Page 3 - Volume 2 2016
P. 3

How Much is Five Plus Two?

                                     (Hint: It’s More Than You Think)

                                     The story is told of a fourth grade student who asked his tutor “How many is five plus
                                     two”? This irritated the tutor because the student should have known the answer. The
                                     tutor answered “you know the answer is seven”. The student replied with a smile, “No in
                                     your math five plus two is seven, but not in God’s math. For God, five plus two is more than
                                     five thousand because God can feed five thousand people with only five loaves of bread
                                     and two fish.” Out of the mouths of children come words of wisdom. But, how do we put
                                     words into action?

                                     For the African American Methodist Heritage Center (AAMHC) stretching limited financial
                                     resources is a routine endeavor. During the quadrennium 2012-2016 The General
                                     Conference of the United Methodist Church granted to AAMHC through the General
                                     Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) funding of $35,000 a year. Of that amount
                                     $10,000 came from the fund reserves of GCAH; that was a substantial commitment of their

limited funds.

The budget approved by the 2016 General Conference for the quadrennium 2017-2020 did not provide any funding for AAMHC.
Thankfully, GCAH determined to support the ministry of AAMHC by providing decreasing funding in the amount of $25,000 for
2017, $20,000 for 2018, $15,000 for 2019 and $10,000 for 2020. This represents a significant decrease in sure funding for the
new quadrennium which must be made up somehow.

Now more than ever, this ministry of remembrance must rely upon the financial support of persons who care about recovering
and preserving the history of African Americans and Methodism. AAMHC must intensify its efforts to develop and nurture
financial support for both operational and endowment purposes. It is important that people commit themselves to being regular
(annual or monthly) contributors to the ministry. Also, supporters are encouraged to consider AAMHC for inclusion in estate
plans so that the ministry will continue into the future – after all, History Marches On. AAMHC is committed to continuing its
ministry, including oral history projects, provision of resources and the offering of training opportunities for local church and
annual conference leaders interested in recovering and preserving the history of African Americans and Methodism in their
localities.

AAMHC is an IRS approved not-for-profit organization so that all contributions are tax deductible. Contributions may be made
through the Advance # 3020514. Contributions may be made directly to AAMHC and sent to our office at 36 Madison Avenue,
P.O. Box 127, Madison, NJ 07940. If you would like more information, please contact Ms. Carol Travis, Executive Assistant at
973-408-3862 or aamhc@aol.com. Also, visit the web page at aamhc-umc.org.

The first African American clergywoman was elected to the United         A Milestone Election

Methodist episcopacy by the Southeast Jurisdiction Conference in

2016 – Rev. Sharma Lewis was elected on the first ballot. This historic

action took place more than three decades after Bishop Leontine T. C. Kelly, of Virginia, responded to a summons and left the Southeast

Jurisdictional Conference to go to the Western Jurisdiction Conference where she was elected as the First African American woman Bishop

in the United Methodist Church. Bishop Lewis, who was a District Superintendent in the North Georgia Conference, is assigned as the

Bishop for the Virginia Conference.

In the 2016 election processes there were six African Americans elected to the episcopacy. The other persons elected are:

      Bishop Leonard Fairley also was elected by the Southeast Jurisdiction and assigned to the Kentucky and Red Bird Missionary
          Conferences. He previously was a District Superintendent in the Western North Carolina Conference.

      Bishop Tracey Smith-Malone was elected by the North Central Jurisdiction and assigned to the Ohio East Conference. She
          previously served as District Superintendent of the Chicago Southern Region of the Northern Illinois Conference.

      Bishop Frank Beard was elected by the North Central Jurisdiction and assigned to the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. He
          previously served as pastor of Castleton, United Methodist church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

      Bishop Cynthia Moore Koikoi was elected by the Northeast Jurisdiction and assigned to the Western Pennsylvania Conference. She
          previously served as District Superintendent of the Baltimore Metropolitan District of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

      Bishop LaTrelle Easterling was elected by the Northeast Jurisdiction and assigned to the Baltimore-Washington Conference. She
          previously served as a District Superintendent in the New England Conference.

These men and women have accepted the important responsibility of providing both administrative and pastoral leadership for United
Methodists in their assigned geographical areas. As General Superintendents of the denomination they are responsible for equipping the
members of the denomination for their disciple-making ministry. It is the responsibility of members to support them and to respond in the
ministry of building disciples for Christ.
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