel schedule. They prayed constantly for him. All they knew was they had a Bishop and they loved him. There are only 2 left from the 8 that started the club. They keep praying. They have been faithful attendees to church, even when they slip into dementia, when they are told it is time for church, their memory come back and they come. The A.M.E. Church has been called to be more than a BLACK CHURCH. We are called to be a church that preaches the gospel of love and salvation. To watch the joy of our members when they pray for our denomination makes me cry. I am recovering from bronchitis and I have been in bed for a week. My lungs still hurt, so will you pray for me. That God will give me his super natural strength. I will be singing on tuesday also. For my daughter licentiate Danielle, this will be her first memorial service that she will participate in. Please pray for her also. We are expecting a very large turnout. Thank you everyone, I am so blessed to have a family that I can turn to for help. I love you all so much!

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2003

Answers

Rev. Denise and Licentiate Danielle, know that our prayers are definitely with you and for you. Sometimes when we are feeling physically and mentally weakest is when the anointing of the Holy Spirit will be its strongest. May God's special anointing of strength, healing, and power flow over you both and bless the families and tenants of the nursing home and may the work in the vineyard continue so that God is glorified. Danielle, I am a licentiate also and God does not and will not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Stay strong for God has placed you with the best mentor possible (your mom) God Bless you, be blessed and continue to bless others with the special anointing that God has bestowed on you.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2003

Done God's Blessings be upon you both. Your Ministering Angel is on the way.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2003

Thank you so much to those who posted and those who wrote me privately with prayers for our memorial service. We just finished it and it was beautiful. Licentiate Danielle set the tone with a beautiful opening prayer. I am getting over bronchitis, but I sang "the battle is not yours it's the lord's". Normally they have lit a candle for everyone who has died. But this year I had licentiate Danielle drop a rose petal into a bowl of water for each person. It was very moving. All of the family members came up afterward to thank me and the A.M.E. Church for being with their loved ones. For no other church had spent as much time with them as did our denomination. One woman said she and her husband had been married for 61 years and the service we did today was better than the funeral service. I had one of my member's play the irish harp. It is moments like these that I am proud to be an A.M.E. minister and in a denomination that does not forget people. Your prayers worked, I am getting better thank you everyone, God was truly at the service. And licentiate Danielle did an incredible job!

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2003