God is so good! On August 24, 2003 I was ordained an Itenerant Elder. It was a beautiful ordination service presided by Bishop Bryant. I have had so many mentors who have helped me along the way. And most of you I have met on this discussion board. You took me and my daughter under your wings, encouraged us and supported us. As the Bishop and the elders laid hands on me, I kept thinking what an honor it is to be a pastor in the A.M.E. Church! What joy it is to be in a holy spirit ordained denomination. Thank you everyone for your love and support. God is doing a new thing with our denomination. Do not give up on being AME.

-- Anonymous, August 30, 2003

Answers

My Sister, God bless and keep you (and yours) in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Keep on planting seeds and our God will certainly bring the harvest and also send others to assist in the harvest. Would you believe a new PE District and eventually a new Episcopal District?

BE Blessed Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, August 30, 2003

My dear brother and Mentor, Rev. Paris, you believed in me, when I didn't believe in me. I will never forget what you and your church did for me and my church. We are still growing strong. And Danielle was officially admitted to the conference and will start seminary in 2004. Hopefully her uncle Bill Dickens is going to drive her back east to seminary;-)

One of the things that I love about the AME church is that our pastors and churches do not have to be carbon copies. My conference has 4 new churches in two years. In Montana we now have 3 churches with a 4th to be planted soon. My congregation is looking at Boise Idaho. We used to have an ame church there years ago.

Rev. Paris, you will always be my mentor, and I thank God for your willingness to help new pastor's on our way.

-- Anonymous, August 30, 2003

REV. DENISE---

I cannot tell you how proud I am of you. So many times we in ministry feel as if we are working so hard with no results. In this instance, this is not the case. I am so happy for you!

Shaunna Payne

-- Anonymous, August 31, 2003

Congratulations!!!!!God is so good indeed!I am so overjoyed to note that effective August 24, 2003 you were ordained an Itenerant Elder.How i wish i was in attendance to witness that beautiful ordination service presided by Bishop Bryant.

Your contributions to the AME Church in this short duration surpasses most of us that have been on the scene for sometime now.May God continue to renew your strenght as you add more value to kingdom building in the AME Church.

I will soon be sending an article of the AJC meeting that i attended in Harare, Zimbabwe last week for your attention. God bless and keep you.

Son Royd

-- Anonymous, September 01, 2003

To our newly minted Itinerant Elder - I hope you brought back some smoked salmon from Seattle, WA along with your new Elder credentials :-) Also, I thought Danielle was going to study (per my advice) divinity at the Iliff School of Theology at the University of Denver where the estemeed Vincent Harding is a prominent faculty member. I am not in favor of Danielle going "back east" to matriculate in a certain seminary where revisionist history, womanist theology and anti-Christian hermeneutics masquerades as a form of critical scholarship. Although the clam chowder in the city of this seminary is superb and Bob McCain is a gentleman and gracious host, I feel like the prophet Jeremiah when his impeccable prophetic voice was falling on deaf ears prior to the fall of Jerusalem. Oh well, hopefully Danielle will meet Faith Ringgold. QED

-- Anonymous, September 01, 2003

Thank you so much everyone for writing me on this forum and privately. The ordination was beautiful and Rev. Dr. Mayberry preaches us heaven! Wow!!! He had the church on fire for the lord. Bishop Bryant, was incredible, fabulous, prophetic, inspired and you can definitely feel the guidance of his leadership in this district. He is the sort of Bishop that you can say "I want to do more ministry for the Lord" and he responds with love and encouragement.

Bill, Danielle received two letters from Yale Divinity and they want her to come, so who know where she will end up. But you should know your niece is a great Liberation theologian and Public theology theoligan. She is quite concerned with theology and global economics as justice issues. Ands she wants to teach. Bill, when Danielle was in high school, she was going to Spelman, Princeton offered her a scholarship, she then chose American University because of her major, and then decided to go to Yale. She changed her mind again and went to American. She heard what you said. The Bishop has recommended Princeton as a good fit for her. As for me, I will just wait, she laughed when she read what you wrote. You will always be her uncle bill.

Proud to be A.M.E.!

-- Anonymous, September 01, 2003

Dear Rev. Denise Rogers

Congratulations with your ordination as an Itinerant Elder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. I hope and pray that you will keep making a difference in your ministry and that god will always smile on you

Rev. William C Legolie, II

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2003

God's blessings on your walk and ministry. I pray that your territory will be enlarged and that you will continued to be blessed indeed.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2003

Congratulations Rev Denise. I think you are a "Prize".

Carmen

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2003