who will win. please list your picks. you don't have to use your names just let me get an idea.

-- Anonymous, September 29, 2003

Answers

1. PE Carolyn Tyler-Guidry 2. Rev. Frank Reid III

Not ashamed to use my name; it's only my opinion.........

-- Anonymous, September 29, 2003

I not only have a good idea who will win the coveted positions for Bishop but more importantly I also know what the all important assignments will be when the Episcopal Committee releases its recommendation to the General Conference. Now, as national security and intelligence officers are found of saying "if I disclos this information I may have to shoot you" :-) QED

-- Anonymous, September 29, 2003

1) Rev. James Davis 2) Rev. Frank Reid 3) Rev. Ricky Spain 4) Rev. Alvana Johnson

-- Anonymous, September 29, 2003

i see you put james davis. i would like to see Mccloud come away with it. only because in georgia bishops always come from the same place and there are other places qualified candidates come from. and one bishop wasn't qualified who was elected and i'm going to leave it at that. Rev.mccloud is some one who you don't have to worry about. what he will do in public he'll do in private. james davis is a good man but right now i want mccloud.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2003

With few exceptions, Bishops are generally elected from the same churches Connection-wide. These tend to be churches, which don't swing with the latest trend, but rather, in their style of worship and the order of conducting business remain consistently and undeniably "AME."

In the state of Georgia the churches are basically three, although as I said exceptions have been made. Ranked in order of number of bishops elected from each church these three churches are:

1) Allen Temple - Atlanta 2) Big Bethel - Atlanta 3) Saint Philip - Savannah (not Monumental)

You will note that our last elected bishop from Georgia ran more than once but was not elected until he became pastor one of these. Perhaps persons in other Episcopal Districts can identify the churches in their District as well.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2003

Now Robert surely you are not implying that "maverick" AME clergy, with a clear non-traditional approach in their liturgy, would be defeated in their quest for the Office of Bishop? I would put forth the counter-argument that neo-Pentecostal AME clergy like Bishops Bryant and McKenzie won because of their flexible liturgy. I will predict that Frank Madison Reid III will be elected on the 1st ballot despite his committment to a neo-Pentecostal approach. Furthermore if popular and successful non-traditionalists like Chip Murray or Floyd Flake were interested in the Office of Bishop their election would be a fait accompli. QED

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2003

Bill,

Don't take my word for it. Do the research and check it out. Bethel, Baltimore is one of the Churches from which Bishops frequently come. So that takes care of the Bryants, fatehr and son, and Frank Madison Reid, I, II and III.

Payne and Saint Matthew are exceptions to the rule and that will cover the 2000 election as well. I simply observe and call it out as I see. Perhaps in the future this trend will change. But it has been consistently true since 1816.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2003

No, Robert

Frank Reid Jr. was elected from Metropolitan, another connectional appointment, that has elected several bishops, but there are several Bishops who were elected from their churches who didn't have any history of electing Bishops:

Webster - St. Stephen Jacksonville, Richardson - Bethel Tallahassee, Kirland - Brookins Community, Cousin - St. Joseph Durham, C.E. Thomas - St. John Birmingham, James - Mt. Pisgah Sumter, SC,I would like to add to that list Brookins - FAME LA,

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2003

I believe that Frank Reid will be elected, but not on the first ballot, nor be the first of the class. Rev. James Davis is the front runner right now, and Frank Reid is trying to run on his ticket. Don't forget to look out for one of those candidates who have been running for a while now, like: Rev. Thomas Brown, Rev. Leroy Attles, Rev. Carolyn Guidry, Rev. R.J. King even though he is sick. One of these may sneak in, and then you there will be a sleeper, who no one would think about, coming out of the woodworks. Look out for Allen Parrot, because South Carolina won't have anyone on the bench, when Bishop Grady retires and they feel some type of way about that.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2003

I agree with the writer who said, "look out for the sleeper, Allen W. Parrott." He is a viable candidate who, although not in a major metropolitan city, is not be slighted in any way. The writer is also correct - after Bishop Grady retires, SC, the state and Episcopal District with the largest amount of churches in the smallest amount of land, will have no bishop on the bench, when history records that SC has given the church the largest amount of bishops. The Rev. Dr. Allen Wayne Parrott is my choice from SC as the leader of the pack, not only in candidates from SC, but in the AME Church. Dr. Parrott has served in every level of the church. He has pastored 3 of what is termed "the big 10 churches in SC", Mt. Zion, Charleston; Williams Chapel, Orangeburg; and Morris Brown, Charleston. Each appointment shows a record of progressive leadership. Even his appointment as Presiding Elder of the Kingstree District, which has churches from downtown Charleston to the rural Williamsburg County and points in between, (38 in all) have shown his ability to be a caring, compassionate, and contemporary leader.

Don't get me wrong, the other candidates in SC are good gentlemen; however, in my opinion, my mentor, Dr. Allen W. Parrott, is SC's premier candidate and would make the church a good bishop as he has been a good pastor and presiding elder. I would not sleep on Parrott. Keep your eyes open!!!!!

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2003

Praise the Lord everybody!Receive greetings from the sensational 17th Episcopal District.Allow me to add word to this discussion by stating that the campaigns here have gone to a higher ground.

For the first time in the history of the AME Church,we have seen the emergence of more organised campaign teams.From the opinion poll gathered in the four annual conferences held in Zimbabwe and Zambia, Rev N Jordan Mkwanazi has overwhelming support.From a total of 1780 delegates in the Southe East and South West Zambia annual conferences, 1,530 volunteered to support and work in sensitising people to rally with Rev N Jordan Mkwanazi for Episcopal office 2004. An so, i am glad to state that he is one of the African born candidates who will be elected bishop of our church in 2004 General conference.Visit his website at mkwanaziforbishop.org. God bless all the candidates in Jesus' name.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2003

Rev.Mann why is it you think James Davis is the front man. one problem i have with the whole election is this. the bishop places somebody at a church that was already established. Big Bethel was already a major church. already flourishing. but we forget about those real pastors like you and I who had to build what we got to make it a happening church. sould you or i not have a fair chance to win. you can see rev.mccloud's work. james davis is a great preacher and pastor but if he and mccloud switched appointments then everyone would say mccloud's the winner. and i think both of them are great candidates but right i think mccloud deserves it. and he ran last time and didn't do bad at all. someone mentioned bethel in florida, richardson derserved to win because of his work. bethel always had a memebership over 1000plus. but there is alot of guys running for bishop who can't even run their church. i don't live in georgia but i live next door. but i know a candidate from georgia who just built a church that hasn't been paid off. and he's running for bishop. if ken martin for turner if he ran he should have a fair shot because of his work. there are alot of churches that are major church's that we hardly hear about other than the historical ones. i respect a person who builds up where he is sent than to maintain something he was sent to.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2003

Should SC be represented on the Bishops Bench because they have worthy candidates or because of their large number of AME churches? If it is the latter I'm afraid the outcome will not be merit-based but instead a pandering to special interest groups. Now before I'm tarred and feathered by my friends from the Palmetto State let me say that I visit SC frequently because my wife has family in this great state (Florence-Sumter-Columbia-Orangeburg-Charleston). I happen to live in FL but I'm from "up north", North Carolina :-) If the unwritten criteria for Bishop is which District has the most AME churches, what would limit someone else from suggesting that the District which gives the most money by definition should also be represented on the Bench? In either case deserving candidates who do not fit either of these descriptions would be ineligible from consideration. Such an outcome would not be in the best interest of the AMEC. QED

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2003

Point well taken about SC. I was merely agreeing with the wrtier who mentioned about SC and not having a person on the bench. The same arguement could be said for "point" churches in metropolitan cities and not smaller cities. You are most correct, we need the most qualified candidate and not always is the most qualified at point churches or in large cities.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2003

Well, a very interesting threat on US AME politics. From the African continent I am proposing to you the Rev. Andrew Lewin, the 15th District Administrative Assistant! And outside my episcopal district I would also add the name of Rev. Wilfredt Messiah! That's my sele tion from the hosts of African candidates.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2003

No matter what you think, confused pastor, James Davis is the leader. Yes he is in a church that was well established, but have you looked at his record since he has gotten there. He has taken them to the next level, and is in the process of building a housing development. Not everyone can do that, even if you are given a mega church. There are many mega churches in our Zion, who don't own anything around them, and it is not because of the church, but because of the pastor. In my opinion, James Davis has taken what was given to him, and has expanded that ministry. You can't take that away from him. Answer me this question, who deserves to win if you had to choose one, James Davis or Frank Reid? Just to say, I don't see Frank Reid building anything but his TV Ministry!!

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2003

So what we're hearing so far is: Guidry, McCloud, Reid, Parrott, Lewin, Mkwanazi, and possibly Attles? (That's 7)

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2003

"He who tootheth not own his horn, His horn will not be tooted".

For the record, In Georgia we are supporting all our candidates. If my information is correct there are now four of them. My Conference Lay Organization had them participate in a forum where they presented their platform. Thus, we determined each of them has a worthy contribution to make.

In defense of South Carolina and the larger churches in their contribution to the bishopric, allow me to share the following statistical data with you. Almost one quarter of all persons elected to the bishopric were South Carolina native sons. I have listed them below. Perhaps I have even missed one or two. This does not include others elected while serving as pastors of churches there. I believe the City of Charleston also has three Presiding Elder Districts and two Annual Conferences as well.

The Bishops who were born in South Carolina are these:

1. Morris Brown 2. Daniel Alexander Payne 3. Henry McNeal Turner 4. Moses Buckingham Salter 5. William David Chappelle 6. Joshua H. Jones 7. William Wesley Beckett 8. Monroe Hortensius Davis 9. Decatur Ward Nichols 10. George Edward Curry 11. Lawrence Henry Hemingway 12. Samuel Richard Higgins 13. William Franklin Ball 14. Harrison James Bryant 15. George Dewey Robinson 16. Henry Wendell Murph 17. John Hurst Adams 18. Richard Allen Hilderbrand 19. Frederick Calhoun James 20, Robert Lee Pruitt 21. Vernon Randolph Byrd

Large churches become and remain large because of the work they have done and continue to do. The same is true of Episcopal Districts. Whatever the position we hold in the church, more often than not, is largely due to the ministry we have done. As always there are some exception to the rule.

Like Virginia and Ohio as relates to Presidents and Statesmen, South Carolina has paid it dues and can stand on the record of the work it has done. South Carolina is also the parent of the churches in State of Georgia, from which sixteen native-son bishops have also come. Some churches in Geogia, like the one I attend, were in the South Carolina Conference before the original Georgia Conference was formed.

Persons elected to the bishopric who do not meet the paradigm I gave in an earlier post, rendered exceptional ministry and service in the charges they were assigned. Thus, they were able to gain Connectional recognition and reap the benefits thereof. So those who wish to be consecrated, "Reverend, Father in God" must first give themselves completely to the building of God's kingdom on earth. They must have a heart for ministry and service for the uplifting and good of us all.

"Well done they good and faithful servant, Come up higher", Jesus said. "To whom much is given, much is required. " To be made ruler over many one must first be faithful over few.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2003

>>Who will win? I feel that the candidates for Episcopal Honors 2004 and General Office of the AMEC is going to be an unique experience. They bring many spiritual gifts,aspirations,talents as Leaders in further enhancing our church to its APEX! I feel that they are SERIOUS candidates on a TRUE MISSION and are preparing themselves through a method of (PPO) which is Prayer, Preparation and developing opportunties. They are not demonstrating arrogance, selfishness,nor opposition research in destroying their opponnents. But they appear to be living and promoting the "Fruits of the Spirits". Many of them have been seen across the Connectional Church networking with one another in preaching engagements, seminars, workshops and retreats in demonstrating love in brotherhood and sisterhood. Yes, I feel our church is moving towards higher heights. We are blessed by our forefathers, retired Bishops and General officers and our present Bishops and General officers of this "Great Zion". The present candidates are demonstrating a different kind od "Politics" from the secular world and it should be. We are bless as we pray for those who are preparing for leadership that there eyes be maintained on the God. Peace, Love and Empowerment!

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2003

It seems to me Guidry should have won the last conference, if a woman wins it seems like Sarah Davis might be the better choice, also I think highly of Alvan Johnson, Albert Tyson and James Davis. I also think the AJC should receive 3 positions. As Rev. Harper said it's just an opinion.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2003

We must all remember, that we are using electronic voting now. Everybody who is a true AME knows, that back in the day with paper ballots, bishops were SELECTED, instead of ELECTED. The year 2000 was the first time, I believe that the people were able to vote who they wanted for AND actually count. A lot of us know, that if they were paper ballots in 2000, two out of the four who were elected, would not have been in my opinion. If you're wondering who, they were the two who only ran once! I do believe that this will be an interesting race, because of electronic balloting and with the pool of candidates that are running.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2003

I occassionaly read the AME Today Discussion, even though I am not AME. I feel strongly in my spirit that Frank Madison Reid, III will indeed be one of the ones elected next year. And as for all the women who are running, I am afraid that Bishop McKenzie will be the only woman on the bench for some time. (Don't get me wrong, I support whole heartily females being elected as I am a woman myself, however, I do not see or sense that the AME Church will elect another woman soon.) I really can say why but this is what I strongly sense.

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2003

Sister Gaines, welcome to the board and we do have others who post on this board who are not AME. I wish you could see the excitement and love that our denomination has for Presiding Elder Guidry who is running for Bishop. She is an anointed woman of God, great preacher, supervises one of our largest conferences in the denomination. I have no doubt she will be elected Bishop. Wherever she goes, people are waiting excitedly for the day she is made Bishop. Thank you for posting and I hope you keep coming back, it is always great to meet other Christians on the mission field. Joy

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2003

Certainly Rev. Dr. Frank Madison Reid III will win. If Rev. Dr. Floyd Flake was running, I believe he would win as well. I am certainly all for female leadership in the church, particularly the Bishopric. However, I do not believe any additional women will be elected Bishop. Actually, many people feel that Rev. Tyler-Guitry should have won back in 1996. Certainly, we will all see in 2004.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2003