Raised in a Black Church?
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
************************************************************************************* Volume 2, Issue 3: November 27, 2010 WWW.WCCLO.ORG The Official Website of the West Coast Conference Lay Organization I N S I D E T H I S I SSUE 2 Message from the President, Douglas M. Thomas 3 The Mission / The Laymen’s Hymn / The Lay Benediction 4 “Lively” Lakeland District News, Lenora White 5 “Sizzling” St. Petersburg District News, Hugh Yancy Jr. 6 “Tremendous” Tampa District News, Wanda L. Glover 8 Lay Benevolence 9 Upcoming Events/Meeting Dates/Conference Officers 10 Thinking Corner/Joke of the Quarter 11 Quarterly DOLA Lesson : Liturgical Colors 15 The West Coast Conference Challenge 16 Meeting Pictures And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. -Mark 16:15 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. -Ephesians 4: 11-13 West Coast Conference St. Lakeland Tampa Petersburg Praise God, the Father, through His Son Jesus the Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for the favor bestowed upon the ―Wonderful‖ West Coast Conference. As we look forward to the future, we anticipate wonderful changes in our spiritual growth and development, as we seek to spread the Word of God and His Kingdom through evangelism! May God shower His blessings upon the church, as we continue to do His work, His way, to extend the Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in Heaven. We intend to organize and train the Laity in the total programs of the church by encouraging them to support, practice and become accountable to loving one another. The present Biennial Theme, ―“Building on our Global Legacy of Christ-Centered Leadership and Training” (Ephesians 4:11-13 & St. Mark 16:15), has made us realize from whence we got our great start in this great Zion, by going back and researching who were some of our global leaders, like Bishops William Paul Quinn and Henry McNeal Turner, and with the expansion of African Methodism into Canada and Africa. We are able to obtain a wealth of the above knowledge by moving outside of the four walls of our local Zion‘s. There are personal benefits in becoming a part of the organized Lay Organization. The strategic implementation of training, which is provided to the lay members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, so that each member may utilize to the maximum, their abilities, and skills granted by God, in assisting with the improvement and extension of God's kingdom, and creating happiness, peace and harmony among its members. Along with the West Coast Conference Lay Organization‘s main information portal, www.wcclo.org, we continue striving to be your main source to keep you informed of upcoming meeting dates, leadership and training sessions, and other pertinent information regarding the entire West Coast Conference to help you grow spiritually in your walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Together we can make a difference in growing the Kingdom of God and making other disciples, as we have been commanded to do by our Savior. If you want to make a positive difference in the direction of the Church, you belong in the Lay Organization. 2 THE MISSION OF THE LAY ORGANIZATION The objectives and purpose of the Lay Organization are outlines in its Constitution. The main objectives are stated in brief as follows: To create a love and appreciation of the History and Principles of African Methodism Keep the memory of Richard Allen alive Respect constituted authority Stimulate and educate the Laity in the total program of the Church Study the Book of Discipline and learn the laws of the Church Encourage financial support of the Church’s program Teach and practice stewardship and work with the youth to teach them Methodism These objectives can best be met when one works to understand the program of the church and relate the church to the world around us. The Layman’s Hymn (1) (2) Laymen now have thus assembled We are banded one in union In Thy blessed name, O God to fulfill Thy just command Guide us in our true endeavor May we be Thy true disciples Light the pathway that we trod holding to Thy mighty hand Give us strength to ever labor for thy cause Give us blessings from the fountain of thy love Give us strength to ever labor for thy cause Give us blessings from the fountain of thy love (3) (4) As we walk this Christian journey May we stand before Thine Alter let us keep our armor bright pledging, Lord, to work for thee Let our words be pure and holy In the vineyard, in the pastures that we stand within Thy sight Let us, Lord, Thy Pilgrims be Laymen soldiers, strong in unity and love Let us lift the Cross forever to the skies Laymen soldiers, strong in unity and love Let us lift the Cross forever to the skies The Lay Benediction May God bless us with the true spirit of Christianity, that we may live together, not as man over man, but as Laypersons working with God. Amen. 3 TThhee ““LLIIVVEELLYY”” LLaakkeellaanndd DDiissttrriicctt !! I am reminded of a story I read about a commanding general in the Marines who was awaiting the nod to lead his troop to war in Iraq. The general was being interviewed on a morning show when one last question was posed. The interviewer asked if the general had any hobbies and he quickly answered, yes, I love photography, especially taking pictures of the men in my troop. He went on to share that waiting to go to war; he would email the photos with a brief note to their mothers back in the USA. The note went something like this… Dear Mrs. Johnson, I thought you might enjoy seeing this picture of your son. He is doing great. I also wanted you to know that you did a wonderful job of raising him. You must be proud and I am certainly honored to serve with him in the U.S. Marines. The General Well, I am certainly not a professional photographer but will like to share these snapshots for you while awaiting the start of a new conference year. The ―Lively‖ Lakeland District Lay Organization appreciates the support of their leaders, Presiding F. Bernard Lemon and Mrs. Laurastine Lemon. We are proud to be under their leadership. We are most appreciative to the Pastors and Churches of the ―Lively‖ Lakeland District who has supported the Lay Organization throughout the conference year. To the all the fine people of the ―Lively‖ Lakeland District, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making the district‘s lay organization a ―beacon‖ in the West Coast Conference . With Much Love, Lenora White. 4 The “Sizzling” St. Petersburg District ! There is no district like the St. Petersburg District. We have enjoyed and continue to enjoy the blessings of a mighty God. We are looking forward with excitement to this conference year. We had a fantastic training session on Parliamentary Procedure. It included an in depth study of Robert‘s Rules of Order. The main points were: The History, What Is Parliamentary Procedure?, Why is Parliamentary Procedure Important? and Using Parliamentary Procedure for Meetings. Our wonderful DOLA also covered such topics as: Basic Tools, By-Laws, Conducting an Effective Meeting, The Types of Motions and Basic Tools For Meeting Chairpersons. It included breakfast, lunch and a training component. The training component, conducted by Episcopal Director of Lay Activities, was an examination of the roles and responsibilities we have as officers. Each participant received a workbook; the interactive session included activities and opportunities for us to explore our personality preferences, examine our roles and discuss the expectations and requirements of the offices we hold or aspire to hold. As a wrap up we held a ‗snowball fight‘ in which we conducted a written dialog which consisted of us sharing our ideas about how to make our organization better. This retreat was full of humor, laughter, collaboration and learning. We are on a mission to take our organization to the next level. We are The St. Petersburg District, People of the Anvil: Incomparable Leaders and Infinite Learners. 5 THE “TREMEnDOUS” Tampa District ! All is well on the Tampa District as we prepare for the new 2010-2011 conference year. In keeping with the Book of Discipline, churches are now organizing and formulating their plans for the year. At the close of the Annual Conference two churches merged to become one, St. Paul/Gregg Temple – the new name has not been revealed. Looking ahead, we‘ve elected a delegate to attend the Connectional Workshop/Seminar to be held in Jacksonville December 10-11. We‘re also planning our annual Advent Service for the 3rd Sunday, December 19th - place to be announced. The Tampa District is excited and committed to carrying out our mission to instill in its membership a love and appreciation for the history, tradition and principles of African Methodism; advocating respect and loyalty to constituted authority; encouraging the support of the total program of the local church; fostering systematic and regular study which will provide greater knowledge and participation in the church and organizing and training lay members… To God be the Glory! ****************************************************************************** Raised in a Black Church? If you were raised in a Black church these should be familiar to you - can you fill in the blanks? First giving ______ to God, who is the _______ of my life, I'd like to say I'm glad to be in the ________ of the Lord one mo' time.